When and which museums in New York can be visited for free or at a minimal cost
'15.06.2021'
Olga Derkach
One of the perks of living or visiting New York is that you have all the incredible cultural institutions and museums at your service, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, MoMA or the Guggenheim Museum. They are some of the best in the world - there is only one catch: they are often expensive to visit. Unlike cities like London or Washington DC, there are not many government-funded museums in New York, which is too bad, especially if you actually live here and have to pay most of your salary for food and rent. Of course, there are discounts for high school and college students, as well as a membership that allows you to visit such places for free if you are willing to pay for the annual fee. However, there is one alternative: most museums offer free hours or days and paid admission. Edition Time-out made a selection of museums in New York that you can visit for free.
1. American Museum of Folk Art
The American Folk Art Museum is dedicated to traditional crafts and creativity, including outsider artists. His collection ranges from fantastic works by Henry Darger and Martin Ramirez to patchwork quilts and early American portraits.
- Always free
2. Bronx Museum of Art
The Bronx Museum, one of New York City's most underrated institutions, exhibits over 1000 works. This multicultural art museum displays the work of XNUMXth and XNUMXst century artists who live in the Bronx or are of African, Asian or Latin American descent.
- Always free
3. Solomon Guggenheim Museum
There is nothing better than seeing an exhibition in the breathtaking Guggenheim Rotunda, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Check out his work and all the great art in the evening, when the entrance ticket is discounted through a pay-what-you-want system.
- Pay what you want, Saturday, 16:00 pm - 18:00 pm.
4. Jewish Museum
The Jewish Museum is open on Shabbat during regular hours for free. Exhibits of contemporary art await you as well as a significant collection of Judaica. There is a permanent exhibition specifically for children, as well as a restaurant that includes the outpost of Russ & Daughters, renowned suppliers of kosher delicacies on the Lower East Side.
- Saturday all day free
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5. Queens County Farm Museum
This Queens County gem is well worth the bus or car trip. 47 acres - the city's longest permanently cultivated section of the city (in operation since 1697) - is a completely different world from Manhattan. Feed and pet the barnyard animals including sheep, ponies and goats, jump on the hay and return to fall harvest season when you can go collect pumpkins and try to find your way through the amazing corn maze. Be sure to check out the outlet store to buy fresh fruits and vegetables from the museum farm.
- Admission is free, except on special event days with tickets.
6. American Museum of Natural History
In addition to iconic, thrilling displays - the grizzly bear at the Hall of North American Mammals, the 94-foot blue whale, the prehistoric skeletons of Barosaurus and Allosaurus - this 148-year-old museum fills visitors of all ages with questions and answers. Whether you are interested in the world under our feet, the cultures of distant lands, or the stars beyond our reach, your visit is sure to teach you a few things you never knew about.
- Museum entrance is a recommended donation for New Yorkers. However, you have to pay to get access to amazing special exhibitions like the annual Butterfly Conservatory or the mesmerizing space show at Hayden's Planetarium.
7. Metropolitan Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art policy applies only to residents of New York State. But even if you live in New York State, you will need one of the following proofs:
- New York State Driver's License
- New York State ID
- IDNYC
- New York State checking account or statement.
- Student ticket
- New York library card
Pay what you want at the NYS ticket counter.
8. Morgan Library and Museum
This Madison Avenue institution began as the private library of financier J. Pierpont Morgan and is his artistic gift to the city. Building on the collection that Morgan amassed during his lifetime, the museum houses first-class works on paper, including drawings by Michelangelo, Rembrandt and Picasso; three Gutenberg Bibles; a copy of Frankenstein with comments by Mary Shelley; the manuscripts of Dickens, Poe, Twain, Steinbeck and Wilde; handwritten sheet music by Beethoven and Mozart; and the original edition of Dickens' A Christmas Carol, which is shown every anniversary.
- Free entry: Friday, 14: 00-17: 00. Advance booking required.
9. Museum of Art and Design
Founded in 1956 as a Museum of Contemporary Crafts, the institution brings together contemporary objects created from a wide variety of materials, including clay, glass, wood, metal and fabric, with an emphasis on materials and process. Visitors can also watch local artists create works in studios on the sixth floor, as well as see much of the permanent collection of 2000 pieces in a larger space, including Cindy Sherman porcelain, Judith Schechter stained glass windows, James Terrell basalt ceramics, and Robert Arneson frescoes. Alice House Wall, on display for the first time in two decades.
- 2 tickets for the price of 1 on Thursday from 17:00 to 20:00.
10. Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
After decades of glorifying Picasso, Matisse, Pollock and other great white men, MoMA cleaned up the dust from the work of women and artists of different races who languished in storage. MoMA offers the largest collection of contemporary art in the world.
- Free admission for NYC healthcare professionals is offered until September 30, 2021.
11. New York Historical Society
The Historical Society of New York presents over 1,6 million works dedicated to the history of the city and country, including exhibits, art, and historical artifacts. The Patricia D. Klingenstein Library contains over three million books, newspapers, maps, photographs and more.
- Pay what you want on Friday from 18:00 to 20:00
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12. New Museum of Contemporary Art
The New Museum houses three main gallery levels, a theater, a fair-run café on Hester Street, and a rooftop terrace. As throughout its history, the museum focuses its program on young - and important, but under-recognized - artists.
- Pay what you want on Thursday from 19:00 to 21:00
13. Queens Museum
Spread across two world fairs, the museum houses one of the world's most astonishing landmarks: the New York City Panorama, a 9335-square-foot scale model of five boroughs created for the 1964 exhibition that showcases New York at a glance.
- Pay what you want every day
14. Rubin Art Museum
This six-story museum houses an impressive collection of Himalayan art and artifacts from Donald and Shelley Rubin, and hosts large-scale temporary exhibitions.
Free admission: Friday from 18:00 to 22:00
15. Fotografisk
The Fotografiska Gallery, in the heart of the Flatiron area, is a three-floor exhibition space that houses temporary exhibitions with photographs of professionals and young talent.
- People working on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19 visit the museum for free.
