MoMA PS1 to Offer Free Admission Starting in 2026
The Queens museum will waive entry fees for three years to coincide with its 50th anniversary.
Starting January 1, MoMA PS1 in New York City will offer free admission to all visitors for the next three years, the museum announced today, Tuesday, December 9.
The announcement comes after a gift from Bay Area art collector and entrepreneur Sonya Yu, who serves on the boards of the Hammer Museum — where PS1 Director Connie Butler worked as chief curator — and the San Francisco Museum of Art.
The Queens institution will be free for everyone from 2026 through 2028, a move the museum said in a statement would help improve financial barriers to access.
Museums in New York City have become prohibitively expensive in recent years, with institutions like the Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim, and the Whitney Museum of American Art all raising their general admission price to $30 for adults.
At MoMA PS1, free admission will coincide with the institution's 50th-anniversary programming in 2026, including its annual Greater New York survey opening in April. The institution is already free for New York residents, but charges $10 for admission for out-of-towners, with discounted rates for seniors and youth. In a press release, the museum claimed that its forthcoming fee waiver makes it the largest free museum in New York City.
Yu's gift comes a year after the Whitney Museum of American Art offered visitors under the age of 25 free admission for three years, following a $2 million donation from artist Julie Mehretu and an unspecified amount from philanthropist Susan Hess.
MoMA PS1 has not yet responded to Hyperallergic's inquiry about the dollar amount of Yu's gift.
In a statement shared with Hyperallergic, Yu said that she hopes her contribution "helps to inspire new generations to see themselves in art and experience its incredible power."
"I have always believed that building authentic creative communities is a powerful force for social change," Yu said. "As a proud Chinese immigrant and a mother, I've seen firsthand how access to art can directly shape imagination and change perspectives."
