Wu announces free museum admission for BPS students and families

Twice a month, Boston Public School students and their families will be able to visit multiple museums and attractions without paying a dime.

“Starting in February, on the first and second Sundays of each month, BPS students and their families will get free admission at the Museum of Fine Arts, the Institute of Contemporary Art, The Museum of Science, The Boston Children's Museum, the New England Aquarium, and the Franklin Park Zoo,” said Mayor Michelle Wu in her State of the City address on Tuesday.

The announcement follows a trend of increased accessibility at Boston-area institutions. Last year the Harvard Art Museums announced free admission for all visitors year-round, joining other museums with free admission such as Fuller Craft Museum, the McMullen Museum at Boston College and the Mass Art Art Museum.

Currently general admission costs a family of four (two adults and two teenagers) $74 at the Museum of Fine Arts, $63 at the Franklin Park Zoo and $136 at the New England Aquarium.

Vikki N. Spruill, president and CEO of the New England Aquarium, is proud to partner in this program that she says will help inspire more young people. She wrote to WBUR in an email following the announcement, “We applaud Mayor Wu and her team for creating a program that prioritizes increased accessibility and inclusivity for students and families throughout Boston."

"We are thrilled to partner with the city and our colleagues to bring free cultural experiences to BPS students and their families,” wrote Museum of Science president Tim Ritchie in an email. “One of our highest priorities as an institution is creating a learning space that is inclusive, equitable, and accessible for all. The beauty of scientific discovery should not be a privilege, but rather a birthright for every child in the city. We cannot wait to welcome even more BPS families through our doors and to help spark their lifelong love of science.”

In her speech, Mayor Wu recounted the role that free museum admission played in her own life. Wu’s immigrant mother often didn’t have enough money to spend on things like museum admission. “But on this day, none of that matters, because itʼs a Tuesday—and on Tuesdays, the big art museum downtown has free admission,” she said in her speech. “So sheʼs there with her little girl, in a little pink stroller, staring up at a painting of a cliff full of wildflowers. And, in this moment, this mom with no money and no words in this language feels like the best mom on earth because she has given her daughter the world for a day.”

Mayor Wu has continued to demonstrate a strong tie to the arts. She’s continued to play piano in adulthood and last year she joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra for a performance at Symphony Hall.