Art museums

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Recommended: Importance of art museums

This opinion piece focuses on an issue that I have never really thought about before. After reading it, I talked about it with my friend Craig and asked him what his opinion was. He did not even think about it and said that museums should not be free. He said people should care enough to pay for the admission. However, I personally do not think it is that simple. Craig has never been to an art museum. I know for a fact that if the Gibbes Museum of Art was free, we would have gone there together long time ago, and we would go there more than once. We have never been there because, even though $7 per student is not much at all, we always find another way to spend $14 when we have it. Should art museums be free then, so that anyone can afford to go anytime they want to?
I believe all art museums should have a pay-what-you-can policy, at least for a few days per week, and that policy has to be clearly explained to anyone who is interested in visiting a museum. People should be aware that they can pay as much as they want, but they can get in for as low as 25 cents. In the article Philippe de Montebello is quoted wondering why people should not pay to go to a museum when they are willing to pay "to attend rock concerts and sports events." That is a valid point. However, it is understandable that people are more willing to pay for things they know they will like for sure. If a person can only spend $15 on entertainment and he or she has never been to an art museum, that person is more likely to go see a band that he or she knows. And when museums have a pay-what-you-can policy that person does not even have to worry about making a choice between going to a museum and going to a show or getting gas; he or she can do both. Also, it can be...

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... us that, even though $7, $10, or $15 might not be a big deal for most people, it is for some. We have to remember that people who cannot afford to pay $7 to go to a museum might already be deprived of a lot of opportunities. By letting them choose their admission price we give them some of those opportunities back.
I believe art museums should be pay-what-you-can because I know I would go to the Gibbes Museum much more often if I could choose my price of admission, and so would other people. I would also bring more friends and family members with me because money would never be an issue. However, since museums would probably lose a part of their income, the communities, including businesses, have to be willing to support them.

Works Cited

Smith, Roberta. "Should Art Museums Always Be Free? There’s Room for Debate." New York Times. 22 Jul 2006. Web. 20 Feb. 2014.

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