Guggenheim Raises Ticket Costs as US Museums Get Pricier

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in Manhattan has formally taken second place on the list of New York City’s most expensive museums, with an admissions fare hike introduced this week. Non-member adults visiting the museum with out CityPass are anticipated to pay $30 for entry — a $5 enhance from the earlier $25 worth — whereas college students and folks with disabilities can pay a greenback additional at $19 per ticket, and veterans or lively service members can pay $25 per ticket. Kids 12 and underneath will proceed to reap the advantages of free admission, as provided by many NYC establishments.

Introduced lower than a month after the Whitney Museum of American Artwork’s choice to boost its fares to $30 for non-member adults and $24 for college kids and seniors, the Guggenheim’s worth hike was attributed to monetary pressure from the pandemic in addition to elevated working prices.

“The brand new charges align with these of the museum group in New York Metropolis and can assist help the operational prices of the museum,” Guggenheim spokesperson Sara Fox instructed Hyperallergic, noting that this was the primary fare enhance since 2015. “Moreover, the extra income will permit the Guggenheim to proceed offering accessible programming, dynamic exhibitions, and an satisfying customer expertise.” Fox added that the museum would prolong its pay-what-you-wish time slot by an hour on Saturdays, now from 5pm to 8pm.

Museum admission fare hikes seem like a nationwide pattern, with the Philadelphia Museum of Art recently increasing fees from $25 to $30 and the Art Institute of Chicago charging out-of-state adults $32 for entry as of final Could.

Whereas the New York Times reported that each memberships and attendance had been down on the Guggenheim, elevated admission costs might additional drive down museum attendance — a household outing for 2 dad and mom and two youngsters would price over $100 with the brand new pricing. The Metropolitan Museum of Artwork set the precedent final July with their $30 admission fee for out-of-towners. Nevertheless, some data means that admission costs usually are not the first barrier to cultural establishments as guests who wish to be there are keen to pay for it, and that there are different steps museums might take to extend accessibility together with applications for low-income guests and advertising and marketing methods to draw individuals who would usually choose to spend their money and time elsewhere.

In 2015, Hyperallergic examined knowledge pertaining to museum attendance in relation to admissions charges and the overarching conclusion was that solely a small share of museumgoers thought of price to be a barrier, and that museums and establishments that adopted or maintained free admission noticed greater attendance numbers partially due to repeat guests.

For anybody who nonetheless isn’t satisfied by the motives for fare hikes, an inventory of establishments providing free or pay-as-you-wish admission throughout New York Metropolis is accessible on the finish of this Hyperallergic report. It’s additionally price declaring that galleries and pupil exhibitions are all the time free to the general public.