These Museums Are Offering Free Admission on Inauguration Day

The inauguration of the 45th president of the United States is fast-approaching, and institutions around the country are inviting citizens to mark the day by taking in some culture. As Quartz reports, many museums are waiving admission fees on Friday, January 20.

In New York City, the New Museum will open its doors on a "pay-what-you-wish" basis. Admission fees to the Whitney Museum of American Art will also be optional, and from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. the museum's Hess Theater will provide a platform for political expression for writers, artists, and activists. Across the river, the Brooklyn Museum will be hosting a free special event of their own. Throughout the day, 14 readers will take part in a marathon reading of the Langston Hughes poem "Let America Be America Again."

For museums a bit closer to the main stage, there’s the Baltimore Museum of Art which will be hosting free events all day Friday [PDF]. Activities include aromatherapy, art-making, and readings of the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, and other founding documents. And in Washington D.C., the Smithsonian museums will remain free to visit as usual, with the exception of the National Museum of the American Indian, which will be closed for the day.

If you can’t make it out to see some great art, take the day to reflect on presidential history: The story of George Washington's inauguration, for instance, shows just how far the ceremony has come.