'Discover the Arts' Campaign Kicks Off
Mayor Villaraigosa kicked off "Discover the Arts in Los Angeles" this morning. Now in its fourth year, the Wells Fargo-sponsored campaign offers steep discounts on concert and show tickets, museum admission, and gift shop items.
“It makes it a lot more accessible with the ‘Discover the Arts’ discount, and it's something that's very fun for the entire family,” said resident Pattie Cordova. “I'm looking forward to the discounts and discovering new things and having the opportunity to see new places without putting out a lot of money.”
One local artist says he sometimes has to skip exhibits he wants to see because of prices.
“I'll probably be more inclined to come if it's at a lower rate,” said local artist Manuel Colon. “I'm an architect and I usually try to go to design institutions, but I think it's a little pricey.”
Visitors may be saving, but in the end, the city could be the one gaining. City officials say that lowering prices will attract more visitors, increasing museum and theater revenue.
“Our city's creativity also drives our city's economy,” said Mayor Villaraigosa. “Each year, almost twenty-six million tourists visit L.A., and each year almost half of them have the time to visit and spend money in our theaters, museums, concert halls, and galleries.”
The discounts run from now through April 30, and are expected to bring in hundreds of new museum-goers.
“We're expecting our attendance to increase maybe twenty to thirty-percent over the next month or two due to this event and promotional campaign,” said Marketing Manager for the Petersen Automotive Museum Chris Brown. “Certainly by all of us banding together and doing this campaign, it's going to help out every one of the museums."
Participating institutions include the Museum of Tolerance, “Cirque du Soleil”, the L.A. Philharmonic, MOCA, and the Natural History Museum.
