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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe Met May Soon Start Charging A Mandatory $25 Admission Fe
NEW YORK CITY The Metropolitan Museum of Art, whose pay-what-you-wish entry fee made it the subject of lawsuits by tourists who claimed they were misled by signs that made its $25 suggested admission seem mandatory, has quietly been granted a change to its city lease letting it officially charge an entrance fee.
In the revised lease, signed Thursday, the Commissioner of the City of New York Department of Cultural Affairs gave the museum permission to charge a required fee rather than a suggested admission.
Under the terms of the old lease, which has been in effect since 1878, the museum, which operates on city-owned land, had no legal right to charge people for entry, according to the New York Times.
But museum officials were quick to point out that the official change won't mean any changes for the suggested admission for the time being.
What the amendment does is codify "the pay-what-you-wish police that the city had authorized in writing for over 40 years," said the Met's senior vice president of public affairs Harold Holzer. "We have no plans to change the structure we have now."
The lease also allows the Met to charge fees for special exhibitions, group tours, educational programs, and events such as classes, shows, and conferences.
In the revised lease, signed Thursday, the Commissioner of the City of New York Department of Cultural Affairs gave the museum permission to charge a required fee rather than a suggested admission.
Under the terms of the old lease, which has been in effect since 1878, the museum, which operates on city-owned land, had no legal right to charge people for entry, according to the New York Times.
But museum officials were quick to point out that the official change won't mean any changes for the suggested admission for the time being.
What the amendment does is codify "the pay-what-you-wish police that the city had authorized in writing for over 40 years," said the Met's senior vice president of public affairs Harold Holzer. "We have no plans to change the structure we have now."
The lease also allows the Met to charge fees for special exhibitions, group tours, educational programs, and events such as classes, shows, and conferences.
Read more: http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20131025/upper-east-side/mets-25-admissions-fee-gets-official-nod-from-city
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The Met May Soon Start Charging A Mandatory $25 Admission Fe (Original Post)
FarCenter
Oct 2013
OP
Just visited the Cloisters last weekend. Same deal… suggested $20 but it looks mandatory.
KittyWampus
Oct 2013
#1
KittyWampus
(55,894 posts)1. Just visited the Cloisters last weekend. Same deal… suggested $20 but it looks mandatory.
I've had friends turn away because they didn't realize it was suggested and not absolute.
dorkzilla
(5,141 posts)2. A year's membership is a good deal!
Family membership is $200 a year and gives you unlimited access to the Met and the Cloisters. They're both world-class museums, and remember the art has to be acquired and maintained. They sure as hell don't pay their employees well, and the employees are just happy to be there.
With movie tickets costing $14, I don't really see the issue here.
Full disclosure--I'm a long-time member. It is a remarkable museum.
http://metmuseum.org/give-and-join/membership/categories
TeamPooka
(24,226 posts)3. just another way to the poor away from nice things. nt
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)4. Wrong! We need support of the arts for everyone, not just those who pay!
I'll pay their fee because I can and I am happy to do so. But this discriminates against the poor and they deserve art as much as I do.