Ten cultural district locations are offering free admission this Saturday for the 10th annual Day in the District.
The Arts Council of Fort Worth, museums and other attractions are hosting the event, which lasts from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“The whole purpose of this event is to make sure Fort Worth understands we have world class art museums and great performing arts right here,” said Dustin Van Orne, media relations coordinator at Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.“It’s geared toward trying to get people aware of the cultural offerings in the community.”
Van Orne said Day in the District helps to spread awareness of many free offerings by local museums and lets residents learn more about local art.
“Trying to get to an amusement park or something like that, you can easily spend a couple hundred dollars in a day,” Van Orne said. “This is an opportunity to announce on a major level that there is always free stuff happening at the museums.”
Participating museums include the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, the Kimbell Art Museum and the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.
Van Orne said the event has a major impact on the community, but also on participating organizations.
“For the performing arts groups, [the event] is really nice because a lot of these places don’t have Brick and Mortar facilities,” Van Orne said. “They’re small, volunteer-run performing arts groups, and they do it because they love it.”
He said the turnout at Day in the District helps in building and expanding the audience for these organizations.
The Galleries at TCU are also participating in Day in the District for the first time this year.
“Although we are not technically located in the cultural district we wanted to be involved to show our support of the event which is important to the cultural life of the city and also remind visitors of what we can offer in our galleries,” said Sara-Jayne Parsons, curator at The Art Galleries at TCU.
“I think our involvement also tells our students and campus community that the galleries value relationships with other cultural organizations and that collaboration plays an important role in the arts,” Parsons said.
Parsons said Day in the District provides a learning experience for students to confidently present their work in a professional way.
“We are also highlighting that our students can have a great art experience on campus, just steps away from their classrooms and daily routine,” she said. “Come to TCU – you can see exciting, international and local contemporary art on campus and a five minute drive away in the Cultural District.”
In planning the marketing strategy for Day in the District, Van Orne said the Art Council and participating museums try to appeal to populations who don’t normally come to museums and galleries.
“The good thing about Fort Worth is we have some of the best museums in the world,” Van Orne said. “What you get is world class museum experience and you don’t have to go far to see it.”