Buffalo, NY – Beginning Tuesday, February 10, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery will offer free admission to all residents of Erie County through Sunday, February 15, a small gesture of gratitude on behalf of the Albright-Knox to both Erie County and its residents for the annual funding the museum receives. Peggy Pierce Elfvin Director Janne Sirén and Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz made the official announcement at a press conference on February 6.

Public funding plays a vital role in the AK’s ability to offer exciting and thought-provoking exhibitions, tours, and educational programs to its visitors. The Albright-Knox strives to engage and inspire its community and hopes to welcome many residents of Erie County during this week—seasoned visitors, those who have yet to view the museum’s remarkable Collection firsthand, and the countless art lovers in between.

“The Albright-Knox is continually energized by its role as a cornerstone of the Buffalo community, and we treat that responsibility with the utmost respect and sincerity. The residents of Erie County have in their possession a remarkable treasure in the AK’s Collection and we would like nothing more than to share it with every last one of them,” Sirén said at the press conference. He went on to add, “The people that make up our community are kind, intelligent, and hard-working individuals who we hope to inspire as often as possible. What we do at the Albright-Knox is made possible because of them, and we would like to show our immense appreciation.”

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz invited all Erie County residents to visit the museum, saying, “A week of free admission to the Albright-Knox Art Gallery is reason for families to celebrate and make plans to come out and see the world-class art treasures that are housed here. This is a wonderful gesture by the AK, and I encourage residents to take advantage of the free admission and spend some time walking these halls and immersing themselves in the creative genius they find here. There is something here for everyone, and I am certain that all who attend during free admission week will come away with not only a new appreciation for art, but also for the fantastic resource that is the Albright-Knox Art Gallery.”

The week of free admission coincides with the final weeks of both Giving Up One’s Mark: Helen Frankenthaler in the 1960s and 1970s and Imperfections By Chance: Paul Feeley Retrospective, 1954–1966, which are currently on view in the 1905 Albright Building’s North and South Galleries, respectively. Other current exhibitions on view at the AK include an installation by sculptural artist David Adamo in the Sculpture Court and Gallery for Small Sculpture, Arturo Herrera: Little Bits of Modernism in the Clifton Hall Link, and Robert Heinecken: Surrealism on TV in the Gallery for New Media.

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