Friends of Art
All Friends of Art members enjoy these benefits
- Free garage parking
- Free and early access to special exhibitions
- Member-only events
- Discounts on dining, retail, and programming
- Guest privileges
A Friends of Art membership offers affordable ways to enjoy a variety of benefits and events — and could pay for itself in as little as two visits.
Reciprocal Benefits
Members at select levels enjoy benefits at major museums throughout North America. The following benefits are cumulative.
Member Plus and above
15 premier museums
Art Explorer and above
400+ museums
Art Lover and above
1,000+ museums
Check with the participating museums about specific benefits before you visit. Use your digital Nelson-Atkins membership card to show the corresponding reciprocal logo.
Special Interest Groups
Friends of Art Council
The Friends of Art Council is a volunteer board that assists museum by advocating, stewarding, and raising funds on behalf of and through membership.
Applications are open January and February each year.
Young Friends of Art
Members between the ages of 21-40 are invited to select Young Friends of Art (YFA) when purchasing a membership, at no additional cost.
Beyond the regular member benefits at their selected level, YFA members enjoy an annual special exhibition happy hour.
The Committee of 100 (C100)
The C100 is dedicated to advancing the mission of the museum through unique programs that focus on art, architecture, and design. All members in Society of Fellows ($1,500+) and Art Lover levels ($575) can participate in programs hosted by the C100 throughout the year.
More about membership
Friends of Art details
Tax information
All Friends of Art levels are 100% tax deductible.
Tax information is included on your official receipt. If you’d like another copy of your receipt, contact us at 816.751.1278 or membership@nelson-atkins.org.
Sharing memberships
Cardholders must reside in the same household. Membership communications are sent to one address.
Refunding or transferring membership
Memberships are a tax-deductible gift; therefore, they are not refundable or transferrable.
Digital member cards
How to use your card
After purchasing a membership, you’ll receive a welcome email from alerts@museumanywhere.com with access to your digital member cards. (If you did not receive this email, please email membership@nelson-atkins.org.)
Adding your card to your digital wallet
Your digital member card can be downloaded to your mobile device’s wallet, no app required.
Follow our how-to guide to download your card to your phone or tablet’s digital wallet.
Using your card
Digital member cards allow you to quickly and conveniently apply your membership benefits — whether that’s scanning in the parking garage, at museum and special exhibition entrances, for discounts in museum retail and dining locations, or (if you’re Member Plus or higher) at other museums for your reciprocal benefits.
Each member card features a member ID number, membership level, and membership expiration date.
Sharing with other cardholders on your membership
The primary cardholder can forward the welcome email containing their access link to other members on the account.
Alternatively, if you’ve added your card to your wallet, you can text the link to other members.
Membership updates and renewals
Your digital card will automatically update when your membership information changes, so you only need to download your card once.
Please note that if you renew early, your new expiration date will refresh once your current membership ends.
Select Friends of Art benefits
Free and discounted admission to programs
Most member and museum events are free for members. If there is a cost, members typically receive a discount. A select few events, such as ShuttleCork and The C100 Luncheon, are not discounted.
Guest tickets
Members are allotted a daily number of free exhibition tickets for guests, determined by their membership level.
Other membership programs
Seeking more ways to support the museum’s mission? View our complete list of membership programs or get specific.
Society of Fellows (SOF)
Society of Fellows provides the museum significant and transformative philanthropic support.
Business Council
Unlock exclusive museum access for your company and employees.