The Met Moves Forward With Plan To Charge Out-Of-Towners

NEW YORK, NY — The Metropolitan Museum of Art is moving forward with a plan to institute an entrance fee for non-New Yorkers, according to the city Department of Cultural Affairs. Last week, the museum filed a formal proposal with the city to charge out-of-state museumgoers mandatory admission, a department spokesperson said.

"The Met has submitted an initial proposal to continue the suggested admissions policy for all New York City and State residents while moving to a mandatory admissions fee for out of state residents, and we will review it carefully," the spokesperson said in a statement. "The City is committed to working with the Met to ensure that its unrivaled collection and programming remain accessible to all New Yorkers."

Representatives from The Met did not immediately respond to inquiries.

The application with the city was also revealed by The Met's Lawyer, Bruce R. Kelly, during a Supreme Court hearing regarding a lawsuit over the museum's "recommended" entrance fee, the New York Times reported.

The Met, which has never charged for admission, recently settled two lawsuits over a "recommended" entrance fee. The lawsuits argued that by advertising a recommended price, The Met was tricking, or guilting visitors into paying a voluntary fee. The settlement requires The Met to include the wording “the amount you pay is up to you” on its signs and website, and to change the word "recommended" to "suggested," according to the Times.

Now that The Met has filed an application, the city government must decide whether to approve or deny the request.

The past year has been a tumultuous one for the country's largest art museum. In April, The Met's director and chief executive Thomas P. Campbell resigned, but some speculated that the museum's multimillion dollar deficit forced his exit. In 2016 The Met cut nearly 100 jobs through buyouts and layoffs of its curatorial, conservation and administrative staff and in February the museum announced it would be cutting programming and delaying a $600 million expansion project for several years.

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