18 October 00 | Berkeley staff and faculty will now receive free admission to the Berkeley Art Museum and a special discount on tickets to screenings at the Pacific Film Archive.

"It is with great pleasure that we throw open our doors to our colleagues on campus," said Kevin Consey, museum and archive director. "The museum has long enjoyed the patronage and valuable support of many staff and faculty. We are delighted that we are now able to return the favor."

Staff and faculty who present their Berkeley employee identification will receive free admission to the museum, open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., and Thursday, 11a.m. - 9 p.m. Employees also can buy tickets to the film archive for $5, a savings of $2 on general admission.

To celebrate this new initiative, the museum and Muse, the museum cafe, present "Art After Hours," an open house and wine tasting at 4 p.m. on Thursdays, Nov. 2, 9 and 16. Employees can enjoy refreshments and participate in guided tours of the new exhibit, "Amazons in the Drawing Room: The Art of Romaine Brooks."

Tours will start in the museum lobby at 5:30 p.m. Those attending Art After Hours can take advantage of a special 20 percent discount on holiday cards and 2001 calendars at the Museum Store.

The galleries will stay open until 9 p.m. for each of these events. Muse will be open until 8 p.m.

On Thursday, Nov. 2 only, representatives from the Cal Photo I.D. Office will set up a temporary badging station in the museum lobby, to issue new photo cards to campus staff and faculty. Visit www.housing. berkeley.edu:80/photoid/benefits.html for information on the cards. For other details, visit the museum Web site at www.bampfa.berkeley.edu or call 642-1124 for films, 642-0808 for exhibits and 643-9989 for membership.