PUBLISHED: 03-30-09

Scoop in the loop

On May 23, the cost of admission to the Art Institute of Chicago will jump from $12 to $18, a 50 percent increase, making a trip to the Chicago art museum more expensive than the famed Louvre museum in Paris.
The Chicago Park District Board unanimously approved the increase on March 11, according to the Chicago Tribune, and the admission prices for students and senior citizens will go up at an even steeper rate—from $5 to $12.

For 35 years the Art Institute of Chicago, 111 S. Michigan Ave., charged only a “suggested” admission fee, but in June 2006 imposed a mandatory admission charge of $12, making it the last major Chicago museum to do so.

Chicago residents will not get any deals on admission either, as some other museums give—a fact that has angered Alderman Ed Burke (14th Ward).

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n response to the admission hike, Burke and Alderman Virginia Rugai (19th Ward) proposed an ordinance to block free city services given to nonprofit city museums if they charge more than $10 for general admission fees. If this ordinance actually passes, which seems unlikely, it would also effect most of Chicago’s museums, like the Field Museum, the Museum of Science and Industry and the Shedd Aquarium.

“They are making it almost impossible for the average Chicago citizen to take his or her family to view these Chicago treasures,” Burke told the Chicago Tribune on March 18.

Though Burke is acting a bit like a bully, and his plan does not seem likely to work, I appreciate where he is coming from.

The Art Institute is truly a gem and such a wonderful thing to have right in our own backyard. I fully understand that running such a world-class institution must cost money, but they should at least give city residents a break.

Maybe a 50 percent discount for city or even Cook County residents would be reasonable? Charging $9 for a visit would most likely result in people attending the museum more frequently and could even encourage membership.

The Art Institute will still have its weekly admission-free Thursday evenings and will have two free nights, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

But as anyone who has taken advantage of those free evenings knows, particularly during the summer months, they can be crowded, noisy and if you truly want to take some time to enjoy the art, it may not be the most ideal time to go. Not to mention, not everyone has a schedule that works on those days.

I think the worst thing that could happen is that fewer people, especially young people, will learn to love and appreciate art. The fine art world already seems elitist and out-of-touch to many “regular” people, and a move like this will only compact that problem.

While I’m sure they have many bills to pay, especially after building that new modern art wing, and that fundraising in this bleak economy can’t be easy, I sincerely hope the Art Institute considers the effect this could have on average people. For a family of four it would cost $72 to spend a day at the art museum. How is that encouraging art appreciation?

There must be a way to afford giving Chicagoland residents a break on admission prices. It just might take some creative approaches to cost cutting or fundraising.

Let’s hope that something can be worked out and that the Art Institute doesn’t turn into another ivory tower that only the “elites” can enjoy.

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