The Susie Konkel Pass reflects the collective passion and dedication of the museum and Konkel to widely share the power of art to transform lives and offer all youth access to lasting arts experiences. Additionally, Konkel and the museum envision that removing admission costs will result in freedom at the PMA for young people and their families as a whole, including:
1. Freedom for teens and young adults to use the museum as a safe and inspirational hang-out spot, where they are always welcome, can enjoy arts experiences, and be themselves at any time.
2. Freedom for low-income families to explore the arts and culture in new and different ways, regardless of who they are, how they live, or the economic hurdles they face.
3. Freedom for college and university students to use the PMA as a place to study, relax, and engage with the community as young adults.
4. Freedom for new Mainers to immediately feel a part of their community, to feel represented and respected, and to express themselves in an inclusive environment.
5. Freedom for parents to have more opportunities to enrich their children’s lives, supplement their growth and education, and set them on the path for a lifetime of arts appreciation.
Each year, 11,000 visitors under the age of 21 visit the museum, either through existing relationships with the museum or by being charged admission. Buoyed by a nearly 20% increase in website traffic for visitors ages 18-24 over the past two years, an redesigned Winslow Homer High School Fellow program, Teen Nights at the museum, and collaborations with MECA and USM, the PMA began thinking about a new way to deepen the engagement of young adults.
Susie Konkel had long seen the PMA as a place to reset and recharge, and with the successful completion of Your Museum, Reimagined over this same time period, she was encouraged by the increasingly diverse base of visitors looking to the PMA as a cultural center that reflects their values and lifestyles, and serves their communities.
The PMA’s commitment to broadening its audiences and the people it serves has been a top priority in recent years, and the Susie Konkel Pass is a natural step in that progression. The museum has been looking to build upon a growing Family-level membership base, new family programs, and special events for children, and by offering free admission to all visitors 21 and under, the Susie Konkel Pass becomes the most recent of other transformative moments, programs, and events at the museum including Art for All, Free Fridays, 2017’s Your Museum, Reimagined and Lights Across Congress, and 2018’s Art in Bloom. Together, the PMA and Konkel hope to establish the PMA as an indispensable resource for future generations.
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