NEWS RELEASE Media contact:

Colleen Schafroth, Executive Director

(509) 773-3733, colleen@maryhillmuseum.org

 

 

Two Programs Provide Free Admission
at Maryhill Museum of Art

Free County Weekends and Library Passes Make Maryhill Even More Accessible

 

(GOLDENDALE, Wash., April 16, 2009) –  As more and more Northwest residents seek out activities that are budget-friendly, Maryhill Museum of Art is pleased to announce two programs that offer visitors free admission. The two programs are Free County Weekends and free admission passes available through local libraries.

FREE COUNTY WEEKENDS:
Throughout Maryhill’s season, the museum sets aside one weekend each month to offer free admission to residents of select counties in Oregon and Washington. In order to take advantage of the offer, residents of these counties need only present their driver's license to receive complimentary admission.

While this is the 17th year the museum has offered this incentive to its neighbors, it is especially timely now that many people are looking at ways to trim household budgets.  

"This is a great opportunity for locals and for those planning a visit to the area, to experience the museum and the new exhibits on view," said Colleen Schafroth, Maryhill’s executive director.

 

In 2009, the Free County Weekend schedule is:

April 18 & 19
Oregon - Coos, Curry, Deschutes, Douglas, Josephine and Lane
Washington - Adams Lincoln, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens and Whitman

May 30 & 31

Oregon - Crook, Harney, Jackson, Klamath, Lake and Malheur

Washington - Chelan, Douglas, Ferry, Grant, Kittitas, Okanogan and Yakima

June 27 & 28

Oregon - Hood River, Jefferson, Sherman and Wasco

Washington - Mason, Pierce and Thurston

July 25 & 26

Oregon - Gilliam, Grant, Morrow and Wheeler

Washington - Jefferson, Lewis and San Juan

  

August  22 & 23

Oregon - Baker, Umatilla, Union and Wallowa

Washington - Asotin, Benton, Columbia, Franklin, Garfield, Klickitat and Walla Walla

September 19 & 20

Oregon - Clatsop, Columbia, Lincoln, Tillamook, Washington and Yamhill

Washington - Clark, Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Pacific, Skamania and Wahkiakum

October 10 & 11
Oregon - Benton, Clackamas, Linn, Marion, Polk and Multnomah 

Washington - Clallam, Kitsap, Island, King, Skagit, Snohomish and Whatcom

 

LIBRARY PASSES:
Partnering with regional libraries, Maryhill has placed free passes in libraries serving communities throughout the Columbia River area. Once checked out of the library, a pass allows all members of a family living in the same household, plus up to four guests, to visit Maryhill Museum of Art free of charge. Passes may be checked out for a three-week period, allowing for repeat visits. The pass also comes with the DVD Magic of Maryhill, which shows how the museum can enrich the lives of children and adults.

“As more people learn about it and as we add libraries, we have seen an increased demand for the passes” says Carrie Clark, Maryhill’s curator of education. “In 2004, 32 families and individuals checked out passes and in 2008, 310 families and individuals used the program. Our hope is to let as many people as possible know that the program is available and encourage them to take advantage of it.”

“If you have a group of visitors coming from out of town, this is a wonderful way to bring them to Maryhill at no cost!” she adds.

Free passes are currently available at libraries in: Hood River, The Dalles, Parkdale, Cascade Locks, Dufur, Goldendale, White Salmon, Stevenson, Hermiston, Moro, Arlington, Maupin and Boardman. This year the museum added libraries in Adams, Athena, Baker City, Condon, Echo, Helix, Heppner, Milton-Freewater, Pendleton, Pilot Rock, Stanfield, Ukiah, Umatilla, Weston, and at Blue Mountain Community College. Other libraries will continue to be added; for an updated list visit the museum's Web site.

 

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ABOUT MARYHILL MUSEUM OF ART:

Housed in a glorious Beaux Arts mansion on 5,300 acres high above the Columbia River, Maryhill Museum of Art is one of the Pacific Northwest’s most enchanting cultural destinations.  Founded by Northwest entrepreneur and visionary Sam Hill, Maryhill opened to the public in 1940; today the museum boasts a world-class permanent collection, rotating exhibitions of the highest caliber, and dynamic educational programs that provide opportunities for further exploration by visitors of all ages.

 

The museum’s collection includes more than 80 works by Auguste Rodin, European and American paintings, objects d'art from the palaces of the Queen of Romania, Orthodox icons, unique chess sets, and the renowned Théâtre de la Mode, featuring small-scale mannequins attired in designer fashions of post-World War II France. Baskets of the indigenous people of North America were a collecting interest of Sam Hill; today the museum’s Native American collection represents nearly every tradition and style in North America, with works of art from prehistoric through contemporary.  

 

Maryhill’s Outdoor Sculpture Garden features work from the permanent collection by Tom Herrera, Mel Katz, Heath Krieger, Alisa Looney, Jill Torberson, Julian Voss-Andreae, Jeff Weitzel and Leon White.  Each year the museum also hosts an Outdoor Sculpture Invitational showcasing artists of the Northwest. The Maryhill Overlook is a site-specific sculpture by noted Portland architect Brad Cloepfil; nearby are Lewis and Clark interpretive panels. Four miles east of Maryhill is a life-sized replica of Stonehenge, Stonehenge Memorial, which Sam Hill built to memorialize local men who perished in World War I. Nearby, the Klickitat County War Memorial honors those who have died in service of their country since World War I.

 

The museum was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. In 2001 the museum was listed as an official site of the National Historic Lewis and Clark Trail and in 2002 was accredited by the American Association of Museums.

 

VISITOR INFORMATION:

Maryhill Museum of Art is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., March 15 to November 15. Admission is $7 for adults, $6 for seniors and $2 for children age 6-16. Admission to the Stonehenge Memorial is free; it is open from 7:00 a.m. to dusk daily.

 

Sandwiches, salads, espresso drinks, cold beverages, and freshly baked desserts and pastries are available at Café Maryhill; the Museum Store features art and history books, jewelry, Native American crafts and other mementos.

 

Maryhill is located off Highway 97, 12 miles south of Goldendale, Washington. Drive times to the museum are 2 hours from Portland/Vancouver, 3.5 hours from Bend, 4 hours from Seattle, and 1.5 hours from Yakima. For further information, visit maryhillmuseum.org.

 

For hi-resolution images of the museum and grounds, click here.