Saturday, October 26, 2013

Putting A Price on Art

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has been a public institution since 1870 and, up until Thursday, had a recommended, not mandatory, admission fee. As of Thursday, Mayor Bloomberg has granted the Met to have a mandatory admission fee of $25. As a student of visual arts and art history, I am extremely enraged to see that there will be a charge to see some of the world's finest collections of art. I know I'm not the only person who is opposed to this change. I spent a lot of time at the Met as a child just sitting in front of paintings trying to draw my own versions. I also had many class trips to the Met throughout high school and college. It is an essential resource for art students, and with a fee of $25, will not continue to be so.

The Met has been running for over 140 years and the recommended admission allows anyone to go see famous works of art. Those who go to the museum are obviously supporters of the arts and, I'm sure, generally donate something upon entrance to the museum, which is why it is still a functioning powerhouse in the art world today. There are also great supporters of the arts and the Met, in particular.

The Met's mission statement is "to collect, preserve, study, exhibit, and stimulate appreciation for and advance knowledge of works of art that collectively represent the broadest spectrum of human achievement at the highest level of quality, all in the service of the public and in accordance with the highest professional standards." 

The artwork inside the Met should remain to be at a low/recommended cost to the public. I see art not only as old paintings, sculptures, drawings, photographs, etc, but as a means of education and culture. People can learn a lot from art - about different time periods, wars, influential people, politics, etc. It is an interesting and interactive way to educate the general public and should continue to have a recommended admission fee.

NY Daily News


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