In the article "In The Bronx, Where Art Is Still Free" by Robin Pogrebin, the author states that the attendance at The Bronx Museum of the Arts has increased by 50%. This increase happened because the museum stopped charging for admission. This free admission program, which started last March, is now extended and expanded through 2015. This free admission was a result from a $500,000 gift from philanthropists and art collectors Shelley and Donald Rubin.
The executive director, Holly Block, said that the jump in annual attendance "is a result of not only the elimination of a suggested admission fee but also the aggressive marketing effort that has accompanied it, including bus and subway posters and radio ads". "Other museums have gone the way of free admission with positive results, Ms. Block pointed out, including the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Dallas Museum of Art". According to the article, "most of the museum's customers are students, and education is one of the museum's top priorities". The museum is closed to the public Mondays-Wednesdays, but is open for students on those days.
The Bronx museum would like to attract people from all over the city but it is especially committed to serving visitors in its borough and makes a point of highlighting Bronx artists. My thoughts on this is that it is very interesting. It isn't exactly expected for a museum to show art mostly from their borough. When I think of museums, I think of art from around the world.
After reading this article, I have concluded that the idea of free admissions was probably a good idea for the museum. After all, it increased the annual amount of visits. It was a really great increase and attendance might increase even more. Maybe it might increase more than 50%.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/07/arts/design/bronx-museum-of-the-arts-continues-free-admission.html?ref=design
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