For Immediate Release
December 8, 2022
 

CLARK ART INSTITUTE OFFERS FREE ADMISSION FROM JANUARY―MARCH 2023

“Free for Three” program offers greater access to museum and exhibitions for all 

(Williamstown, Massachusetts)— The Clark Art Institute will offer free admission for all visitors from January through March 2023. The “Free for Three” program is part of the Institute’s ongoing effort to expand awareness of its programming and to welcome new visitors.  

“There’s no better way to start the new year off than by making sure that our doors are wide open for our community and for all visitors to the area,” said Olivier Meslay, Hardymon Director of the Clark. “We believe that the chance to engage with art is a truly fulfilling and enriching part of life and we want to make sure that everyone has plenty of opportunities to visit the Clark and to get to know us better.” 

In 2022, the Clark offered free admission for the month of January and welcomed more than 6700 visitors in that time period, an increase of more than fifty percent of its traditional January visitation rates. 

“Thanks to the strong support and commitment from our Board of Trustees, we are expanding the free admission program to three months this year and intend to make this a tradition in the years ahead,” said Meslay. “We hope to meet many new visitors and to welcome our community members back time and again.”

During the free admission season, visitors will have the opportunity to tour the Clark’s noted permanent collection and to see three new exhibitions, Promenades on Paper: Eighteenth-Century French Drawings from the Bibliothèque nationale de France (open through March 12, 2023), On the Horizon: Art and Atmosphere in the Nineteenth Century (open through February 12, 2023) and Portals: The Visionary Architecture of Paul Goesch (opens March 13, 2023). And, on February 11, the Clark will open the latest presentation of contemporary art in its public spaces with Elizabeth Atterbury: Oracle Bones. 

Promenades on Paper offers the world’s first exhibition ever presented of eighteenth-century French drawings from the collection of the National Library of France. The library’s drawings collection holds more than 200,000 works of art. Featuring more than 80 drawings, tis exhibition includes works made by esteemed artists from the era, alongside those done by relatively unknown artists and members of royalty. 

On the Horizon considers the ways in which nineteenth-century artists tackled the challenge of depicting the most ephemeral of elements: air. Through the forty-six works featured, the exhibition chronologically charts the visual response to the ideation, use, and eventual misuse of air in the nineteenth century. Drawings by John Constable, Honoré Daumier, J.M.W. Turner, and James McNeill Whistler are included in the presentation. 

Portals: The Visionary Architecture of Paul Goesch presents the first North American exhibition of the architectural drawings of Paul Goesch (1885–1940), a little-known artist and architect who produced one of the most inventive, peculiar, and poignant bodies of work to emerge from Weimar Germany. His vibrant architectural fantasies were celebrated in the Expressionist circles of his time, even as he struggled with schizophrenia—a condition for which he was institutionalized, and ultimately murdered by the Nazis. 

Elizabeth Atterbury: Oracle Bones is an installation of contemporary art providing an overview of the artist’s vibrant geometric prints, highly textured monochrome reliefs in raked mortar, and large-scale carved wood sculptures. Atterbury considers her Chinese-American heritage in her artistic practice, focusing in particular on questions of abstraction, interpretation, syntax, and translation. 

The Clark’s grounds, which are always open free of charge, provide miles of walking trails. In winter months, the Clark’s popular Project Snowshoe program offers visitors the opportunity to borrow free snowshoes to explore the beauty of the campus in winter. Snowshoes are available in adult and child sizes on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Clark also offers a wide array of free public programs, concerts, and other activities. Details on January through March 2023 programming are available at clarkart.edu/events. 

ABOUT THE CLARK
The Clark Art Institute, located in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, is one of a small number of institutions globally that is both an art museum and a center for research, critical discussion, and higher education in the visual arts. Opened in 1955, the Clark houses exceptional European and American paintings and sculpture, extensive collections of master prints and drawings, English silver, and early photography. Acting as convener through its Research and Academic Program, the Clark gathers an international community of scholars to participate in a lively program of conferences, colloquia, and workshops on topics of vital importance to the visual arts. The Clark library, consisting of more than 285,000 volumes, is one of the nation’s premier art history libraries. The Clark also houses and co-sponsors the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art.

The Clark, which has a three-star rating in the Michelin Green Guide, is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Its 140-acre campus includes miles of hiking and walking trails through woodlands and meadows, providing an exceptional experience of art in nature. Galleries are open 10 am to 5 pm Tuesday through Sunday, from September through June, and daily in July and August. Advance tickets are strongly recommended. Admission is $20; free year-round for Clark members, all visitors age 21 and under, and students with a valid student ID. Free admission is available through several programs, including First Sundays Free; a local library pass program; and EBT Card to Culture. For information on these programs and more, visit clarkart.edu or call 413 458 2303.

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