Culture is Always in Style: Museums on Us by Bank of America

April 28, 2008

Reporters May Contact: Ernesto C. Anguilla, Bank of America, 1.617.434.7308
ernesto.anguilla@bankofamerica.com


Bank of America Announces Significant Expansion to Museums on Us™ Program
Free access now available first weekend of every month; 28 geographic markets now participating in program


CHARLOTTE – Bank of America today announced a major geographic and program expansion of its acclaimed Museums on Us™ program, which is entering its 11th year providing free access to some of the nation’s finest cultural institutions.

For the first time since the program was created, Bank of America ATM, credit and check cardholders will have the opportunity to gain free admission to over 70 museums in 28 markets across the country during the first Saturday and Sunday of each month beginning in May.

This represents a major expansion over previous years, when cardholders could only utilize the program during the month of May. Last year, Bank of America expanded the program to include museums in California and Florida. Based on customer demand and usage, the company decided to further expand the program to enable more people to access to some of the nation’s finest cultural institutions over the course of the year.

“Bank of America is committed to improving access to the arts and Museums on Us™ is a key component of that outreach,” said Rena M. DeSisto, Arts and Culture Executive, Bank of America. ”We are thrilled to expand this program, both in scope and geography, so more individuals can experience art and culture at some of the finest museums in the country. Programs like this are important to how Bank of America creates new opportunities for our customers and communities.”

This year, residents and visitors to Atlanta, Baltimore, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Detroit, Houston, Seattle, Silicon Valley and Phoenix will have the chance to participate in the program for the first time.

Participating institutions will benefit from added exposure through an integrated marketing campaign funded by Bank of America that will promote their involvement with the program. The marketing support increases visitor levels, gift shop revenue and membership enrollment.

“Museums on Us™ gives individuals who might not otherwise visit a cultural institution the chance to experience some of the finest art in the world,” said Malcolm Rogers, Ann and Graham Gund Director, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. “For years, the MFA has enthusiastically partnered with Bank of America to provide this terrific opportunity. We are thrilled that more people than ever will have the chance to visit their favorite museums for an extended period of time over the next year.”

Participants in the program range from some of the nation’s largest institutions – such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago – to a number of regional cultural institutions (see full list below).

For more information on Museums on Us™ or Bank of America’s arts and culture programming, please visit www.bankofamerica.com/museums.

Bank of America and the Arts
Bank of America is a leading supporter of arts and culture in the United States. Through a wide variety of programs, Bank of America works to strengthen artistic institutions and provide greater access to treasured works of art for both its customers and those who might not otherwise experience them. Each year, the Bank of America Charitable Foundation provides millions of dollars in grants to a wide range of arts organizations, supporting education and access programs and enabling institutions to expand their scope, and underwrites national and local performances, arts programs, and exhibitions. Through its unique loaned exhibition program, the bank offers its art collection to museums throughout the country, free of charge, so they may expand their offerings for the benefit of their communities.

Bank of America
Bank of America is one of the world's largest financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk-management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving more than 59 million consumer and small business relationships with more than 6,100 retail banking offices, nearly 18,500 ATMs and award-winning online banking with nearly 25 million active users. Bank of America is the No. 1 overall Small Business Administration (SBA) lender in the United States and the No. 1 SBA lender to minority-owned small businesses. The company serves clients in more than 150 countries and has relationships with 99 percent of the U.S. Fortune 500 companies and 83 percent of the Fortune Global 500. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

2008 Bank of America Museums On Us™ Participating Museums

ARIZONA
Arizona Science Center

CALIFORNIA
California Center for the Arts Escondido
The California Museum
Crocker Art Museum
de Young Museum
Discovery Science Center
Explorit Science Center
Laguna Beach Museum of Art
Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)
Mingei International Museum
Museum of African Diaspora
Museum of Latin American Art
Palm Springs Art Museum
Riverside Art Museum
San Jose Museum of Art
Birch Aquarium at Scripps
Tech Museum of Innovation
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

CONNECTICUT
Mashantucket Pequot Museum
Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art

DELAWARE
Delaware Art Museum
Delaware Museum of Natural History
Winterthur Museum & Country Estate

FLORIDA
Miami Art Museum
Miami Children’s Museum
Miami Science Museum
The Morikami Museum
Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), North Miami
Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale
Museum of Discovery & Science
South Florida Science Museum

GEORGIA
Atlanta Botanical Garden
Atlanta History Center
Fernbank Museum of Natural History

ILLINOIS
The Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago History Museum
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago

MAINE
The Farnsworth Art Museum

MASSACHUSETTS
Danforth Museum of Art
DeCordova Museum & Sculpture Park
Harvard Museum of Natural History
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

MARYLAND
The American Visionary Art Museum
The Flag House and Star Spangled Banner Museum
Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture

MICHIGAN
Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History
The Detroit Zoo
Henry Ford Museum

NEW JERSEY
Liberty Science Center
Montclair Art Museum
The Newark Museum

NEW YORK
Bronx Zoo and New York Aquarium
International Center of Photography
The Jewish Museum
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
New York Hall of Science

NORTH CAROLINA
Levine Museum of the New South
Mint Museum of Art
Mint Museum of Craft and Design

PENNSYLVANIA
National Constitution Center
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA)
Philadelphia Museum of Art

RHODE ISLAND
Museum of Work and Culture
Providence Children’s Museum
The RISD Museum

TEXAS
Dallas Museum of Art
Fort Worth Museum of Science & History
Houston Museum of Natural Science
Museum of Nature & Science, Dallas
San Jacinto Museum of History

WASHINGTON
Museum of History & Industry
Tacoma Art Museum
The Wing Luke Museum