Fiscal Cliff: Museum Admission

In the political arena, all of this talk about a fiscal cliff brings to mind a possible impending doom through higher taxes and budget cuts for Americans in the new year. Some resolution must be reached by our leaders. But, the terms of that are yet undefined and might lead us to pause and think about how we spend our own funds. In terms of deficits and budget cuts, where are you willing to budge? What is "worth" an increase to you? What do you value?

Well, in the museum world, value and admission price are touchy topics, particularly given the new lawsuit against the Metropolitan Museum of Art. See here, here, and here. At issue is the Museum's fiscal policy for admission that offers a price, and in small print, defines that fee as suggested. The fee is steep - $25 - but when you consider what comes with that fee, the benefits seem to outweigh the costs by far.


However, two long-time members of the Met are suing the museum because of its fiscal policy for admission, and also, its supposed intent to deceive folks into believing that they HAVE to pay the recommended price (currently, $25).

Dr. Brill and Prof. Zakic enjoying a conversation
in front of Tom Coates' works.

Some of the comments made by readers of the articles linked above have pointed out some of the many tropes of the benevolence shown toward public services and cultural entities - that museums have benefitted from public funding and subsidies. This is undoubtedly true, but museums and cultural institutions, like the Met and our own galleries and collections, do face rising costs. Nor are they immune to inflation.

Other commenters have remarked at the murkiness of the fee structure - it's unclear to visitors not familiar with the miniscule font that reads "recommended" underneath the admission fee. Still, others have claimed that it shouldn't be a bother to pay what you wish. Responders have noted that those who do pay less get glares and snares from Met staff who seem to pass judgement upon those who choose - for whatever reason - not the pay for the full recommended admission fee.

Good art inspires conversation and reflection. 

I do agree with the premise of the lawsuit - that the Museum's recommended fee and language at the admission desk is unclear. While certainly the majority of folks will not refuse to visit the Met because of the lawsuit filed by Theodore Grunewald and Patricia Nicholson who want a court order barring the Museum from charging admission. The lawsuit may have an impact: there may be a few shy of 6 million visitors next year, to the Met perhaps. Well, that's possible, but highly unlikely.

And, it's best shared with fiends!

In light of all of these financial and litigious discussions, I encourage you to continue to patronize museums, galleries, and collections as you wish - and embrace those that truly remain free, such as our own collections: the outdoor Sculpture Collection, the Wilson and Cochenour Galleries, Gallery 108 (the new annex site in the LRC), and the Dr. Donald L. and Dorothy Jacobs Collection. We have art on view every day of the year, open and accessible 24/7 for you. For free! Really, truly FREE!

Morning with the Milwards

Due to the cancellation of our opening and other scheduled events for Friday, March 2, we were unable to welcome the community to our galleries. However....

from left: gallerist Greg Ladd, Jan Crouch, Luanne Milward, John Milward, and Earl Grey

this morning I met with John and Luanne to show them the exhibition featuring works from their collection, "A Passionate Pursuit: The Milward Collection." We were accompanied by Greg Ladd, owner of Cross Gate Gallery (thank you, Greg for coming in from Florida for this visit!), and Jan Crouch, our college's First Lady and host for our reception (scheduled for last night, but to be rescheduled). Intern Julie Jones, class of 2010, and her beau Tyler joined us as well.

We enjoyed a look around together and came up with a few ideas for additional events to host in the coming weeks, including the re-scheduled exhibition opening and reception as well as a guided tour of this collection with Greg Ladd. Students in the course "The Art of Collecting" will be interested in these events particularly. And, props were given to the students for their research thus far on the artists and works in the show.

Stay tuned for further details about more Milward events.

PS: Thanks to prospective student, Emily, and her family for joining us this morning as well.

Milward Q & A

On Monday, February 20, students in my course "The Art of Collecting" were in for a treat. Lexingtonian and art collector extraordinaire, John Milward, paid a visit to our class. The purpose was to meet the students who have been contributing to the work of the exhibition that opens next week. Entitled "A Passionate Pursuit: The Milward Collection" the show traces the ways in which this collection has shifted and grown over the past 30 years. Milward's collection is impressive -- a fact that you will be able to confirm for yourself next week.

By coming to the show you'll also see the work of so many from our department. For example, each student in the course mentioned above has been researching an artist or group of works from the show. Bess is taking on John Ward (1917-2007); Elizabeth is working on Tom Coates (1941-); Jordan is researching the social and cultural contexts of French animalier bronzes; and Celeste is rising to the challenge of researching that enigmatic artist George Claxton (1947-1995). Each student prepared an outline to share and questions to ask Mr. Milward who kindly sat on the hot seat for over an hour. Thanks so much, John! (And thanks to Caitlin from The Georgetonian for joining us and snapping this photo.)

The gallery is being prepped for the show this week; works will arrive next week; and the installation will come together over a few days. This exhibition opens on Friday, March 2 from 6-8 pm. To whet your appetite, take a peek at the exhibition catalogue cover, above, designed by Laura Hatton in GC's Marketing office.

Make time next Friday night to come out and see a sampling from this world-class collection. You won't be disappointed. Trust me!