Hirshhorn Debuts Free Timed Passes for “Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors”

New Gallery Attendants, Amenities Will Greet Exhibition Visitors
January 11, 2017
News Release
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arkwork of yellow pumpkins with black stripes and speckles

The Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden will offer free timed passes for the first time for “Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors” (Feb. 23–May 14), the first major exhibition to feature six of the Japanese artist’s immersive Infinity Mirror Rooms. Passes for opening weekend (Feb. 23–Feb. 27) will be released online Monday, Feb. 13, at 10 a.m. for Hirshhorn e-news subscribers and at noon for the public. After that, passes will continue to be released online every Monday at noon for the following week.

The Hirshhorn has recruited more than 120 new volunteers and visitor attendants—triple the current number—to welcome and guide visitors during the exhibition. The museum will also offer a pop-up coffee bar run by local Washington, D.C., coffee shop Dolcezza Coffee & Gelato, a heated outdoor visitor facility and expanded free lockers, along with a mobile-friendly exhibition website.

“Yayoi Kusama is one of the most popular artists in the world, and her remarkable Infinity Mirror Rooms are designed to be intimate and immersive,” said Hirshhorn Deputy Director Elizabeth Duggal. “By offering free timed passes and focusing on visitor experience, we can provide an inspirational and enjoyable museum visit, with the convenience of a guaranteed entry time.”

Timed passes will be required to experience the exhibition, as each Infinity Mirror Room can welcome just a few visitors at a time. A limited number of same-day walk-up passes will be available at the museum starting Feb. 23.

Hirshhorn members will be able to visit the exhibition and access the members’ line without reserving a free timed pass, in addition to previewing the exhibition and enjoying discounts at the museum store. For more information on becoming a Hirshhorn member, visit hirshhorn.si.edu/bio/join.

Through Feb. 1, visitors can also enter to win VIP passes for opening weekend by taking a picture of Kusama’s monumental “Pumpkin,” currently on view on the museum’s plaza, and share it on Instagram with the hashtag #InfiniteKusama.

About the Hirshhorn

The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is the national museum of modern and contemporary art and a leading voice for 21st-century art and culture. Part of the Smithsonian, the Hirshhorn is located prominently on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. With nearly 12,000 paintings, sculptures, photographs, mixed-media installations, works on paper and new media works, its holdings encompass one of the most important collections of postwar American and European art in the world. The Hirshhorn presents diverse exhibitions and offers an array of public programs on the art of our time—free to all, 364 days a year. For more information, visit hirshhorn.si.edu.

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SI-13-2017