Whitney to Welcome Under-25s Free of Charge Thanks to Major Gifts

The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, will waive entry fees for visitors twenty-five and under for three years beginning mid-December 2024, courtesy of a donation of more than $2 million from artist Julie Mehretu and a gift of an unspecified amount from philanthropist Susan Hess, theWall Street Journalreports. Mehretu and Hess are both Whitney board members. The news arrives fifteen months after the museumraisedits standard admission prices from $25 to $30 and its student prices from $18 to $24. The price hikes reflectedthose at a number of arts institutions around the country, many of which cited inflation, rising costs, and stagnant post-pandemic attendance figures as behind the increases.

“I did not have access to contemporary art museums as a young adult, and when I moved to New York, I was waiting tables—it was hard to access contemporary art and culture, as it’s hard for so many grad students and young people,” said Mehretu in a statement. “If you really want to push the discourse and evolve the discourse, many more people need to have access to be able to participate, and this program is a step in the right direction.”

The Whitney in recent months launched two programs—Free Friday Nights and Free Second Sundays—meant to draw in visitors of lesser means. According to Hyperallergic, the free programs netted more than 300,000 visitors in the past year, 60 percent of whom identified as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), and many of whom were younger than the typical attendee.

Whitney director Scott Rothkopf in a statement noted that the three-year initiative was aimed at making the museum “one of the most accessible large museums in America.”

Said Mehretu, “You can’t have any conversations around diversity, equity and inclusion without providing access.”