When asked by someone outside of the art and decorative arts world what museums to see in New York City, I always tell them about the American Folk Art Museum. “It’s fantastic, and it’s free,” is my stock recommendation.
“Access, Scale & Market Share,” a recent report by Remuseum, a think tank affiliated with Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, examines attendance at art museums. It strongly suggests that museums offering free admission maximize a museum’s effectiveness by increasing its number of visitors and lowering the cost of each visit. (Crystal Bridges has a free admission policy.)
The report looked at 153 art museums in the United States and found that the average cost per visitor to museums was $101; the median cost was $82. Of those 153 museums, 48 offered free general admission and 105 had paid admission. The average cost per visitor for free museums was $86, with the median cost being $74. For museums with paid admissions, the average was $108, with a median cost of $84.
Museums with free admission attract more visitors against a similar set of costs, which lowers the cost of each visitor, the report contends. Museums that charge for admission may simply end up spending the same amount per visitor on a smaller number of visitors. Museums with free admission attract 2% more visitors in the institution’s metropolitan statistical area.
“While one might assume that ‘paid’ museums would either spend less on each visitor or attract more visits at the same cost per visitor (because the added revenue would provide more funds to invest in attracting visitors), neither of these results appears to be the case. Charging for admission gets the public to subsidize the museum’s costs, but for most museums it may do so at the cost of reducing visitation,” Remuseum contends.
Museums, on a national basis, generate only 1% to 4% of their revenue from admissions, the report states.
The trade should embrace this idea. Better attendance at museums can only help the art and antiques industry. The public can learn about—and covet—the best objects in museum collections. A free trip to a local museum would assuredly increase the chances of another trip—this time to a shop, show, or auction.
Originally published in the May 2025 issue of Maine Antique Digest. © 2025 Maine Antique Digest
