Become a “1stFan” of Brooklyn Museum for $20: Get a Free Print!

I'm a big fan of the Brooklyn Museum, and I've been really impressed with how they have been using social media to create a richer experience for museum attendees.  Will Cary and Shelley Bernstein of the Brooklyn Museum around this time last year launched the "1stFans" group, a way for people to be a part of the Museum community both virtually via Facebook, Twitter and Flickr and in real life through special events and talks once a month. At just $20 a year, 1stFans membership is a super cheap way to involve people who might not be able to afford a full membership at the Museum.

In my first year as a 1stFan, I enjoyed participating in a number of live events at the Museum, including testing out a new mobile phone-based art tagging system, meeting with various artists, and getting a behind-the-scenes look at how the Museum stores and prepares their collections.  Will and Shelley have been doing a great job making the Museum more accessible to the public, and opening up a conversation about the role of museums in the community.

In February, the Brooklyn Museum is offering a special deal for new and renewing 1stFan members. If you come to the museum on February 8 from 6-8:30pm, and join or renew your membership on the spot, you get a free print by Brooklyn artist Valerie Hegarty. Then at At 8pm, Jen Bekman, gallerist and founder of 20×200, will speak to 1stfans about her project to connect artists and the online public.

(You can also just join on their website, but then you don't get the print.)