A postage stamp was 3 cents in 1932, 10 cents in 1974.   Minimum wage was
$2.00 in 1974, $5.25 now (and some studies suggest worth less in real
dollars)...I assume you make more than $5.25 now.  A new car, ski tickets,
movies and other entertainment are not the same as access to and a
connection with a human and national culture.  This access is a truly
American egalitarian ideal and it's effective denial can be directly
connected to the dissillusionment and alienation felt by many of todays
youth, who did not grow up with it.  When cultural history is equated with
entertainment and diversion only, present culture becomes inbred. Critical
thinking and taste sink to the bottom like a rock.  The National Museums are
treasure for their access and one that I fear for with the current
"privatization " bandwagon.  We are witnessing the "privatization" of public
dollars in public education as we speak, the most cherished egalitarian
ideal...could the museums be far off?  Why should the Fogg Art Museum charge
an admission other than to keep people out.  What might the endowment of
Harvard University be?  Do they need my admission to pay for the janitor?

As you can see. . . I have a passion about this issue also!

Frank Gregory
artist/educator

www.frankgregory.com

At 07:41 PM 02/24/2001 -0800, David Taylor wrote:
>You  have hit one of my pet peeves with your question. . .
>
>1. It always bothers me that visitors believe a museum should be free,
>or nearly free. . . this says to me that people find little value in what
>we offer or think someone else other than them should be paying for
>it!
>
>2, Frank spoke about the cost of museums in the early 1980's. . .
>I started working in museums 25 years ago. . . lets look at how
>some of the other things in life have changed in price since then.
>     Cost of postage stamp 3 cents. . . now $33 cents
>     Cost of going to movies $1 - $1.50. . . . now $8.00 in many markets
>     Cost of nice new car: less than $10,000. . . now $25 - $35,000
>     Cost of a mid-week ski ticket  $3. . . now $32
>     My salary then $2 per hour. . . . lets just say a lot more but still
>not enough
>     Cost of Family Membership to my museum $35 per year now $80
>
>3. Donations have changed.  Older corporations use to look at the community
>and support things over the long range. . . IBM, local banks, and other
>companies use to have large philanthropy $$. . . now everything is looked
>at as a sponsorship where most corporations are looking at how much
>exposure they will get for their sponsorship. . . and many strings are
>attached. . .  Also. . . many local companies and banks in most markets
>have been swallowed up into large conglomerates where they don't
>have as much attachment to the local community.
>
>4. Many government agencies have reduced the level of support due to
>tighter budgets. . . in 1976 our city provided approx. 25% of our operating
>budget. . . they are still giving the same number of $$ but it now
>represents
>less than 2% of our budget.
>
>5. There are more groups after the same $$.  Sports teams are now after
>corporate $$ to support their franchises to sponsor their stadiums and buy
>corporate boxes in their new municipally funded stadiums.
>
>6.  Folks want free days at museums, but I don't see them expecting free
>days at movie theaters, sports events, grocery stores, ski slopes, or other
>places they seem to find value in.
>
>7. Most museums still do provide a large number of reduced or scholarship
>admissions to those in need. . .  not just those too cheep to pay for what
>they are getting.
>
>8. The bottom line for me is that I think that much of what kept museum
>costs low in the past and continues to enable museums to operate at
>costs below the rest of the world is that staff have been willing to work
>for much lower wages than in the for-profit world because they believe
>in what they are doing. . . . so remember every time you get a free
>admission. . . it is partially on the back of the museum staff not getting
>paid what they are really worth. . . (I feel the same is true for teachers)
>
>As you can see. . . I have a passion about this issue!
>
>David Taylor
>Director of Science & Exhibits
>Pacific Science Center
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: (Frank Gregory)
>Sent: 2/24/01 5:39 PM
>Subject: $admission$
>
>Hi
>
>I went to college in Boston in the early 80's and I practically lived at
>the
>Gardner and the MFA.  The Gardner had a donation only admission policy.
>Now
>the admission is $12.00! The current "Art of the Guitar" exhibit at the
>MFA
>costs $18.00 a ticket! (I once paid under $10.00 to see and hear Carlos
>Santana play the guitar!)  When you factor in lunch and transportation,
>a
>trip to a museum for a family of four can run $100 to $200!  I have a
>hard
>time paying this kind of money.  Free-for-all days are good but they
>don't
>include special exhibits or the entire museum and can be inconvenient at
>best, crowded and uninspiring at worst.  What happened? Was there a
>funding
>source then that does not exist now? Did museums discover they can make
>a
>lot of money?  Do they?  Aren't we denying access to a large portion of
>the
>public by charging such an amount?  Do we (hush, hush) like it better
>that
>way?!  Just curious for opinions.  Thanks.
>
>Frank
>
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