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Q&A
Brooklyn Museum's pay-as-you-wish policy and accessibility
0:30:22
ยท
3 min
Commissioner Cumbo discusses the Brooklyn Museum's commitment to maintaining its pay-as-you-wish policy and the challenges faced by cultural institutions in balancing accessibility and financial sustainability.
- Brooklyn Museum is preserving its pay-as-you-wish program while other institutions are implementing fixed admission fees
- The museum aims to maintain accessibility while addressing financial challenges
- First Saturdays program cancellations are presented as temporary measures
- Cultural institutions across the city are facing difficult decisions regarding pricing and accessibility
- The pay-as-you-wish policy is seen as central to the museum's mission of accessibility
Laurie Cumbo
0:30:22
I have not had conversation with the museum to go and have a a discussion about what if they did it this way or if they did it that way.
0:30:32
Mhmm.
0:30:32
I trust that they have knowledge about the impact or the financial impact of that program to their bottom line, but as well if they have the staffing in order to be able to maintain and to foster that program.
0:30:48
Mhmm.
0:30:48
One of the the questions there are a lot of very difficult decisions that all museums and cultural institutions are making across the city.
0:30:57
Mhmm.
0:30:58
The Brooklyn Museum is one of the few institutions that is preserving and protecting their pay as you wish program.
0:31:04
Mhmm.
0:31:05
So many organizations or museums have made the decision to say, hey.
0:31:10
It's no longer pay as you wish.
0:31:12
It's $22 to enter this museum, and that's nonnegotiable.
0:31:17
The Brooklyn Museum is maintaining their position to say, we want to continue to be a pay as you wish museum.
0:31:24
We wanna continue to make sure that the the first Saturday programs are free and open to the public.
0:31:31
Mhmm.
0:31:32
These are not permanent cancellations.
0:31:34
These are cost saving measures that they are doing in the immediate in order to be able to foster a plan and a strategic plan to get back on track so that they can have these programs on a year round basis and that they can be affordable and free to the community.
0:31:52
The the basis of the first Saturday program was all about accessibility.
0:31:57
Mhmm.
0:31:57
It's all about making sure that all people can access that particular program.
0:32:02
And the benefit of that program, because it's been going on for some time, is that it has inspired museums not only in New York City, but across the country Mhmm.
0:32:11
To do these free first Friday or first Saturday programs, and that originated at the Brooklyn Museum.
0:32:17
I'm sure there's some thought that if you were to associate a cost with it, you would be changing the the dynamics of what makes that program special.
0:32:27
So I think that sometimes and I can't speak completely for them because I'm obviously not on the staff or part of their executive team.
0:32:35
I'm sure they're making that decision to say, let's pause for a moment.
0:32:39
Let's figure out a new effective economic strategy to take the museum forward.
0:32:45
And hopefully, in the future, they will be able to bring that in the very near future, bring that program and many of their other programs back.
0:32:53
But there are some organ organizations that are having these same conversations that we are with that are saying, we're gonna close the gap by raising our prices.
0:33:03
Mhmm.
0:33:04
And those prices will be non negotiable.
0:33:06
And I'm sure you're aware of many of them in your community as well that are saying, we have a nonnegotiable price, and that's how we're gonna close the gap.
0:33:16
That may make it unaffordable for many of your constituents, especially families who are coming with children, that are coming with grandma, that are coming with everyone.
0:33:24
They have to make decisions.
0:33:26
Yeah.
0:33:26
So it's a matter of where you wanna make those really tough decisions.
0:33:31
But however you make them, it's not gonna be favored by all.
Carmen N. De La Rosa
0:33:34
Yeah.