DETROIT, MI.- The Detroit Institute of Arts announced that yesterday it reached a milestone of 100,000 fans on Facebook. To celebrate and thank fans for their support, the DIA is offering free admission for Facebook fans during March.

To receive free admission during March, visitors must be DIA Facebook fans and bring in the “free pass” that is displayed on the DIA’s Facebook page. One free pass admits up to four people. The page can be accessed at www.facebook.com/detroitinstituteofarts.

The announcement came three days before the museum’s projected goal of reaching 100,000 fans on March 1. The DIA announced the March promotion to Facebook fans last Friday when the fan count was just over 97,000. Within three days, more than 3,000 new Facebook fans signed on, and Tuesday morning, the DIA passed the 100,000 mark.

According to Museum Analytics, a website that tracks museums’ social-media audiences, as of yesterday only six U.S. art museums, all in New York, have more Facebook fans than the DIA. The Museum of Modern Art has the largest number among museums worldwide, with 976,002 fans. The Whitney Museum of American Art has 145,317, and the DIA has its sights on surpassing that number soon.

Here is how other Midwest museums compare: Art Institute of Chicago, 97,095; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 56,280; Philadelphia Museum of Art, 32,612; Cleveland Museum of Art, 22,168; and Toledo Museum of Art, 31,545.

Through Facebook, the DIA reaches out to people in more than 20 countries worldwide and informs them about programs, events, artwork and more. With more Facebook fans, the DIA can communicate to a broader audience and attract new visitors to the museum.