Frequently asked questions

Before your visit

The Museum is open Wednesday–Sunday, 10 am–4 pm. We are also open with free admission for select holidays and events.

The Museum is closed on New Year’s Day, Easter Sunday, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

Learn more about our hours.

You can buy your admission ticket in person at our welcome desks or in advance online. Advance tickets are not required. We offer an array of discounts and opportunities to visit for free, including free admission for youth 17 and under. Learn more about our admission prices.

All exhibitions are included in the price of your ticket. Tickets are valid for the entire day. Select events require additional tickets. For a list of upcoming events with ticketing information, visit our calendar.

If you decide to become a Member during your visit, stop by our welcome desks to apply the price of your ticket to a membership. Learn more about membership.

Members visit free year-round. Admission is free for select holidays and events.

A variety of discounts on admission are available, including, but not limited to, EBT, WIC, and ConnectorCare recipients; military and veterans; and students, faculty, and staff at Institutional Partner schools. View all discounts.

Free parking is available in the Salisbury Street lot and Lancaster Street lot. Accessible parking spots are available in the Salisbury Street lot, and both entrances offer barrier-free access.

Free street parking is available on Lancaster Street and Tuckerman Street, and metered spots are available one block away in the Highland Street Municipal Parking lot.

The Tuckerman Street lot is currently closed due to construction.

While you’re here

Discover global stories—from art made thousands of years ago to works being created today—told across four floors of expansive galleries. Learn more about what’s on.

New events are always around the corner, and free tours are offered every week. To see a list of tours and events happening during your visit, check out our calendar.

Food and drink are available at our café, located in the Renaissance Court. The café is open for Museum visitors Wed–Sun, 10 am–3:30 pm. Vending machines are available in the Lancaster Room. Learn more about our café.

Our shop is open during Museum hours: Wed–Sun, 10 am–4pm. Museum admission is not required to visit the shop. Learn more about our shop.

More questions? Contact shopsales@worcesterart.org or 508-793-4355.

The library reading room is open Thu–Sat, 12–4 pm. Museum admission is not required to visit the library. Learn more about our library.

More questions? Contact library@worcesterart.org or 508-793-4382.

A portion of the Museum’s Higgins Armory Collection is currently on view in Gallery 109, Gallery 111, and throughout the European Galleries on Level 2.

Construction is underway on an expansive, 5,000-square-foot new gallery to display our global collection of arms and armor. While construction is in progress, much of the Higgins Armory Collection is on a nationwide tour of museums. Learn more about the upcoming arms and armor gallery.

The Museum has activities for all ages. Art carts provide interactive experiences related to exhibitions throughout the Museum, hands-on displays invite visitors to touch the materials and tools used to create art, and scavenger hunts are available at our welcome desks. Many of our special events feature kid-friendly artmaking activities, performances, and more. Find more on our calendar.

Visiting museums with kids can seem daunting, but kids happen to be some of our most engaged visitors! Read our tips for visiting with kids to maximize the enjoyment while you’re here.

Studio art classes for kids ages 3–17 offer endless opportunities for creativity and discovery. Learn more about art classes for kids (and adults).

Non-flash photography and video capture is permitted within the Museum, for personal, non-distributional, noncommercial use only. For the safety of the art and Museum visitors, please abide by the following:

  • No props are allowed.  This includes costume changes, glitter, flowers or other plant material, balloons, umbrellas, masquerade masks, large hats, or other similar costume items, etc.
  • Flash photography is not permitted within the Museum.
  • Tripods, monopods, selfie sticks, other camera equipment (including drones), and lights are not permitted.
  • We cannot accommodate groups over 6 people.

Please note: There may be select exhibitions for which photography of any kind is not allowed. These exceptions are noted on each exhibition page.

To submit a rights and reproduction request, please contact our image licensing partners, Bridgeman Images.

Drawing is encouraged in the galleries, using graphite and colored pencils only . Other materials, including paint, pens, and charcoal, are not permitted.

Please do not touch the works of art. Stay back two feet or more from the works of art, stands, glass cases, and walls. Please hold your young child’s hand for their safety and the safety of the art. Thank you for doing your part to preserve art for generations to come!

All large bags, backpacks, and umbrellas must be placed in the coatroom. Secure lockers are available in Salisbury Lobby and Lancaster Lobby.

Food, drink, and gum are not permitted in the galleries.

A gender-neutral, single-occupancy restroom is located next to Lancaster Lobby. Baby-changing stations are available in the restrooms on Level 1, Level 2, and Level 4.

Visitors are welcome to use restrooms that reflect their current gender identity and/or presentation.

Yes. Breastfeeding and bottle feeding are permitted in all areas of the Museum.

Accessibility

Both entrances to the Museum are fully accessible. The door at the Salisbury Street entrance can be operated with a push-button. The Lancaster Street entrance has elevator access (the lobby is on Level 2).

When the Museum galleries are closed, please use the Lancaster Street entrance.

Designated spaces for accessible parking are available in the Salisbury Street lot.

All galleries are elevator accessible. The main elevator is temporarily closed for renovation, but all levels remain accessible through other means. Museum staff are available to assist with directions to accessible routes.

Service dogs are always welcome in the Museum.

Personal care attendants are admitted free of charge.

Membership

Membership is your door to more art. Joining grants you a full year of free admission, special access, discounts, and more. Higher levels of membership include reciprocal benefits at other museums, behind-the-scenes previews, and more. Learn more about membership.

There are many ways to join: 

If you decide to become a Member during your visit, stop by our welcome desks to apply the price of your ticket to a membership. Learn more about membership

Yes—you are a Member as soon as you join! Just give your name at the welcome desk, and we will confirm your membership in our system.

Your donation directly supports the Museum’s mission to connect people, communities, and cultures through the experience of art. Becoming a Member or increasing your membership level is the best way to get involved, show your support, and make an impact.

Donate to the Museum

The most ambitious fundraising campaign in the Worcester Art Museum’s history, A Bold Step Forward seeks to raise $125 million by 2028. Halfway to its goal, this campaign looks to the Museum’s future to improve and modernize its facilities, strengthen programming and operations, grow endowment to ensure long-term financial strength, and allow us to connect with new audiences and broaden the stories we tell. Learn more about A Bold Step Forward.

Art classes

Studio art classes are available for adults of all experience levels and kids of all ages. View current class offerings.

Worcester Art Museum Members can sign into their account to receive 10% off classes. Not a Member? Join now!

For questions about signing up, contact classes@worcesterart.org or 508-793-4333.

Flora in Winter

Flora in Winter is an annual, Museum-wide transformation, when works of art are re-interpreted in colorful floral splendor. Flora in Winter 2025 will take place Thursday, February 27–Sunday, March 2, 2025.

Alternate admission prices apply during Flora in Winter. Members visit free—join today!

Private events

Yes! Venue rentals are available for weddings, corporate events, social events, and more. Learn more about venue rentals.

We are not booking private photo shoots at this time.

Our building

The Worcester Art Museum opened its doors in 1898 and has since gone through numerous major additions to its campus. Learn more about the building’s history.

The Worcester Art Museum has begun the next major step in its evolution, made possible through supporters of A Bold Step Forward. An extensive number of renovations, upgrades, and repairs are underway in an effort that will transform and preserve our historic campus for generations to come. This may mean some spaces or galleries are temporarily closed during your visit. See which galleries are currently closed.

These projects are only possible thanks to the generous support of our donors and funders. Learn more about how you can support A Bold Step Forward.

Collection

If you are interested in donating a work of art to the Museum, please contact collectionsandexhibitions@worcesterart.org with information on the possible donation and we will get back to you.

Please direct all image licensing requests to Bridgeman Images.

Employment, internships, and volunteering

The Worcester Art Museum actively seeks employees, interns, and volunteers who will help us achieve our mission to connect people, communities, and cultures through the experience of art. View available positions.

Press

Working press may receive one free admission ticket by presenting their press ID to Museum staff at the welcome desk upon entry.

To obtain permission to film, photograph, or interview on the Worcester Art Museum campus for press purposes, contact the Museum’s Communications and Marketing Department at least two business days prior at pr@worcesterart.org.

All press materials can be found in the press room on our website. If you have any questions or would like to be added to our press release distribution list, email pr@worcesterart.org.

Do you have a question not answered here?

Contact us at guestservices@worcesterart.org or 508-799-4406.