Free museum admissions available

The sixth annual “Free Fun Fridays” initiative, a summer program that offers free admittance to attractions all over the state through the end of August, is now in swing. Locally, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA) and Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum are both participating.

The MFA will offer free admission on Fri., July 18 and the Gardner will on Fri., Aug. 1. Sixty-five other institutions throughout the city and the state are also participating, with various museums and other places of interest open, at no cost, every week.

The “Free Fun Fridays” initiative is supported by the Highland Street Foundation, a Massachusetts and California organization focused on education, housing, mentorship, health care, environment and the arts for children and families. Free Fun Fridays started as a way to celebrate the Foundation’s 20th anniversary, Executive Director Blake Jordan said.

“We wanted to say that everyone should celebrate with us,” Jordan told the Gazette. “I really like that it’s a mixture of size and locations. Wherever you are in the state, there’s something for you.”

The Highland Street Foundation provides grants to participating venues to cover the cost of opening their doors for free. It has invested more than $650,000 to support the 2014 “Free Fun Fridays” program, according to a release.

“Boston has a rich cultural and historical heritage, and programs like Highland Street Foundation’s ‘Free Fun Fridays’ provide every member of our community with access to the state’s top-tier art, history, music and culture,” Mayor Martin Walsh said in a release. “I encourage the community to get out and experience the best our city has to offer.”

For a complete list of participating locations, see highlandstreet.org/freefunfridays.html.

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