See Art for Free (sort of) in New York City Museums

Many art lovers find growing admission prices to be a barrier to exploring the amazing art in the über expensive New York.  Museums have responded by offering different ways to visit for free.  Below is a list of free admittance policies compiled from the various websites of these institutions.  I have included the web address for the museums because there are many nuances to these policies and they change often.  When I could not discern the policy I usually called or e-mailed the institution with varying degrees of success.  So if you see a mistake or an omission please e-mail me.  And note the date of this post because it probably will be updated infrequently.  So use this list as a guide but before hitting the museums I would double check on their websites!

A Note about suggested donations, pay-what-you-can (or will), etc.  While I list the “suggested donations” option prominently in these listings it is usually not the choice that the museums want you use.   A few sites go so far as to give a disclaimer that seems to imply this choice is frowned upon.  I would read the admissions information on the website before taking plopping down a dime at the ticket window.  Pay-What-You-Can (or will) is intended to be just that.  It is often used as a way to bring in new audiences or to serve audiences that can’t afford the regular price.  So feel free to take advantage of this promotion guilt-free.  That said, I always try to pay at least half of the regular admission price.

Here is a pdf version of the list.

NEW YORK’S FAMOUS ART MUSEUMS

The Brooklyn Museum (https://www.brooklynmuseum.org ) Their admissions are always “suggested donations” but they also have a Target First Saturdays program where admission is free for programs of art and entertainment from 5 until 11 p.m.

The Cloisters (https://www.metmuseum.org/cloisters) The Cloisters is part of the Met and like the Met it has no free days.  A badge bought at the met is good at the Cloisters on the same day only. Their admission is “recommended” and their site emphasizes the desire for people to pay the full amount Accompanied children under 12 are free as well as all local public school students and students from select high education institutions.

The Frick Collection (https://www.frick.org ) Sundays are pay-what-you-wish from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Guggenheim Museum (https://www.guggenheim.org ) Pay-what-you-wish on Saturdays from 5:45 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.  Children under 12 always free.

Metropolitan Museum (https://www.metmuseum.org) The Met has no free days.  Their admission is “recommended” and their site emphasizes the desire for people to pay the full amount.  Accompanied children under  12 are always free as well as all local public school students and students from select high education institutions.

The Morgan Library & Museum (https://www.themorgan.org ) Admission is free on Fridays from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Admission to the McKim rooms is without charge during the following times: Tuesday, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Museum of Modern Art - MoMA (https://www.moma.org) Admission is free for all visitors during Target Free Friday Nights which held every Friday evening from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m.  Under 17 are always free.
Whitney Museum of American Art (https://whitney.org) Admission is pay-what-you-wish on Fridays, 6–9 p.m.  Under 19 are always free.

MORE WONDERFUL NEW YORK ART MUSEUMS

OR MUSEUMS WITH ART EXHIBITION GALLERIES

American Folk Art Museum (https://folkartmuseum.org)  Free Admission Fridays 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm.

Artists Space (https://www.artistsspace.org) Always free with a suggested donation.

Asia Society (https://asiasociety.org/) Admission is free to all Friday 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Bronx Museum (https://www.bronxmuseum.org) Free Fridays but regular admission is suggested $5.00 adults and $3.00 Seniors and students.

Chelsea Art Museum (https://www.chelseaartmuseum.org) There are no free days but under 17 always free.

China Institute in America (https://www.chinainstitute.org) Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 to 8 p.m. are free.  Children under 12 are always free.

Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum (https://cooperhewitt.org)  There seems to be no free dates but children under 13 are free always.

Dia Art Foundation (https://www.diaart.org/) The admissions policies and schedules are somewhat irregular for the various Dia locations so please visit their website for more information.

The Drawing Center (https://www.drawingcenter.org) Gallery admission is free.

El Museo del Barrio (https://www.elmuseo.org) Free on every third Saturday.  Seniors are free every Wednesday and under 12 are always free.  The regular admissions are suggested.

Exit Art (https://www.exitart.org) Their site does not mention any admission price.

The Forbes Galleries (https://www.forbesgalleries.com) Admission to the galleries is free.

Goethe-Institut German Cultural Center (https://www.goethe.de/ins/us/ney/enindex.htm) The Gallery is only open Thursday – Sunday but it is always free.

Grey Art Gallery (https://www.nyu.edu/greyart) The suggested admission is $3.00. Free to NYU students, faculty, and staff.

The Hispanic Society (https://hispanicsociety.org/) Admission is always free but they also offer free at 2 pm on Saturdays.

International Center of Photography (https://www.icp.org) Voluntary Contribution Fridays 5 – 8 p.m. Children under 12 always free.
Japan Society (https://www.japansociety.org/) Admission is free on Friday nights, 6 - 9 p.m.
The Jewish Museum (https://www.thejewishmuseum.org)  Free Saturdays are 11 a.m. - 5:45 p.m.  In respect for the Sabbath not all aspects of the museum are open on Saturdays.  Also, the museum is often closed on Saturdays so be sure to check the website.
Lever House Art Collection (https://leverhouseartcollection.com) I see no reference to an admission fee.
MoCADA - The Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (https://mocada.org) Children under 13 are free.
Museum for African Art (https://www.africanart.org/ ) I was unable to discern visitor information on their site but another site said children under 6 were free.
The Museum of Arts and Design (https://www.madmuseum.org) Thursdays 6  - 9  p.m. is pay-what-you-wish. High school students with ID and Children under 13 (excluding groups) are always free.
MoMA PS1 (https://ps1.org ) No free days but admission is a $10.00 suggested donation.
Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (https://www.moccany.org/) I don’t see a free day but children under 13 are free and some of their Thursday events are free.  See website.
Museum of the City of New York (https://www.mcny.org) If you live or work in East Harlem above 103rd Street the suggested admission is waived.  Under  13 is always free.
Museum of the Moving Image (https://www.movingimage.us) is closed until January, 2011 for renovation but still accepting groups.
The Noguchi Museum (https://www.noguchi.org) On the first Friday of every month the Museum admission is pay-what-you-wish.  Children under 12 are free.  Check the website for a list of select First Fridays that have evening cash bar events.
National Museum of the American Indian (https://www.nmai.si.edu) Admission is free.
New Museum of Contemporary Arts (https://www.newmuseum.org)  Free Thursday evenings (from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.)  Under  19 always free.
New-York Historical Society (www.nyhistory.org)  Friday nights are pay what you wish between 6  – 8  p.m.  Children under 13 are always free 
Nicholas Roerich Museum (https://www.roerich.org) Admission is a suggested donation.
PPOW (https://www.ppowgallery.com) Another gallery that seems to have a non-profit mission but does not seem to be one.  (Let me know if you can clarify this because I want to keep the list non-profit.)  No price listed for the gallery which is open Tuesday - Saturday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
The Rubin Museum of Art (https://www.rmanyc.org/) Gallery admission is free to all every Friday from 6 – 10 p.m.  Gallery admission is free to seniors (65 and up) on the first Monday of every month. 
The Studio Museum of Harlem (https://www.studiomuseum.org) Target Free Sunday 12 noon to 6 p.m.  Regular admission is suggested and free to children under 12.
Taipei Gallery (www.taipei.org good luck at finding info at this link about the gallery) I found a site (https://www.virtualnyc.info/directory/museums/tz.htm) that stated that their weekday only gallery was always free.  I would suggest calling ahead at 212-373-1854.
The Queens Museum of Art ( https://www.queensmuseum.org )There seem to be no free days but its only $5 (suggested donation) and children under  5 are free. 
Tibet House (https://www.tibethouse.us/ ) Monday through Friday from 12 to 5 p.m. is a $5 suggested donation.
The Ukrainian Museum (https://www.ukrainianmuseum.org)
Wendt Gallery New York (https://wendtgallery.typepad.com/wendt_gallery_new_york/) its information is spotty at best (like is it a non-profit?) but its hours are Tuesday through Friday from 10am to 6pm and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and I assume free.

I maintain a list of all of the active twitter accounts of these museums on Twitter at VastineS.

(List creation date - 11/2010)

You can read new posts on this blog via the RSS feed.