The Benefits and Drawbacks of The Removal of Entrance Charges for Museums and Galleries

Museums play a very important role in preserving our cultural heritage by conserving, restoring and showcasing a wide range of different artefacts and items of scientific, artistic, historical or cultural significance (Smithsonian Institution, 2015). Similarly, galleries allow people to view important works of art and can even offer entertaining activities aimed at engaging visitors (González, 2012). Since museums and galleries are both providers of public services and cultural heritage institutions, their funding options represent a highly controversial issue that policymakers and citizens have been discussing for a long time.

On the one hand, many believe that museums and galleries should be free of charge in order to play an active role in spreading knowledge and education. After all, we live in a fast-changing world where technological progress and innovation may cause children, adolescents and adults to ignore the fact that many valuable lessons can be learnt from cultural institutions’ exhibits. It is also worth mentioning that according to recent industry data, the abolition of entrance fees has been found to stimulate museum and gallery attendance, thus enhancing their collections’ visibility and giving more people the opportunity to experience art, science, nature, history and many other disciplines in a unique way (Martin, 2003). Moreover, while some may argue that free entry to museums and galleries would make these institutions overly reliant on government grants, Martin (2003) reported that free entry to museums and galleries in the United Kingdom has encouraged visitors to donate more, buy more items – e.g. audio guides or guide books – and spend more on various aspects of their visit. In view of these considerations, it can be inferred that if all museums and galleries started thinking and operating as ordinary for-profit organisations, the removal of entrance charges could even help them to increase their profit by encouraging visitors to purchase additional products and services during their trips.

From an ethical point of view, it could also be argued that entrance charges are a form of social discrimination, as they make it difficult or even impossible for poor people to enjoy cultural institutions’ works of art. After all, culture is a priceless asset that everybody should be able to access freely, regardless of their social status and financial position. As explained by Yusuf (2007), UNESCO has set a number of standards that address all of the above issues and concern most museums – even though they may not apply to those institutions that do not receive sufficient financial assistance from the Government (p.354). That being said, UNESCO states that besides being easily accessible, museums should offer free entrance whenever possible; in situations where entrance cannot be free, they should keep their fees to a minimum and let visitors access their collections for free during at least one day per week (Yusuf, 2007, pp.354-355).

On the other hand, many believe that free admission may have a detrimental impact not only on museums and galleries, but also on society and the economy. First of all, as cultural institutions, museums and galleries’ main goal is to preserve and organise culturally-significant objects in such a way to conserve our cultural heritage and enable visitors to enjoy their collections. Consequently, if museums and galleries became overly concerned with financial matters, publicity and the provision of additional services, standards for the preservation and conservation of cultural heritage would almost certainly fall and the entire sector would lose prestige. In this regard, Roppola (2013, p.41) observed that when museums see visitors as clients, they tend to focus mainly on entertainment and amusement, thus compromising their values and identity. Furthermore, it should be noted that when museums and galleries receive numerous visitors, their artworks may suffer as a result of high light levels – mainly caused by photographs – vandalisation, as well as many different accidents (Irvine, 2008; Walhimer, 2015, p.153).

Second of all, in light of the devastating effects of the recent economic recession on Western economies, numerous Governments have had to reduce public expenditure in order to make the most out of their limited resources. The British Central Government, for example, has recently discussed the possibility of cutting 40% from its budget in an attempt to save £20 billion by 2020 (Perraudin, 2015). As a result of that, Jones (2015) argued that if museums are to survive in such an adverse economic climate, entrance fees may be the only way for them to obtain the funds they need.

After careful consideration, I believe that museums and galleries should avoid charging visitors whenever as possible, as this way they would allow all income classes to enjoy their collections whilst encouraging more people to see art and culture as an enjoyable and instructive alternative to other activities. As for those museums and galleries that would cease to exist without revenue from ticket sales, I think that they should offer free entry at least twice a week in order to enable low-income visitors to appreciate their artworks.