Media report on UMMA free admission extension
The Bangor Daily News, WLBZ (Channel 2), WABI (Channel 5) and The Maine Edge reported the University of Maine Museum of Art in downtown Bangor will extend its free admission policy for the public in 2016 and 2017 as the result of a gift from Deighan Wealth Advisors. The Bangor-based wealth management firm has a history of supporting the arts in the region and state and is a longtime sponsor of the museum’s education and exhibition programs. More than 14,000 people from the region visit the museum each year, and the goal of the donation is to enrich people’s lives by making admission free, according to WABI. “The opportunity for the museum to provide free admission allows Maine people to come in and enjoy the resources at [UMMA],” said George Kinghorn, the museum’s director and curator. Jean M. Deighan, founder and CEO of Deighan Wealth Advisors, said she has always been inspired by the arts. As a child, her father, who came from a lower middle class Irish family, attended free exhibitions at museums in order to learn more about art, according to the BDN. “I hope many kids come in to this place and see something and get great ideas and go on to do something great,” she said. “It’s here for everybody, it’s here to feed all of our souls and all of our lives.”