Art for all: Legion of Honor and de Young Museums extend free admission to all Bay Area residents

In the courtyard of the Legion of Honor art museum in the Lands End neighborhood of San Francisco, children play near The Thinker, a bronze statue by French artist Auguste Rodin. Beginning Oct. 19, residents of all nine counties of the Bay Area will be able to attend both the de Young and Legion of Honor Museums free of charge. less In the courtyard of the Legion of Honor art museum in the Lands End neighborhood of San Francisco, children play near The Thinker, a bronze statue by French artist Auguste Rodin. Beginning Oct. 19, ... more Photo: Smith Collection/Gado, Getty Images Photo: Smith Collection/Gado, Getty Images Image 1 of / 28 Caption Close Art for all: Legion of Honor and de Young Museums extend free admission to all Bay Area residents 1 / 28 Back to Gallery

San Francisco's de Young and Legion of Honor Museums will continue to reach new audiences by eliminating the cost of general admission for all Bay Area residents on Saturdays – the most popular day of the week for visitors.

Back in April, both institutions began to promote free Saturdays, but the perk excluded residents living outside of San Francisco's city limits. Nearly six months and over 20,000 visitors later, individuals living in all nine counties of the Bay Area will be able to witness the museums' rotating exhibitions of esteemed artworks free of charge, beginning Oct. 19.

"A vibrant cultural scene is an essential component of a flourishing society, but the Bay Area is an increasingly expensive place to live, which can make the cost of museums prohibitive for many," director Thomas P. Campbell said in an official statement released by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

But a gift by longtime donor and former museum board president, Dede Wilsey, has removed the monetary barriers that might otherwise prevent residents from experiencing some of the city's largest, most important collections of art.

Throughout the first phase of Free Saturdays and even now, visitors taking advantage of the new benefit are asked to walk up to a "welcome desk" and complete a short survey. Findings from those responses showed a dramatic shift in the demographic of guests walking through the doors of both museums.

According to the statement, first-time attendees increased at a rate of nearly 80 percent. The uptick in growth was attributed to an increase of 70 percent in family visitors, as well as a 100 percent increase in low-income households – those making under $25,000 a year.

To redeem your free tickets, a valid photo ID or postmarked envelope with home address is required. New this month, the Museums will tack on extended programming to free general admission tickets. Patrons will be able to attend the Spreckels organ concerts, as well as gallery talks, book signings, lectures and family-oriented art classes, without having to pay an extra fee.

Existing programs promoting free general admission of the museums include Free First Tuesdays for all Bay Area residents at the beginning of each month. Library card holders are granted one day of free general admission per year, as are those with a valid EBT card. Additionally, Free Access grants free general admission for any visitor with a disability plus one guest, on any day of the year during normal museum hours.

Expanded free admission arrives just in time for the Legion of Honor's upcoming exhibition on French painter James Tissot titled "Fashion & Faith," opening Oct. 12.

Next month, the de Young Mueseum will host the globally acclaimed exhibition, "Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power 1963-1983," which follows the tumultuous years of the Civil Rights movement through pieces closely associated with the Bay Area. In March 2020, the museum will hold a hotly anticipated retrospective on Frida Kahlo, highlighting the painter's first visit to San Francisco and her resulting iconic works.

Amanda Bartlett is an SFGate editorial assistant. Email: amanda.bartlett@sfchronicle.com