Denver Art Museum to admit millionth kid for free

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to clarify the timeline for the partnership between Bellco Credit Union and the Denver Art Museum.

DENVER (KDVR) — Since launching an initiative nine years ago, the Denver Art Museum is expecting to see its millionth kid pass through its doors for free this fall.

In 2015, the Denver Art Museum created the Free for Kids program , underwriting general admission for those who are 18 years or younger. This also includes children in youth groups, summer camps, school groups and family visits.

In honor of the occasion, the Denver Art Museum is hosting youth-centered programs and activities starting on Oct. 17 and lasting through Oct. 20.

“We are thrilled to have shared global collections and creativity with more than one million youth visitors since launching Free for Kids at the Denver Art Museum,” museum director Christoph Heinrich said. “With generous continued support from Bellco Credit Union, the Denver Art Museum continues to lower the barriers to museum access and welcome all young people from preschoolers to teenagers to explore world cultures and their own creativity at the museum.”

Heinrich added that studies have shown that children who have access to museums and art education build a greater quality of life, academic achievement, empathy and cultural understanding.

An admirer of the Free for Kids program, Bellco Credit Union, became an official partner of the program in 2016 and the presenting sponsor in 2023. The credit union became the sponsor of the program and will continue to help keep admissions free for those 18 and under and will also help keep prices to $5 for special admission events, according to a release from the museum .

“The Free for Kids program allows Bellco and the Denver Art Museum to engage families, teens, schools, community groups and youth organizations across Colorado. It’s amazing that more than one million kids have attended the museum for free since Free for Kids launched in 2015,” Jenna McFarlane, Vice President of Marketing at Bellco Credit Union said.

To continue to draw the intrigue of the kids out there, the museum said it will be putting on a variety of collections and exhibits this fall.

The collections include:

Martin Building

• Indigenous arts of North America
• Latin American art
• Arts of the Ancient Americas
• Arts of Asia
• Photography
• Textile and fashion arts
• Western American art

Hamilton Building

• Arts of Africa
• Arts of Oceania
• Modern and contemporary art

Exhibitions

• The Life and Art of Tokio Ueyama
• Composing Color: Paintings by Alma Thomas from the Smithsonian American Art Museum
• Have a Seat: Mexican Chair Design Today
• Fazal Sheikh: Thirst/Exposure/In Place
• Space Command
• Weaving a Foundation: Cornerstones of the Textile Arts Collection

After a million kids have been admitted to the museum for free, the museum said the partnership will surely look to help send through as many more as they can.

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