Brandywine River Museum of Art to Offer Family Programs on Free Sundays Thanks to Funding Provided Through PNC Arts Alive

The Brandywine River Museum of Art has received a grant from the PNC Foundation through its PNC Arts Alive initiative to fund free family programs on selected Sunday mornings in 2017. This prestigious grant was awarded to only 17 arts organizations in the Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey region for bold thinking around increasing arts access and engagement.

The "First Sundays for Families" programs feature special hands-on creative art activities designed to engage visitors of all ages. On these special days, museum admission is free all day. PNC Arts Alive has funded this program since 2014, and over 3,500 people have attended these events. The Brandywine received a similar grant last year for programming in 2016 and the next PNC Arts Alive First Sunday for Families will take place on October 2.

"Our First Sundays for Families bring in hundreds of community residents, who engage with the art in our galleries and create their own art to take home," said Mary Cronin, dean of education at the Brandywine River Museum of Art. "We are honored that Brandywine River Museum of Art will once again receive funding through the PNC Arts Alive initiative to continue to help make art accessible for our neighbors."

"Through PNC Arts Alive, we continue to help invigorate local arts organizations while bringing new and exciting programs to our community," said Joe Meterchick, PNC regional president for Philadelphia, Delaware and Southern New Jersey. "The creativity and collaboration demonstrated by the local arts community is evident in the programs that will be introduced, while enabling new visitors and residents alike to experience a diverse range of exhibits and performances."

PNC Arts Alive is a multi-year, multi-million dollar initiative of the PNC Foundation, which receives its principal funding from the PNC Services Group, Inc. The goal of PNC Arts Alive is to help area residents gain access to the arts and to help arts organizations expand and engage audiences. For more information on PNC Arts Alive and the grant recipients, visit www.pncartsalive.com.

The Brandywine River Museum of Art features an outstanding collection of American art housed in a 19th-century mill building with a dramatic steel and glass addition overlooking the banks of the Brandywine. The museum is open daily (except Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day) from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The museum offers free admission to all on the first Sunday of the month, from February to November. The museum is located on Route 1 in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. For more information, call 610.388.2700 or visit brandywinemuseum.org.

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