Mulva Cultural Center changes pricing to make all exhibits free

Beginning Dec. 17, the Mulva Cultural Center will no longer charge admission for exhibits and the majority of its films.

The $100 million center, which opened in December 2023 as a gift to the community from Miriam and James Mulva, will offer complimentary admission for touring exhibits in its upper-level Exhibition Hall – a change from such previous attractions as the $25 adult ticket for “Ladies and Gentlemen … The Beatles!”/”And the Grammy Goes To …” and the $20 adult ticket for the Star Wars-themed “Unofficial Galaxies.”

Smaller exhibits on the main floor had always been free.

“It is the wish of the benefactors, Miriam and Jim Mulva, to reaffirm their gift of the Mulva Cultural Center to our community and to eliminate pricing barriers to our visitors,” executive director Marvin Wall announced Dec. 16. “For our community, this means the Mulva Cultural Center will serve more repeat customers, and we hope our center comes to mind the next time you’re looking for something new and exciting to do in northeast Wisconsin. We hope this changes sparks curiosity, wonder and connection to all who enter our building.”

Visitors will be required to reserve a ticket online at mulvacenter.org for a specific date and time for attending touring exhibits.

The majority of films in the 200-seat Discover Auditorium will also be free, Wall said. Some special titles may have a fee, as prices are set by the distributors, and will be noted as such on the Mulva website.

Under the new pricing model, Mulva 12-month memberships will now be offered in three tiers: Supporter ($100-$249); Friend ($250-$999) and Advocate ($1,000 and more). Members will be placed in a tier based on how much they would like to give.

Memberships will now include more members-only events, programming and discounts, including an exclusive three-day preview of “The Real Genghis Khan” exhibit in late January before it opens to the public. All memberships still include benefits to the North American Reciprocal Museum Association and Reciprocal Organization of Associated Museums.

Members prior to Dec. 15 will receive a complimentary four-month extension to their membership.

‘Evolution Dinosaur’ is most popular exhibit to date; ‘Real Genghis Khan’ is next

The Mulva, 221 S. Broadway in De Pere, welcomed 77,000 visitors to the building in its first year in 2024 for exhibits, films, live performances, workshops, the Savour on Broadway restaurant, Splurge gift shop and other programming, Wall said. It’s on pace for similar numbers as 2025 draws to a close, he said.

Its most popular exhibit to date was last year’s “Evolution Dinosaur,” Wall said, with the current “Life in Space” exhibit a close second. The latter features a piece of the moon and a Multi-Axis Trainer that simulates an uncontrolled spin in zero gravity. It’s on display through Jan. 5.

The next touring exhibit to visit will be “The Real Genghis Khan,” which opens Jan. 31 and runs through May 3. The largest collection of Genghis Khan-era artifacts to tour the world features interactive activities with Mongolian costumes, bow and arrow demonstrations, Mongolian children’s games, live Mongolian music performances and the experience of walking through Kublai Khan’s Xanadu Palace.

The Mulva welcomes four or five major touring exhibits a year that span art, history and science. Previous installations have included Legos, sharks and spy craft. The aim is to bring in a wide range of quality attractions and accompanying activities that offer something for everyone, including adults, school groups and children who come with their grandparents, Wall said.

In November of last year, the center announced it had joined Museums for All, a program of the Institute of Museum and Library Services that offers free or reduced admissions to museums for low-income visitors.