Friends of the American Wing

Founded in 1960 "to foster the growing interest of antiquarians, collectors, and students in the work of The American Wing," the Friends group—the first of its kind nationwide—engages enthusiasts of American art and culture with curator-led talks, tours, opening receptions, and an annual spring day trip featuring visits to outside collections and sites. The Wing is privileged to hold one of the most important and comprehensive collections of American art in the world, and Friends dues support the Museum and the Department, including the acquisition of American paintings, sculpture, drawings, and decorative arts. The ongoing evolution of the Department—mirroring the complexity of our nation and the Museum's aspirational goals of greater inclusion—makes this an exciting time to join the Friends.

Annual Dues: $2,500 (a portion of dues is tax-deductible)

Friends of the American Wing also receive corresponding benefits of a Patron Membership at The Met, including:

• Invitations to an annual meeting featuring a selection of The American Wing's new acquisitions, presented by a range of curators;
• Invitations to a day trip to local public and private sites and collections, with American Wing curators (the Whitney Museum of American Art; Philadelphia Museum of Art; Thomas Cole Historic Site; Weir Farm and the Bruce Museum);
• Invitations to special private lectures and presentations hosted in the Lawrence A. and Barbara Fleischman Gallery's Vanderlyn Panorama, such as A Revolution in Color: The World of John Singleton Copley, Cristóbal de Villalpando: Mexican Painter of the Baroque, and Art of Native America: The Charles and Valerie Diker Collection.

Friends of the American Wing also receive corresponding benefits of a Patron Membership at The Met, including:

• free, express admission to all of The Met's locations with up to four accompanied guests;
• special access to the collection and new exhibitions during Morning Hours, Preview Days, Evening Receptions, and The Met After Hours;
• invitations to Members-only events, concerts, and curator talks;
• access to the Members-only spaces in the Museum;
• 10% discount on all public restaurants and venues at The Met, The Met Cloisters, and The Met Store;
• subscriptions to the What's On calendar and The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin; and
• reciprocal benefits at sixteen museums nationwide.

For more information, please contact the Department at 212-650-2928 or friends.americanwing@metmuseum.org.

Above: Figure of an eagle (detail), 1800–1830. Mid-Atlantic United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Pine; 69 x 91 1/4 x 14 in., 185 lb. (175.3 x 231.8 x 35.6 cm, 83.9 kg). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Bequest of Ella Morris de Peyster, by exchange, 1959 (59.89)