A grkids.com mom, Kathryn Breuninger, set off for the Public Museum this past Monday to see the Facing Mars exhibit only to find out that the Museum was closed. There was some speculation on the grkids.com facebook page if the closure was due to President’s Day. Kristy Harrington, Marketing and Public Relations Manager for the museum noticed our facebook conversation and offered some insight:
The Grand Rapids Public Museum will be open to visitors six days a week beginning January 23, 2012, but will offer several free admission dates. The Museum hours will change to: Tuesday 9 am – 8 pm; Wednesday – Saturday 9 am – 5 pm, and Sunday Noon – 5 pm. The Museum will be closed Mondays except to private functions.
This announcement comes as the Museum is trying to make the most efficient use of its resources going forward, five years after all financial support from the City of Grand Rapids ended. “We’re trying to be the best stewards of our resources given the current economic climate,” says Dale A. Robertson, Museum President and CEO. “We will close on Mondays, one of our slowest traffic days, but through our participation with Museums Free 4 All we will offer guests several 2012 opportunities to visit us for free.”
It is also noted that the policy to allow GR residents in free on Mondays started when the Museum was owned by the City. The City cut off funding years ago, but the Museum kept the policy in place regardless, although free admission applied only to general admission, not special exhibit admission.
The Grand Rapids Public Museum is a collector of treasures, a motivator and resource for life-long learning, and a community partner in the pursuit of insight and understanding. For information, call 616.456.3977 or go to grmuseum.org.
We thank Kristy for clearing up this matter for our readers and we hope that our readers will be able to take advantage of some of the free admission dates coming up in the future.
