Free Fridays start next week at O.C. Museum of Art

Art’s true value may be priceless, but at the Orange County Museum of Art, the viewing of it just got cheaper.

The Newport Beach museum has announced that beginning Feb. 20, it will offer free admission every Friday and hold extended hours from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fridays. The initiative marks the first time OCMA has offered a weekly free day, according to director and CEO Todd Smith.

The museum also has lowered its admission prices for the remaining open days of the week. The $12.50 general admission price has dropped to $10, while students, educators and seniors, who previously paid $10, will get in for $7.50. Museum members and children under 12 will continue to be admitted free of charge.

Smith, who joined OCMA’s staff last year, said the new initiatives aimed to broaden the audience at the museum, which previously stayed open late on Thursdays.

“People tend to be a little freer on a Friday night than a Thursday night, so we’ll see how it goes,” he said. “It’s definitely something we’re excited about.”

On some Fridays, the museum will host free events related to the current exhibits. Among the upcoming offerings are “The F Word Vol. II,” a March 13 panel discussion on the history of feminism, and “Fanatic,” an April 17 celebration of zine culture. Both events complement “Alien She,” a touring exhibit about the Riot Grrrl movement that will run through May 24.

OCMA, located by Fashion Island at 850 San Clemente Drive, is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays and closed Mondays and Tuesdays.