Fight at the Museum: NYCC questions why private cultural institutions on city land charge admission
One of the country’s largest organizing groups wants New York City to reevaluate whether museums and other cultural institutions on public land should offer unconditionally free admission to local residents. And a study bill by State Sen. Cordell Cleare would do just that.
On May 31, New York Communities for Change (NYCC) staged a rally outside the Museum of the City of New York pushing for the legislation and called for free admission for New Yorkers.
Advocates believe a century-plus public-private partnership between the City and the 17 cultural institutions stipulates free rent on public parkland in exchange for free local admission. Those sites include the Museum of the City of New York, the Met and the four Wildlife Conservation Society-run zoos.
A spokesperson for Sen. Cleare told the Amsterdam News that the Harlem-based lawmaker seeks to “peel back layers” on what led to these institutions deviating away from free access, as well as holding them to their initial pledges. Her bill would enlist the department of economic development to look into such matters and produce a one-year report. Key topics study areas include current public access, historical public access and laws governing free access. The bill did not pass this past legislative session.
While most institutions boast pay-as-you-want fee structures or free admission days, activists like NYCC’s Rachel Rivera believe anything but free access for locals is only a barrier. Rivera, a mother of six, recalled the mounting expenses for taking her family to a museum, pointing to additional costs of food and travel totaling well north of $100. The advocates said the suggested admission or complimentary tickets are not always readily advertised and can be lost to those who don’t speak English as a first language.
Rivera added that several institutions, like the Museum of the City of New York in East Harlem, are located in working-class Black and Brown neighborhoods that aren’t accessing them to their fullest.
“It’s not fair that you have all these beautiful museums, beautiful gardens and zoos for all these animals,” Rivera said in a phone interview. “And New Yorkers that live by these museums, zoos, and gardens still have to pay an admission fee.”
Stephanie Hill Wilchfort, Museum of the City of New York Ronay Menschel director and president, told the AmNews over email that paying staff fair wages and providing “robust service” is partially dependent on collecting admissions. She also pointed to the continued and upcoming budget cuts to cultural institutions as an added funding barrier, calling reduced entry revenue a “terrible blow” for “small and mid-sized organizations without significant endowments.”
She added that admission is free for SNAP/EBT holders, educators, city employees, CUNY students and members of the United States military.
“The Museum of the City of New York (MCNY) believes that culture should be accessible to all New Yorkers,” said Hill Wilchfort. “More than half of our visitors come for free or at a reduced rate, and MCNY never turns a visitor away for lack of funds. MCNY is always free to anyone under the age of 19, and to individuals of any age who live or work in zip codes 10029, 10035, or 10037 (our East Harlem neighborhood). Free passes can be obtained through the New York Public Library’s Culture Pass program.”
Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) told the AmNews that they are reviewing the request to respond and will provide a response.
Tandy Lau is a Report for America corps member who writes about public safety for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.
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