ROCHESTER, NY.- Thanks to civic leader Abby Bennett and (MAG) and Trustee Doug Bennett ’06S (MBA), and the Sands Family Foundation, the University’s art museum is halfway to its goal of offering free admission to everyone who walks through its doors.

The Bennetts and the foundation have committed $3 million to establish the Abby and Doug Bennett and Sands Family Foundation Free for All Endowment. Once the museum raises $6 million for this initiative, it can offer free admission to all visitors permanently. To reach this milestone, the Bennetts and the Sands Family Foundation invite other arts patrons and generous members of the Rochester community and beyond to join them in meeting this challenge.

Donor commitment to access

“Bringing our kids to MAG has been one of our favorite things to do with them,” says Doug Bennett. “They have learned to engage with art in their own ways, and we have built unforgettable memories as a family. We feel strongly that every family in this region deserves the same opportunity to have these experiences and make these kinds of memories—and we want to encourage them to do so by eliminating the costs of admission.”

“The Bennetts and the Sands share our vision—removing the economic barrier of an admission fee is the single most important action we can take to ensure that generations of community members receive the profound benefits of MAG’s collection and educational programs,” says Sarah Jesse, the Mary W. and Donald R. Clark Director of the Memorial Art Gallery. “Rochester is a city that thrives on creativity and community, but access to the arts remains unequal.”

University President Sarah Mangelsdorf, a devoted fan of the arts, believes museums are essential to our collective understanding of history and the human experience. “We extend our deep gratitude to Doug and Abby and to the Sands Family Foundation for making MAG—one of Rochester’s most beloved institutions—more accessible to residents and visitors alike.”

Why free admission matters

Over the years, MAG’s admission fee has gradually increased—reflecting a broader nationwide trend among peer cultural institutions. Today’s adult admission fee is $20, which is cost-prohibitive for many community members, and as Jesse notes, “contradicts the public-spirited, educational mission of the museum.” She says, “We’ve seen clear evidence that when we remove economic barriers, people respond,” adding that the museum’s free days draw more than six times their typical attendance.

Doug underscores that this gift sets the standard for what museums can and should be: welcoming, inclusive, and transformational. “In 1913, Emily Sibley Watson gifted the museum to the University, entrusting that it would remain ‘a means alike of pleasure and education for all the citizens of Rochester.’ Free admission fulfills that promise—and extends it to every family, student, and neighbor.”