Member Levels and Benefits
$50 Smart Membership
Our basic membership for everyone.
$35 UChicago Membership Discounted for University of Chicago faculty, staff, students, and alumni.
$150 Fellow
$300 Patron
$500 Sustaining Fellow
$1,000 and above
All memberships are valid for your entire household.
Benefits for All Members
- 10% every purchase at the Smart Museum Café and Shop, with Double Discount Days throughout the year.
- Advance notice of all exhibitions and events.
- Recognition in the Smart Museum Bulletin.
- A copy of the annual Director’s Report.
- Access to special arts opportunities in Chicago.
- Discounts at some of Hyde Park’s best eateries and arts venues:
- Discounts on single tickets to select Chicago Presents concerts.
- Discounts on tickets to Court Theatre productions.
- Special reservations at the University’s exclusive Quadrangle Club.
- 10% off lunch at La Petite Folie, Hyde Park’s premier French restaurant.
- 10% off all food from The Medici on 57th Monday through Thursday.
- A series of discounts at the Hyde Park Art Center: $10 off regular tuition on 8-10 week classes, $10 off children's birthday parties, and $10 off of siblings enrolled in the same session (once per year).
Benefits for Upper-Level Members
- All of the above, plus special benefits that include:
- Invitations to private exhibition tours and exclusive member events throughout the year.
- A copy of the Smart Museum Bulletin.
- Free private group tours.
- Special rental rates for private events.
- Reciprocal membership privileges at more than 250 museums nationwide.
The Smart Museum joined the North American Reciprocal Museum program in 2008, and is happy to offer our upper-level members benefits like free admission and discounted tickets at over 250 museums nationwide. Just show the gold NARM sticker on the back of your Smart Membership card at any of the participating institutions—including the University of Chicago's Oriental Institute. For a complete list, click here.
The Director’s Council
Each year, the Smart Museum honors those who have made annual contributions of $1,000 or more with an exclusive membership in the Director's Council, which includes an invitation to the annual Director's Council Preview, our biggest celebration of the year. (See photos of the 2008 Adaptation preview here.)
The Chicago Society
The University of Chicago's extraordinary commitment to excellence in research, teaching, and scholarship is strengthened through the generous financial support, volunteerism, and dedication of Chicago Society members — those alumni and friends who have made aggregate gifts of $2,500 or more to the University during the fiscal year. All gifts to the Smart Museum, including member contributions, count toward annual membership in the Chicago Society.