Another day, another art museum delivering tough news to art lovers across New York City and abroad. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) announced today, September 14, that it will increase admission fees across the board for the first time since 2011. Citing increased operations costs, MoMA joins the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in charging $30 for adult general admission tickets starting October 16.
While the museum maintains free entry for visitors ages 16 and under, student tickets will cost $17 instead of $14, and tickets for seniors and people with disabilities will cost $22 instead of $18. In a press release, the museum highlights a $2 discount for any admission category if patrons purchase tickets online via the MoMA website once the fare increase takes effect. However, MoMA film tickets purchased onsite or online will cost $14 for adults, $12 for seniors or people with disabilities, and $10 for students.
The museum unveiled a massive, $450M reconstruction in October of 2019, six months prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.
Like other museums that have raised admission fees, MoMA reiterates that resources for free and low-cost admission are still available and New Yorkers are welcome to visit for free during Uniqlo NYC Nights from 4pm to 8pm on the first Friday of every month. MoMA tickets can also be presented at MoMA PS1 in Long Island City for free admission within 14 days.
“Admissions changes will not impact the Museum’s educational and accessibility partnerships and programs,” a spokesperson for the museum clarified.
Those who wish to avoid the long lines and large crowds of free admission nights at the museum can always take advantage of the hundreds of galleries and no-cost student exhibitions across the city that are always open to the public. Additionally, there are museums and institutions that maintain free access or suggested donations for New Yorkers listed at the bottom of this Hyperallergic report.
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The New York, Brooklyn and Queens Public Libraries offer card holders use of a Culture Pass, which gains you free admission to a host of museums. It means you have to plan in advance, but it is a way to take yourself and your family to see exhibitions that interest you and that would be a financial burden to attend.