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The Chicago Park District Board has unanimously voted in favor of raising admission fees to the Art Institute of Chicago. Starting May 23, admission for students and seniors will go from $7 to $12 and regular adult admission will increase by 50 percent, from $12 to $18. That same month, the museum's new 264,000-square-foot Modern Wing is set to open. Park District spokeswoman Jessica Maxey-Faulkner defended the unpopular move, saying, "The Art Institute is a world-class museum with rising expenses like any other entity. With the number of free days that they have, it still remains accessible to the citizens of Chicago.'' Those free days include every Thursday evening year-round and Friday evenings in the summer. [CBS 2]
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They should give a discount for city residents and let tourists pay that admission. I have to say this is bogus and will impede young people from going to the Institute. I understand they have remodeled and such, but then at least give city residents, who pay incredibly high taxes on EVERYTHING, a friggin break.
I think that this is horrible. I have been buying a membership ever since I moved here, so this doesn't affect me, but the thought of a student having to pay $12 to get in is really a shame.
The Toledo Museum of Art, which in my opinion puts the Chicago Art Institute to shame, is free. Every day. All day. They have a donation box, but it's always free admission, and if you haven't been there I would highly recommend making the trip. It's in Toledo *blech* but it really is a world class institution.
Comparison-wise, the Met is 20 bucks now, but that's a suggested price; if you can only pay $10 they are fine with it. The Art Institute used to have a suggested price but stopped doing that a while ago. And unlike the Art Institute, all NY public school students and certain colleges can go to the Met for free. So yeah. :/
The free days should definitely be for Chicago residents only; everyone else should be paying.
Can't wait to see the new Modern wing; it seems like they've been working on it forever!
Comparison-wise, in Washington DC, admission to the National Gallery of Art (both buildings), as well as every Smithsonian museum is free.
Sorry, I meant to reply to Kaonashi's comment, not Stealth's.
There is a small discount for city residents, Natalia. In addition, city residents can check out free passes for most museums at the Chicago Public Library.
is it MSI that is discounted for residents? i know one/some of them are.
just tried to look around quick.. maybe i am wrong.. but i remember a few years ago i didnt have an IL id yet and i was trying to convince admissions that i did live here.
Yeah, $18 is a lot of money, BUT contrary to popular belief, museums don't receive a lot of taxpayer money. Chicago Museums receive only enough public funding (taxes) to cover around 10% of their operating costs.
If you want to go for free, besides getting a pass from the library, you can also go on Thursday evenings, when the Art Institute is free (or Friday evenings in the summer). You can also pay to become a member which would get you in free year-round. There are probably benefits that come with that.
Plus, when you consider you probably pay 12.50 or more to go to a movie on a Friday night, 18 bucks for a day's worth of entertainment is still a bargain.
The Munch Exhibit is amazing. Please go see it.
that seems like a pretty steep hike...
tbh, i think the museum should extend its free membership to students from some other colleges too... and this is coming from an ex-student of the school of the art institute.
alumni of the school of the aic no longer get free admission to the museum. ouch.
Plus, when you consider you probably pay 12.50 or more to go to a movie on a Friday night,
$12.50?!? Or more???? Where do you go to see movies?
Anywhere here in Chicago is 10 bucks after matinee times. I usually sneak in food, which means I'm saving money but I still end up spending 15 bucks at peak times.
Also, the Smithsonian's are free because they are subsidized by the federal government. This is why there was such a freak out (late 2008 or early 2009, can't remember) when they considered beginning to charge admission.
The Evanston theater's peak price is $9.
The davis theater's peak price is $8
The Music box theater's peak price is $9.25
the Siskel film center peak price is $9
Again, where are you going to see movies in Chicago for $12.50. Or are you automatically including popcorn, etc.? Which would seem to boost it over $12.50 anyway
Are we really going to get in a pissing match over movie tickets? Admittedly, 12.50 is not the ticket price. But Landmark Century 10 bucks and any AMC theatre close to me is 10.50-10.75.
My point is, even if we go with your average ticket price of 9 bucks. It's two hours of entertainment, Art Institute can fill a day. More economical. And more educational.