Art Museums Flourish

Depressed by all the bad news concerning art programs being cut, lack of funding, etc. etc., I came across this gem from the Seattle Times. About time for some positive news! Being a Cubs fan, the point about admissionto Wrigley Field is a bitter pill to swallow...

Art museums have learned the lessons of successful retailers in that they allow people to visit at all times of day, including evenings and weekends, not at a prearranged time. And a visitor can go at his or her own pace in a museum, looking, reading, thinking and enjoying. Plus, a concert, dance, performance or film is often included in the price of admission.

Speaking of admission, some museums, including all the great museums on the Mall in Washington, D.C., are free. Even the newly expanded Museum of Modern Art in New York, which charges the highest admission of any art museum in this country, is still a bargain at $20, compared with typical ticket prices of $40 at the New York Philharmonic and $32 to see the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/PrintStory.pl?document_id=2002320703&zsection_id=268883724&slug=artmuseums08&date=20050608