Totally Texas -- DMA sets art free!

Dallas Museum of Art

1717 N. Harwood Dr.

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We practically had to drag the boys out of the Dallas Museum of Art on its first day of free general admission this past Monday. One of the boys even wept. A little kid crying because he doesn’t want to leave an art museum? Believe it, when the museum has youth-oriented areas like those in the DMA’s Center for Creative Connections -- the C3.

My daughter and I had taken her sons to the DMA before, especially for the museum’s First Tuesdays programs. But this time, the boys were too restless to stay quiet in the galleries. Sympathetic personnel directed us to the C3 on the museum’s first floor, with its “Arturo’s Nest” creative playroom for the four and under set and “Young Learners Gallery” for ages five to eight.

We adults took turns watching the kids and exploring the collection galleries on our own. As many times as I’ve been to the DMA, many of its 22,000-item collection were new to me. Now, with no admission charge, I’m free to explore all of them.

I was surprised that the museum began its free general admissions policy on Monday, a day it normally closed. But with many children out of school for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, the museum was full. The museum’s regular hours remain 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Tuesday - Wednesday and Friday through Sunday, 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. Thursday, remaining closed on Mondays. Extended hours also apply on the third Friday of each month.

There is a $10 fee for use of the museum’s underground parking garage. Additional parking is available at several locations in the Arts District surrounding the museum. DART stops are only a few blocks away, and the free McKinney Avenue trolleys stop on Harwood Drive across the street from the DMA.
Free admission entitles visitors to view the gallery collections. Most exhibitions are also free, although some will require fees. For additional information about the DMA and its programs, see www.dallasmuseumofart.org/.
With free admission, a café, and Wi-Fi, I could live at the DMA. At least until closing time.