Should Museums Be Free?

You’ve been studying oil painting in art class, and your teacher is organizing a field trip to a local museum so you can see some examples. But there’s one catch—tickets are almost $20 each.

Museums commonly charge entrance fees to help pay for their staff, exhibits, and other expenses. But in a growing trend, some museums are dropping such fees altogether. The Yale Peabody Museum in Connecticut, for example, stopped charging admission last year. And many other museums throughout the country are also free, including the Saint Louis Art Museum in Missouri and the J. Paul Getty Museum in California.

Some people say museums are cultural experiences that should be accessible to everyone, not just to those who can afford to buy a ticket. But not everyone thinks museums should waive entrance fees. Many officials say their institutions can’t stay in business without charging admission. Some museums have even had to increase ticket prices in recent years to keep up with growing expenses. The Museum of Modern Art in New York City, for example, raised prices in 2023. Its student tickets went up from $14 to $17.

Should you have to pay to get into a museum? Consider the arguments, then decide for yourself. 

You have been studying oil painting in art class. Your teacher is organizing a field trip to a local museum so you can see some examples. But there is one catch: Tickets are almost $20 each.

Museums commonly charge entrance fees. That helps pay for their staff, exhibits, and other expenses. But some museums are dropping such fees altogether. That is a growing trend. For example, the Yale Peabody Museum in Connecticut stopped charging admission last year. And many other museums throughout the country are also free. That includes the Saint Louis Art Museum in Missouri. Another is the J. Paul Getty Museum in California.

Some people say museums are cultural experiences that should be available to everyone. They should not be limited to people who can afford to buy a ticket. But not everyone thinks museums should waive entrance fees. Many officials say their museums cannot stay in business without charging admission. Some museums have even had to increase ticket prices in recent years. That was so they could keep up with growing expenses. For example, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City raised prices in 2023. Its student tickets went from $14 to $17.

Should you have to pay to get into a museum? Consider the arguments. Then decide for yourself.

Museums want to show off their collections—and free admission can help by attracting bigger crowds, some people say. That’s what happened at Connecticut’s Yale Peabody Museum. It used to average about 130,000 visitors a year. But after dropping admission fees, the museum welcomed 285,000 people in just six months. 

For many museum officials, removing admission fees is also a way to be accessible and welcoming to everyone. “Like libraries, museums are spaces for everyone to come together and learn. We don’t want there to be an additional barrier to accessibility,” explains Rachel Rosen. She is the director of learning and engagement at the American Folk Art Museum in New York City.

Dropping entrance fees can also expose more people to history and culture, museum officials say. Some museums take this goal to heart. The motto of the Cleveland Museum of Art in Ohio is “For the Benefit of All the People Forever.” Similarly, the slogan for Hawaii’s state art museum, Capitol Modern, is “Our Art Is Your Art.” Neither museum charges admission.

“I think you miss out on so much when you don’t have access to cultural experiences, whatever those cultural experiences might be, whether that’s going to a history museum, going to a library, or going to the movies,” says Sydney Adamson. She works for the Walters Art Museum in Maryland, which does not charge admission.

Museums want to show off their collections. Free admission can help by attracting bigger crowds, some people say. That is what happened at Connecticut’s Yale Peabody Museum. It used to average about 130,000 visitors a year. But after dropping admission fees, the museum welcomed 285,000 people in just six months.

For many museum officials, removing admission fees is also a way to be available and welcoming to everyone. “Like libraries, museums are spaces for everyone to come together and learn. We don’t want there to be an additional barrier to accessibility,” explains Rachel Rosen. She is the director of learning and engagement at the American Folk Art Museum. It is in New York City.

Dropping entrance fees can also expose more people to history and culture, museum officials say. Some museums take this goal to heart. The motto of the Cleveland Museum of Art in Ohio is “For the Benefit of All the People Forever.” Hawaii’s state art museum, Capitol Modern, has a similar slogan. It is “Our Art Is Your Art.” Neither museum charges admission.

“I think you miss out on so much when you don’t have access to cultural experiences, whatever those cultural experiences might be, whether that’s going to a history museum, going to a library, or going to the movies,” says Sydney Adamson. She works for the Walters Art Museum in Maryland. It does not charge admission.

Not all museums can afford to be free, other people argue. Some can—often because they receive government funding. For example, the Smithsonian museums in Washington, D.C., are supported by taxpayer dollars and do not charge an admission fee.

However, many museums are independent nonprofits, industry experts say. Those institutions get their money from memberships, business sponsors, donors—and admissions. Even with those funds, some museums struggle to pay staff, curate exhibits, and maintain their buildings, says Lawrence Motz. He is a professor of museum studies at Harvard University in Massachusetts.

Plus, there’s no guarantee that getting rid of admission fees will boost visitor numbers long-term, some officials point out. That could be disastrous for museums still trying to recover from lower attendance since the Covid-19 pandemic, they say. Half of U.S. museums have not returned to pre-pandemic attendance levels, according to the American Alliance of Museums.

Besides, critics of free entry say, having to buy a ticket for a cultural experience is not uncommon. Concerts, dance performances, films, and comedy shows usually charge admission. And those experiences often cost more than museums, points out Rusty Baker. He is the executive director of PA Museums, a nonprofit that supports museums in Pennsylvania. You “pay more for a movie once you get a big drink and popcorn,” he says.

Other people argue that not all museums can afford to be free. Some can, but that is often because they receive government funding. For example, the Smithsonian museums in Washington, D.C., are supported by taxpayer dollars. They do not charge an admission fee.

But many museums are independent nonprofits, industry experts say. Those institutions get their money from memberships, business sponsors, donors—and admissions. Those funds are not always enough. Some museums still struggle to pay staff, curate exhibits, and maintain their buildings, says Lawrence Motz. He is a professor of museum studies at Harvard University in Massachusetts.

Plus, there is no guarantee that getting rid of admission fees will boost visitor numbers long-term, some officials point out. That could be disastrous for museums still trying to recover from lower attendance since the Covid-19 pandemic, they say. Half of U.S. museums have not returned to pre-pandemic attendance levels. That is according to the American Alliance of Museums.

Besides, critics of free entry say, it is not unusual to have to buy a ticket for a cultural experience. Concerts, dance performances, films, and comedy shows usually charge admission. And tickets for those experiences often cost more than museums, points out Rusty Baker. He is the executive director of PA Museums. That is a nonprofit that supports museums in Pennsylvania. You “pay more for a movie once you get a big drink and popcorn,” he says.