Fairfield County museums work to break down barriers

3 AREA ART INSTITUTIONS WORK TO BREAK DOWN BARRIERS

Connecticut museums are trying to break free of seeming aloof and engage with their local communities, starting with free admission for those who receive food stamps.

Museums nationwide are trying to knock down barriers to cultural institutions, particularly art museums. Oftcited barriers include admissions prices and public transportation. Others include exhibits that are not relevant to, or do not represent, the diverse people of color, nonnative English speakers and LGBT people in the community.

To include those who cannot afford tickets, three art museums and five children’s museums in Connecticut participate in Museums for All, a cooperative initiative between the Association of Children’s Museums and the Institute of Museum and Library Services that lets visitors with EBT cards visit for free or at a reduced cost.

Three are in Fairfield County: The Bruce Museum in Greenwich, the Aldrich Museum Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield and Stepping Stones Children’s Museum in Norwalk. Patrons of the Bruce and the Aldrich who present an EBT card can admit up to four people for free.

“If you don’t have to worry about paying, it makes it more accessible,” says Diana Rafferty, the education coordinator for the Bruce Museum. “The last thing we want to do is make the culture that is available to everyone hidden behind a paywall.”

To improve the experiences of visitors who benefit from Museums for all, Rafferty has encouraged conversations among staff members about the

Hearst Connecticut Media file photo Diana Rafferty of the Bruce Museum gives a tour of Andy Warhol art to Greenwich Middle Schools summer school students at Bruce Museum in Greenwich.

Contributed The Bruce Museum is showing work by Milton and Sally Michel Avery, American modern painters This painting is titled "Swimming Lessons."