Passes to select cultural institutions throughout the five boroughs available now to library cardholders
October 27, 2020 – Brooklyn Public Library (BPL), the New York Public Library (NYPL, serving Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island), and Queens Public Library (QPL) today announced that their joint initiative Culture Pass – a citywide library program providing free access to library cardholders to cultural institutions across the five boroughs – has resumed service at select participating institutions, with limited capacity. Created in 2018, Culture Pass has provided nearly 110,000 free passes to museums, gardens, historical societies, performance venues, and other cultural institutions. As institutions across New York City reopen to the public, the City’s tri-library system is providing library patrons select opportunities to visit New York City’s unparalleled arts and culture organizations which have reopened with updated safety protocols in place, free of charge.
Through Culture Pass, participating cultural institutions provide day-passes for library cardholders to reserve online and then present the printed or digital pass to gain free admission to a specified organization. As of November 1, 25 participating organizations including the Alice Austen House Museum, Brooklyn Museum, Kingland Homestead, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and New York Botanical Garden are offering in-person passes. Additional museums will offer passes on a rolling basis, as they re-open and are able to begin taking passes again. The list of Culture Pass institutional partners currently offering passes follow below. For more details on Culture Pass and reservations, visit culturepass.nyc.
Institutions offering Culture Passes as of November 1, 2020:
• Alice Austen House Museum
• American Museum of Natural History
• Asia Society Museum
• Brooklyn Museum
• The Drawing Center
• Dyckman Farmhouse Museum
• Fraunces Tavern Museum
• International Studio & Curatorial Program
• The Jewish Museum
• King Manor Museum
• Kingsland Homestead
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
• MoMA PS1
• Morris-Jumel Mansion
• Museum of Arts and Design
• Museum of the City of New York
• National Lighthouse Museum
• New Museum
• New York Botanical Garden
• The Noble Maritime Collection
• The Noguchi Museum
• Poster House
• The Rubin Museum of Art
• SculptureCenter
In accordance with guidelines from the State of New York, museums have limited capacity to 25%. The libraries are continuing to work with Culture Pass partners to ensure that they can continue serving library cardholders. Passes will be released on the first of each month for all available dates that month, with a limited number of passes per week at each participating location. Patrons reserving passes must read the details for each offer as most passes will not be valid for check-in unless the pass holder makes a timed-entry reservation for the specific venue the wish to attend on its website in advance. Culture Passes must be shown when checking in, either in print or digital form.
“Culture Pass makes the world-class cultural institutions on our doorstep accessible to all, and we are thrilled to resume this service for library cardholders safely and free of charge,” said Brendan Crain, NYC Culture Pass Project Manager. “Following our successful season of virtual programming earlier this year, we are excited to create more opportunities for patrons to be inspired by a work of art, the natural environment, and the vibrant history of the five boroughs.”
Through November 21, Culture Pass is also rebroadcasting online arts and cultural programs from New York City’s most distinguished cultural institutions free of charge to people everywhere. Audiences of all ages are invited to enjoy a musical performance from the comfort of their homes; participate in an art-making activity with the whole family; go on a digital tour of a leading museum, and more. The programs, offered in languages including Bengali, Mandarin, and Spanish can be accessed at culturepass.nyc/virtual-programs.
Culture Pass is made possible through generous funding from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), Charles H. Revson Foundation, The New York Community Trust, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.
About Brooklyn Public Library
Brooklyn Public Library is one of the nation’s largest library systems and among New York City’s most democratic institutions. As a leader in developing modern 21st century libraries, we provide resources to support personal advancement, foster civic literacy, and strengthen the fabric of community among the more than 2.7 million individuals who call Brooklyn home. We provide nearly 60,000 free programs a year with writers, thinkers, artists, and educators—from around the corner and around the world. And we give patrons millions of opportunities to enjoy one of life’s greatest satisfactions: the joy of a good book.
About The New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is a free provider of education and information for the people of New York and beyond. With 92 locations—including research and branch libraries—throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, the Library offers free materials, computer access, classes, exhibitions, programming, and more to everyone from toddlers to scholars, and has seen record numbers of attendance and circulation in recent years. The New York Public Library serves nearly 17 million patrons who come through its doors annually and millions more around the globe who use its resources at nypl.org. To offer this wide array of free programming, The New York Public Library relies on both public and private funding. Learn more about how to support the Library at nypl.org/support.
About Queens Public Library
Queens Public Library is one of the largest and busiest public library systems in the United States, dedicated to serving the most ethnically and culturally diverse area in the country. An independent, non-profit organization founded in 1896, Queens Public Library offers free access to a collection of more than 5 million books and other materials in multiple languages, technology and digital resources, and more than 87,500 educational, cultural, and civic programs a year. It consists of 66 locations, including branch libraries, a Central Library, seven adult learning centers, a technology lab, two universal pre-kindergartens, and two teen centers.