Free museum admissions?

I was looking for a list of free admissions hours to museums in the city. I found out that some museums are always free, some allow people to pay “whatever they wish to pay” [which can be a one penny donation] and some are free on certain days, or during certain hours.

In a New York Times article, Roberta Smith intended to propose a challenge to museums to gradually lower their fees until they were always open to the public at no charge. “. . . it is through [artwork] that we discover and explore important aspects of our humanness. [Museums] should be equally available to all, for the good of the individual and society as a whole.”

Ms. Smith found out that museums across the nation have recently acquired government and private grants which allow them to open their doors to the public free of charge. This movement isn’t widespread in New York City yet. Is it too much to hope that one day it may be?

While researching her article Ms. Smith learned, “Museums speak of wanting to attract larger, more democratic audiences. They cannot even begin to know this audience, much less accommodate it, until they lower the barriers, at least to their permanent collections. Doreen Bolger, director of the Baltimore Museum, told The Washington Post that the number of nonwhite visitors nearly tripled during the museum’s free hours.”

One of the exhibits my younger son wants to see is about slavery in New York during the Civil War at the Historical Society on Central Park West at 77th Street. I called and verified that admission is free at between 6-8 pm on Friday nights. 12-year old Ari has been an avid student of war history for several years and blogs his thoughts on war and how it affects the development of society.

Here’s a great list of art and cultural venues offering free hours. Enjoy!

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