Carlos Museum to Join in Association of Art Museum Directors Celebration of International Museum Day

5/13/2010

Carlos Museum of Offer Free Admission on May 18

The Michael C. Carlos Museum will offer free admission on 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.

Carlos Museum visitors are invited on May 18 to enjoy some 16,000 art objects from ancient Egypt, the Near East, Greece, Rome, the Americas, Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, as well as works on paper from the Renaissance to the present. Also on view is the special exhibition "When Gold Blossoms: Indian Jewelry from the Susan L. Beningson Collection" (http://carlos.emory.edu/when-gold-blossoms).

Director of the Carlos Museum, Bonnie Speed, says, “Museums provide the space for enrichment, inspiration, and lifelong learning. Great cities depend on museums to support the artistic and intellectual lives of its citizens. Join us on May 18 to celebrate museums and participate in the rich and vibrant legacy of art.”

AAMD member museums—located across the United States, Canada and Mexico—include smaller regional museums as well as large international institutions. International Museum Day is organized annually around the world by the International Council of Museums (ICOM).

“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 Carlos Museum 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 Web site (http://www.aamd.org/newsroom/). More information about ICOM’s International Museum Day can be found here: http://icom.museum/imd.html

About the Michael C. Carlos Museum
The Michael C. Carlos Museum of Emory University collects, preserves, exhibits, and interprets art and artifacts from antiquity to the present in order to provide unique opportunities for education and enrichment in the community, and to promote interdisciplinary teaching and research at Emory University. The Carlos Museum has grown to become one of the Southeast's premier museums with major collections of Greek and Roman, Ancient Egyptian, Near Eastern, Nubian, Ancient American, African, and Asian art, as well as a collection of works on paper from the Renaissance to the present. Annual participation from 100,000 visitors, including 30,000 children, and approximately 240,000 internet users, reveals the community’s keen interest in the world of antiquities made relevant and accessible by special exhibitions, educational events, and the Museum’s permanent collections.

Location: 571 South Kilgo Circle, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, U.S.A. Telephone: 404-727-4282 Fax: 404-727-4292 Hours: Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Sunday 12 noon - 4 p.m. (Closed on Mondays and university holidays) Admission: $8. Free for Carlos Museum members and Emory University faculty, students, and staff. Students, seniors, and children ages 6—17: $6 (Children ages 5 and under: Free). Public Tours: Advanced booking required for weekday or weekend groups of ten or more. For reservations call 404-727-0519. Docent-led tours of the Museum depart from the Rotunda on Level One every Sunday at 2:30 p.m. during the Emory academic year (call 404-727-4282 to confirm).

www.carlos.emory.edu