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From January 31, Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) will��, charging adults $20 for general admission and $35 for combined special exhibitions and museum entry. Entry will remain free for Australian students and people under 18.

This decision, which reverses 24 years of free general entry to the museum, reflects broader challenges faced by museums globally.

The MCA was opened in 1991, established through the bequest of Australian expatriate artist John Power. As an independent, not-for-profit organisation, its administrative and financial structure is different from major cultural institutions in Sydney.

Unlike the Art Gallery of New South Wales and Australian Museum, which are statutory bodies of the NSW government, the MCA receives a far smaller proportion of state funding.

For 2023-2024, the NSW government delivered A$46.2 million in recurrent funding to the����and $47.4 million to the��. The MCA received $4.2 million, which represented just 16% of its��.

This funding disparity has always required the MCA to secure the bulk of its budget through other revenue streams. Corporate and philanthropic partnerships have been vital.

In 2000, financial����allowed the museum to offer free admission. In 2012, philanthropists including Simon and Catriona����contributed greatly to fund the museum’s expansion.

The MCA has also been proactive in leveraging its venue to��. In 2023, 41% of revenue was earned through commercial services including venue hire, retail and commercial leases.

Despite reducing its opening hours to six days a week post-COVID and scaling back audience engagement, the MCA’s�������DzԳپ��Գܱ��.����director Suzanne Cotter, the museum “didn’t have any choice” but to implement an admission fee.

While ticketed admission creates a financial barrier, it also provides visitors a way to invest directly in the museum’s future and sustainability.

The MCA has consistently demonstrated its value, generating impressive visitor numbers. In 2019, attendance surpassed��, setting the museum����many international peers.

But the effects of the COVID pandemic have lingered. In 2022-23, the museum attracted 859,386 visitors – a 15%����compared to 2019.

In comparison, the Art Gallery of NSW welcomed almost����to its expanded campus in 2023, representing a 51% increase from pre-COVID figures.

Internationally, there are clear signs of an industry under immense pressure.

Major US institutions such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met), The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the Guggenheim and Whitney have all increased general adult admission fees to US$30.

The Met’s shift away from a����model to fixed admission for most visitors in 2018 was����of a US$40 million deficit. However, New York state residents and students, as well as New Jersey and Connecticut students, can still����– even as little as one cent.

Similarly, at the Whitney, a US$2 million donation last year by Trustee and artist Julie Mehretu has helped����for under-25s.

These examples show how paying visitors can support a museum’s sustainability while preserving subsidised access for priority groups.

Across Europe, major museums including the Louvre and Uffizi are also����, though many retain periodic free days to ensure accessibility.

In the UK, smaller regional museums are����for the first time in their histories.

Meanwhile, commentators such as cultural historian����argue major institutions such as the British Museum should start charging general admission fees to supplement stagnant government funding and decrease dependence on potentially unethical corporate donors.

This would allow the museums to pay competitive wages and fund essential work, Lewis argues.

Lewis’s concerns about corporate donations accord with����taking place internationally and in Australia����of big oil, mining and pharmaceutical companies that use the arts to “greenwash” their public brand.

The MCA’s situation, which reflects international trends, raises questions about arts funding and access.

Both the NSW and federal governments’ arts policies recognise the value of providing access to the arts. As the NSW government’s����notes, “the right to participate in arts, cultural and creative activities is a fundamental human right.”

The MCA excelled in this regard under its free admission policy, attracting a diverse audience that other museums often struggled to reach. In 2023, about half of the museums on-site visitors were under 35, and 45% were from����backgrounds.

The NSW government’s policy – along with its national counterpart����– also emphasises the importance of telling Australian stories. This is another area the MCA has excelled in.

The question then is: if the state and federal governments value equitable access to the arts and appreciates the platforming of Australian stories, will they commit to a more sustainable funding arrangement for organisations like the MCA?

Without such a commitment, the gap between those who can afford to attend museums and those who can’t will continue to widen – compromising the democratic ideal of an accessible cultural sector.

Hero photo credit:��Bianca De Marchi/AAP