The Portland Art Museum and the Northwest Film Center has received an additional 2015 General Operating Support allocation of $468,538 from the Arts and Education Access ballot initiative. We are extremely grateful to the voters of Portland who passed the ballot initiative with 62 percent support, the City of Portland, Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC), and the entire arts community who collaborated to back the measure. Funds will be used to support the Museum’s extensive access and education initiatives. Fully one-third of Museum visitors (approximately 100,000 visits) are free or pay a significantly reduced admission price.
This includes free access for children 17 and under, free school tours, free 4th Friday evenings, and free quarterly Museum days. Any enrolled college student can buy an annual pass for the price of a single admission ($15); Admission for Oregon Trail Card holders is $5; all other Friday evenings are $5; and we hold additional special free days throughout the year. The majority of the Museum’s funding still comes from individual supporters, but with this additional allocation, community support for the Museum through governmental funding has increased from 2 percent to 4 percent.