The Wolfsonian–Florida International University To Join In Association Of Art Museum Directors
Celebration Of International Museum Day On May 18, 2010

The Wolfsonian–Florida International University announced today that it will join museums around the United States in offering free gallery admission on Tuesday, May 18 as part of the Association of Art Museum Directors’ (AAMD) celebration of International Museum Day.
Participation by AAMD member museums will focus attention on the important roles that art museums serve in their communities, further showcase their remarkable collections, and increase opportunities for audiences to engage with the many educational programs art museums offer.

On this day visitors to The Wolfsonian may enjoy—in addition to the exhibitions on view—the museum’s display of works from the Page at a Time children’s program, which features handcrafted books created by students from Miami-Dade public schools as well as the display of works from the Artful Citizenship program, a language arts and social studies curriculum that uses The Wolfsonian’s collection as its primary teaching tool. The Page at a Time and the Artful Citizenship projects, which emphasize the connections between art, history, and ideas, and explore the visual power of words and images, will be on display in the lobby of The Wolfsonian Thursday May 6 through Sunday, June 6, 2010.

Every year AAMD member museums—located across the United States, Canada, and Mexico—including The Wolfsonian celebrate International Museum Day at the invitation of the International Council of Museums (ICOM). This year’s theme, “Museums for Social Harmony,” intends to raise awareness about the role of museums in teaching social harmony to the public at large. “We believe that art museums are crucial to our understanding of world history and cultures, and provide a unique and irreplaceable public service,” said Michael Conforti, president of AAMD and director of the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, MA. “AAMD is committed to exploring new ways to underscore the value of the visual arts in civic society, and we are excited that The Wolfsonian is joining with us and the global community of museums to focus on this message of public service.”

A comprehensive list of participating AAMD member art museums will be available in the newsroom of the AAMD website. More information about ICOM’s International Museum Day can be found here.

The Page at a Time program is made possible by Carnival Foundation, with special thanks to the Miami-Dade County Public Schools.

Artful Citizenship is funded by the Children’s Trust, a dedicated source of revenue established by voter referendum to improve the lives of children and families in Miami-Dade County. With support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County and Board of County Commissioners.

About The Wolfsonian–Florida International University
The Wolfsonian is a museum, library, and research center that uses objects to illustrate the persuasive power of art and design, to explore what it means to be modern, and to tell the story of social, historical, and technological changes that have transformed our world. The collections comprise approximately 120,000 objects from the period of 1885 to 1945—the height of the Industrial Revolution to the end of the Second World War—in a variety of media including furniture; industrial-design objects; works in glass, ceramics, and metal; rare books; periodicals; ephemera; works on paper; paintings; textiles; and medals.
The Wolfsonian is located at 1001 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, FL. Admission is $7 for adults; $5 for seniors, students, and children age 6 -12; and free for Wolfsonian members, State University System
of Florida staff and students with ID, and children under six. The Wolfsonian, presently on a Summer Schedule through September 15, 2010, is open Thursday from noon-6pm; Friday from noon-9m; Saturday and Sunday from noon-6pm; and is closed Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Contact us at 305.531.1001 or visit us online at www.wolfsonian.org for further information.
The Wolfsonian receives ongoing support from The Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; the City of Miami Beach, Cultural Affairs Program, Cultural Arts Council; the William J. and Tina Rosenberg Foundation; Continental Airlines, the Official Airline of The Wolfsonian–FIU; Bacardi USA, Inc.; and Arrowood Vineyards & Winery.