Sharks, lions, snakes, and evolving expressions of the beauty of the human form have something in common: Boston Public Schools families redeemed tickets to see their exhibits for free this year.
According to the mayor’s office, 30,670 tickets have been redeemed in all participating establishments. This figure is approaching the end of the pilot season, which ends this Sunday. There are no concrete plans to extend or expand the season.
Staff at the Institute of Contemporary Art say the exhibition has allowed families and students to discover new worlds. Gail Leavitt, director of visitor operations, said the vast majority of visitors to the museum through the BPS program were visiting for the first time.
However, she said that as the summer progressed, more and more first-time visitors arrived.
“The program allows us to reach people who have not been exposed to contemporary art before,” Leavitt said. “One of the most popular is the beautiful exhibition by Firelei Báez that is currently on display this summer.”
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu told GBH Boston Public Radio this week that City Hall is working on expanding the program.
“We are still in negotiations” with the museums, she said.
Cynthia Mead of the Franklin Park Zoo believes accessibility makes a difference for the nearly 8,000 visitors from 90 schools.
“The most popular is the elementary age group, that’s this outstanding group of students that come,” she said. “They come with their families and enjoy a beautiful day outside.”
“You can learn a lot about their habitat by looking at the animals,” Mead added. “It’s a doorway that opens the horizons of a person’s world.”
The New England Aquarium proved to be the most popular location for students and their families, with over 10,000 tickets redeemed there since the program began in February.
Students and their families can still enjoy free admission on Sunday, August 11 by visiting the websites of participating institutions: New England Aquarium, Franklin Park Zoo, Institute of Contemporary Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Children’s Museum and Museum of Science.
