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Membership Levels

Your membership supports our mission. In return, we work to support your love of art through special access to the galleries, unique programming, and so much more. Join us!

Every member enjoys free access to the museum every day, discounts in the Museum Shop and restaurants, access to the Member Lounge, and exclusive member-only events from exhibition previews to curator talks.

All of our membership levels are family friendly! Each level includes admission for all children 18 and under in the member household.*

Member

  • $90 one year
  • $170 two years
  • Admission for two adults
  • Subscription to the award-winning Member Magazine

Member Plus

  • $135 one year
  • $255 two years
  • Admission for four adults
  • Second member card
  • $5 discount on parking
  • All Member benefits

Premium Member

  • $185 one year
  • $345 two years
  • Admission for six adults
  • Reciprocal privileges to 16 art museums

Cincinnati Art Museum 
Cleveland Museum of Art 
Dallas Museum of Art 
Detroit Institute of the Arts 
High Museum of Art (Atlanta) 
Los Angeles County Museum of Art 
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts 
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston 
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston 
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (Kansas City, Missouri) 
Philadelphia Museum of Art 
Saint Louis Art Museum 
The Toledo Museum of Art 
Vancouver Art Gallery 
Walker Art Center (Minneapolis) 
Whitney Museum of American Art

  • Invitation to annual after-hours exhibition celebration
  • All Member Plus benefits

Student*

  • $50 one year
  • Admission for two adults and e-communications
  • Proof of full-time student status required

E-Member*

  • $70 one year
  • Admission for one adult and e-communications

Individuals living 100 miles or more outside of Chicago are eligible for 10% off Member, Member Plus, and Premium Member levels.

*Student and E-Member memberships do not include admission for children 18 and under.

The Lionhearted levels offer the opportunity to deepen your relationship with the museum and its mission.

Lions Council

  • $500 one year
  • Admission for six adults
  • Private insider tour of the museum for member and nine guests—call (312) 443-3504.
  • Invitation to annual champagne brunch
  • Half-priced gift memberships
  • All Premium Member benefits

Lions Roundtable

  • $1,000 one year
  • Admission for eight adults
  • Recognition in Annual Report
  • Invitation to annual season opening event
  • All Lions Council benefits

Lions Circle

  • $1,500 one year
  • Admission for eight adults
  • Invitation to A. James Speyer Lecture, featuring a noted contemporary artist
  • Invitation to annual behind-the-scenes event
  • Select opportunities to participate in Sustaining Fellows' activities
  • All Lions Roundtable benefits

The Sustaining Fellows are the premier giving society of the Art Institute. This group brings together individuals who recognize the museum's commitment to artistic quality by supporting it with an unrestricted annual gift of $2,500 or more. For information, please call (312) 443-3735.

Sustaining Fellows

  • $2,500–$4,999
  • Admission for 8 adults
  • Invitations to exclusive Sustaining Fellows events including:
    • Exhibition openings, private showings, and curatorial overviews
    • Seminar series—intimate curatorial surveys of the behind-the-scenes development of a special exhibition or a unique aspect of the museum
  • Exclusive travel opportunities for two individuals on director- or curator-escorted customized tours
  • Copy of The Art Institute: The Essential Guide (for first-time members)
  • Recognition in the Art Institute's annual report and public museum signage

Bronze Sustaining Fellows

  • $5,000–$9,999
  • All Sustaining Fellows benefits plus:
    • Private curator-led tours of select exhibitions before they open to the public
    • The Forum: A Day of Art and Ideas at the Art Institute—an annual daylong event featuring curatorial seminars, dinner, and a keynote address by a prominent guest speaker
    • Conversations with the Director—an informal state-of-the-museum presentation and Q&A with the Art Institute's president and director
    • The School of the Art Institute's annual fashion show, THE WALK
    • Concierge services to arrange customized museum tours

Silver Sustaining Fellows

  • $10,000–$14,999
  • All Bronze-level benefits plus:
    • Reserved lecture seating for the Presidential Distinguished Lecture Series and dinner with the Art Institute's president and director and the featured speaker
    • VIP events with director and curators
    • Curator-led, behind-the-scenes tour of a specialized area of the museum
    • Priority reservations for all Sustaining Fellows events and travel programs
    • Preferred seating (with reservations) at select Fullerton Hall lectures

Sterling Silver Sustaining Fellows—NEW!

  • $15,000–$24,999
  • All Silver-level benefits plus:
    • Chicago Humanities Festival President's Lecture and Dinner, hosted by the President and Eloise W. Martin Director and special guest speaker
    • Invitations to exclusive events and concierge services provided for select annual domestic and international art shows

Gold Sustaining Fellows

  • $25,000–$49,999
  • All Sterling Silver–level benefits plus:
    • A private tour of the museum with the director or of a special exhibition with the organizing curator
    • Opportunities to join the Art Institute's president and director at private luncheons and dinners with visiting artists, scholars, and distinguished guests
    • Concierge services for select museum visits worldwide, including admission, reservations, exhibition ticket assistance, and private tours when available

Platinum Sustaining Fellows

  • $50,000 and above
  • All Gold-level benefits plus:
    • All exhibition openings and special events
    • Tour of a private collection with the director
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