NEW YORK, NY.- Over 120 art museums across North America will offer free or reduced admission, special programs, and other initiatives as part of their celebrations of Art Museum Day on May 18, 2012. These museums are all members of the Association of Art Museum Directors—located across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Building on public response to past Art Museum Days, this year AAMD is encouraging visitors to share their experiences during Art Museum Day on a special printed form available at participating museums and via social media with the hashtag #ArtMuseumDay and through special events on Facebook and Foursquare in a collective public response.

“Art museums create opportunities for the public to engage directly with works of art in new and meaningful ways—from transformative educational initiatives to innovative public partnerships.” said Chris Anagnos, Executive Director of AAMD. “AAMD believes that art should be accessible and relevant to all, and we are pleased to bring together over 120 art museums to celebrate the power of art and to encourage visitors to share their museum experiences.”

AAMD’s Art Museum Day coincides with International Museum Day, organized annually around the world by the International Council of Museums (ICOM). Participation by AAMD member museums emphasizes the lasting impact art museums have on their communities, highlights the value of the visual arts in society, and provides new opportunities for audiences to participate in wide-ranging programs and share their encounters with works of art.

Over 120 museums are participating in AAMD’s Art Museum Day in 2012.

A comprehensive list of participating AAMD member art museums is available in the newsroom of the AAMD website. Note that while ICOM’s International Museum Day is formally held each year on May 18th, some institutions shift their celebrations to adjacent dates.

Art Museum Day is an opportunity to focus attention on the role of art museums in North America as part of a larger worldwide initiative. ICOM’s International Museum Day has been celebrated all over the world since 1977, to encourage public focus on the museum as “an institution in the service of society and of its development.”