A family of four visiting the Science Museum of Minnesota could spend nearly $50 just to get in the door. But a drop-in at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (MIA) would cost them nothing. What's up with that?
It's not that dinosaur bones cost more than Monet paintings.
Museum admission fees vary wildly for all sorts of reasons and, not surprisingly, they're a hot topic in the field. History, institutional psychology and other factors come into play in deciding about how much, if anything, to charge. Most museums rely on a mix of endowment income, government funding and corporate and private donations to cover their basic costs. Admission fees fill in where those sources fall short. And many places that offer free admission, including the MIA, tack on charges for special shows.
The institute, which dropped general admission fees 25 years ago, was a pioneer in the "free" museum camp, although it's not alone. Many museums in Washington, D.C., are free, as are the Dallas Museum of Art, the Cincinnati Art Museum and the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas.
Elsewhere, however, hefty fees are common. In San Francisco, the Exploratorium science center charges $25 for adults. New York's Museum of Modern Art also charges $25, while the Metropolitan Museum of Art "recommends" entry donations of that amount. In Chicago, the Art Institute charges adults $23, and the Field Museum charges $18.
"I'd never worked for a free museum before I came here and always thought you have to charge because people value what they pay for," said Kaywin Feldman, the MIA's executive director since 2008. "But I've completely changed my mind and now think that you have to be free to be accessible."
The MIA's policy is deeply rooted. When the museum opened in 1915, its bylaws required it to be "free of charge" at least three days per week including Sundays. A special Hennepin County tax was even set up to help cover its operating costs. That fund last year generated $10.9 million, or more than one-third of the museum's budget.
To ensure access regardless of income, most museums have regular free days or evenings. And virtually all of them offer discounts to children, students, senior citizens and people who have bought a museum membership.