Toronto Library Museum Art Pass
Libraries Offer Free Passes to Key Cultural Institutions
Library card holders in Toronto can now borrow a free pass to visit several of the city's museums, art galleries and other cultural institutions. The passes are good for a family of up to two adults and up to five children (some venues have different admission restrictions). The passes called the Sun Life Financial Museum + Arts Pass can be borrowed from the city's library branches with a valid library card.
AGO Partners in Sun Life Financial Museum Art Pass Program
Some of arts institutions participating in the program include the Art Gallery of Ontario, Bata Shoe Museum, Black Creek Pioneer Village and the Gardiner Museum. The AGO's Executive Director of Public Affairs, Sue Bloch-Nevitte believe it's a wonderful idea.
"We actually were partners with the library in setting up this program and loved the idea as we had been exploring ways to make the AGO more accessible - reducing economic barriers. Art is a wonderful thing, and especially in these troubled economic times we want to introduce as many people as possible to their AGO. Sometimes art and art museums can feel intimidating and rarified, and we also want to break down those barriers."
Toronto Museum + Art Pass Program Expanded
A pilot project began in the summer of 2007. More than 21,000 passes were lent to 60,000 Torontonians. Wendy Banks, the program's co-ordinator with the Toronto Public Library says the feedback was fantastic.
"Our customers absolutely love the program and see great value in it as do our partners. We regularly see long line-ups at our branches each week when the MAP (Museum + Art Passes) become available (which is one of the reasons why we all want to see the program expanded)," she said.
Toronto Library Supports Culture and the Arts
This year, over 200-thousand passes will be available, offering cultural access to more than half a million people in Toronto. Banks says the library believes it is important to expose people to the arts and culture of its city.
"A vibrant cultural life enhances the livability of any city; access to culture encourages discovery, stimulates the imagination and builds community, and a healthy cultural sector supports economic prosperity. Supporting creativity and culture is one of the central elements of the library’s strategic plan, and we’re working on many fronts to increase such access for everybody in the city – from circulating books, music and movies, to keeping special collections of historical items, to holding art exhibits, to offering cultural programming in libraries, to partnerships with other cultural institutions such as the MAP program."
Creating Future Museum and Arts Patrons
Bloch-Nevitte of the AGO says exposure to the arts at an early stage helps develop future relationships. "Studies most, in fact have shown the single greatest predictor of art museum/art involvement is the degree to which children are exposed to art through school or family. So our school programs (we average 40,000school students per year, and growing) are very important to us - and the schools!"
You can borrow a museum art pass from any of Toronto's libraries but the list of cultural institutions on the access pass may vary by branch. There are similar art access programs in Ottawa, Minneapolis and Boston,
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