Columbus Museum of Art is a gem to explore in Columbus, and they have reopened with precautions in place. They offer FREE Sundays and other discounts at Columbus Museum of Art, such as $5 Thursday evenings, Blue Star Museum discounts, and more.
Take a day to appreciate art at Columbus Museum of Art during Free Weekends at CMA, open 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. The free admission also includes most exhibitions, as well as Center for Creativity, Big Idea Gallery, and much more during free Sundays at CMA. Free Sundays are made possible by the Free for the Future initiative to provide free access on Sundays for the next five years.
A separate admission fee of $8 applies for special exhibition, Raggin’ On: The Art of Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson’s House and Journals.
You can also pay just $5 for admission on Thursdays from 5-9 pm. Reservations are required; read below for details.
Columbus Museum of Art Re-Opens with Safety Measures
The Museum is open Tuesday – Sunday from 10:00 am until 5:00 pm and Thursday from 10:00 am – 9:00 pm. All Museum visits, including for Members, will require a dated, timed admission ticket at hourly intervals. You can stay for as long as you wish after your admission. General and special exhibition admission tickets are available online or by phone. General admission may be available at the door, depending on capacity.
Museum capacity is significantly lower than standard capacity. At risk individuals, including immune compromised, senior citizens, or those exercising extra caution, there is further reduced capacity at the following times: 2:00 pm & 3:00 pm on Tuesday and Wednesday, or 10:00 am & 11:00 am on Sunday.
Masks are required. Face coverings and face shields will be available onsite for visitors who arrive without them. Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther signed an executive order requiring face coverings in public as of July 3, 2020.
While no in-person workshops will be held, there are lots of virtual workshops and events that you can enjoy! See calendar.
Exhibitions and Galleries at Columbus Museum of Art
The Wonder Room is closed due to the spaces being high touch areas. Free, single-use Essential Engagement Kits are available upon request in the Atrium. These include individual supplies — set of gloves, pencil, post-its — for use with hands-on activities.
Families will enjoy The JPMorgan Chase Center for Creativity featuring the Big Idea Gallery to encourage imaginative play for everyone. You’ll also enjoy the art and exhibitions featuring world-renowned artists.
See the current exhibitions here. Explore art throughout the Museum galleries through hands-on activities, puzzles, and “Join the Conversation” stations. Safety and sanitation kits are provided for hands’ on activities.
Admission, events, and discounts at Columbus Museum of Art
Reminder: all visits require registration with a dated and timed ticket.
Free Sundays at CMA
Everyone can enjoy free Sundays at CMA from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. The free admission also includes all exhibitions, as well as Center for Creativity, Big Idea Gallery, and much more during free Sundays at CMA.
While Sunday admission is free, all visitors need to reserve a dated, timed admission ticket to enter. Special exhibition fees may apply on Sundays. A small amount of day-of admission tickets may be available for visitors who arrive without reservations, but cannot be guaranteed.
$5 Thursdays evenings at CMA
Thursday is a perfect night to head to CMA with friends or a date! Admission is just $5 from 5 – 9 pm. (Closed Christmas Eve)
Blue Star Museums Program
CMA is also part of the Blue Star Museums Programs, so active duty, retired military, veterans and their families get free admission. Simply show your active-duty military personnel or military family I.D. at the admission desk for free entry.
Columbus Member Advantage Program
If you’re a member of select Central Ohio attractions, you can save $3 on general admission to CMA through the Columbus Member Advantage program. No coupon is necessary. Simply show your valid participating membership card when you visit! Limited to 4 discounts per membership per day; can’t be combined with other discounts.
Member Advantage partners for 2020 include:
- Columbus Museum of Art & Pizzuti Collection of CMA
- Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
- COSI
- Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
- LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Columbus
- National Veterans Memorial and Museum
- Ohio History Center & Ohio Village
- Wexner Center for the Arts
General Admission for CMA
Adults • $18
Seniors (60+), Students (18+), Children (4-17) • $9
Thursdays (5:00PM – 9:00PM) • $5
Children (0-3) • FREE
Members • FREE
Sundays • FREE
Veterans and active military and their families • FREE
Parking: Park in the Museum’s lot for a flat $5 rate with
payment taken at the admissions desk.
CMA members and visitors to the Museum Store and
Schokko Café enjoy free parking. Just bring your Museum
ID or receipt to the admissions desk.
Virtual events at CMA
CMA’s virtual Studio Workshops
Studio workshops are an enriching and joyful way to support creative thinking skills and social connections. As a supplement to remote learning, part of a school-at-home curriculum, or a way to engage and play together as a family, our weekly, 40 minute online sessions are a great way to connect and inspire.
Each week, CMA’s artist educators or Art In The House Teaching Artists kick-start our imaginations with a prompt designed to be open and flexible for a wide range of ages, abilities and materials. Through a series of experiments and wonderings, you have ample opportunity to talk, make and PLAY together.
Use the supplies you have at home, or add a Studio in Box and have supplies shipped directly to your home. Studio Workshops are free and open to families and children grades 1 – 8. Sessions are on Tuesdays from 4 – 5 pm, from January-June, 2021
Art for Wellbeing: Join CMA for a free, thirty minute mindful-looking exercise that will help you slow down, process emotion, and quiet anxieties. Research shows that close, mindful looking at art can strengthen our ability to process stress. Building resilience is more important than ever in today’s increasingly divisive and troubling world. Participants will be guided through a slow-looking protocol coupled with a mindful breathing exercise. You will have the opportunity to reflect and share or quietly look and process.
- January 28: 12:30 PM – 1:00 PM
- February 25: 12:30 PM – 1:00 PM
- March 25: 12:30 PM – 1:00 PM
Creative Mindfulness: Looking for a creative practice for stress relief? This 30-minute mid-day begins with a mindfulness-based relaxation practice to help participants tune in to the present moment for a session of slow art-making. Each month is inspired by a new prompt as a guest artist shares a creative exercise and invites participants to follow along or focus on their own creative process. Bring a sketchbook or journal and medium of your choice. These will be offered every second Thursday of the month, beginning in February.
- February 11: 12:30 PM – 1:00 PM
- March 11: 12:30 PM – 1:00 PM
Creative Happy Hour via Zoom: Make a virtual date with some friends to have a drink and get crafty with Creative Happy Hour with CMA each month on Zoom to create Postcard Art! You can gather the supplies yourself, or order a supplies kit from CMA. Registration is free!
- March 4: (Identity) Artist Nichole Burton “What Defines You?” Paintings on flat canvas
- April 1: (Reuse) Artist Hemalatha Venkataraman “Yesterday’s Brew” Teabag art & collage
- May 6: (Dreams) Artist Tiffani Smith “Dream Catching: These Hands” Polymer Clay Key Chains
- June 3: (Festival) Artist TBD
Wednesdays @ 2 Behind the Scenes Talks: Join Columbus Museum of Art virtually on Wednesdays at 2:00 PM and gain a behind-the-scenes perspective on current exhibitions, CMA’s collection, and more as you hear personal and professional stories from guest speakers. Wednesdays @ 2 will now take place virtually via Zoom. See schedule and register to receive the Zoom link.
- February 10, 2:00 PM, Online. The Art of Rembrandt
- February 17, 2:00 PM, Online. Raggin‘ On Conversation
- March 17, 2:00 PM, Online. The Book of Kells
2021 Art Book Club: Join CMA Executive Director Nannette Maciejunes for Art Book Club. Every Art Book Club includes a conversation with Nannette. Art Book Club selections are available for purchase in the Museum Store. If the Ohio Public Health Advisory System lists Franklin County at Level 3 or 4 two weeks prior to that of an Art Book Club event, the program will take place online. For questions, please call 614.629.0359. See book club dates and selections here.
Seasonal Exhibitions
Annual Holiday LEGO® Exhibition at Columbus Museum of Art: Spring 2021 – tba. Columbus Museum of Art’s annual holiday celebration of the creative potential of LEGO® bricks returns. Bring your friends and family and celebrate the season by connecting with LEGO® and each other. Think Outside the Brick features an enormous collaboratively-built model of Columbus. Don’t forget – everyone can enjoy FREE ADMISSION at CMA every Sunday from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., and $5 admission on Thursdays from 5-9 p.m.
Columbus Museum of Art
480 East Broad Street
Columbus, OH 43215
614.221.6801
website
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Columbus Museum of Art
480 East Broad Street
Columbus, OH 43215
614.221.6801
Yes – still free on Sundays!
Hello
I read a post online from 2017 regarding free admissions on Sundays. Does Sundays have free admission?
Please contact the museum directly for group reservations.
I work for the City of Columbus Rec and Parks and I would like to bring a group of 10…group rate