Becky Klein
Prof. Innes
AE 501
Admission Fees As
Barrier To Entry:
Joslyn Art Museum
Admission Fees As
Barrier To Entry:
Joslyn Art Museum
Built 1928-1931 as a gift from Sarah Joslyn
to the city of Omaha as a memorial of her
late husband, George Joslyn (“History”).
Original vision: for the museum to be
accessible to all people for the purpose of
enjoying music and fine art.
Fig. 1. The Joslyns. “George & Sarah Joslyn.” Digital
image. Joslyn Art Museum. Joslyn Art Museum, n.d. Web. 3
Nov. 2015.
Designed in Art Deco style by John McDonald, the building included
a concert hall, courtyard with fountain, galleries, and a Founder’s
Room.
VISION
“To be cherished and respected as a
premier art museum.”
Fig. 2. View of Joslyn Art Museum from the front. Joslyn Art Museum. Digital image. VisitNebraska.com. Nebraska Tourism Commission. Web. 30 Oct. 2015.
MISSION STATEMENT
“Joslyn Art Museum collects, preserves, and
interprets the visual arts of the highest
quality, fostering appreciation and
enjoyment of art for the benefit of a diverse
audience.”
Admission Fees As
Barrier To Entry:
Joslyn Art Museum
The only art museum in Omaha, Nebraska.
“Unlike many museums, it has therefore enjoyed the support of a
broad constituency in the community” (Le Cuyer).
Well-known pieces in the collection:
○ Edgar Degas, Little Dancer, Fourteen Years Old
○ Jackson Pollock, Galaxy
○ Dale Chihuly, Chihuly: Inside & Out (joslyn.org)
Also known for their collections of American West art, with pieces
by Karl Bodmer, Alfred Jacob Miller, Albert Bierstadt, George Catlin,
Frederic Remington, and many others (“Art of the American West”).
Admission Fees As
Barrier To Entry:
Joslyn Art Museum
At opening, no admission fee was charged.
Jan. 1965: a 25-cent fee was instituted. The justification was that it
was necessary in order to cover operating costs.
1987: adult admission rate was $2, seniors and children $1.
1991 forward: admission raised by $1 every 3-5 years.
2010: adult admission at $8.
(Rummel)
Admission Fees As
Barrier To Entry:
Joslyn Art Museum
Revenue generated by admission fees only amounted to 2-4% of the
total annual operating budget. This is common among museums
(Grant 29).
Table 1
Admissions revenue compared with total annual expenses
fiscal year
total expenses ($)
admissions ($)
percentage
2010
5,848,233
130,104
2.22
2011
5,635,090
132,361
2.34
2012
5,919,813
188,205
3.17
Source: Joslyn Art Museum Annual Reports, 2010-2012
Admission Fees As
Barrier To Entry:
Joslyn Art Museum
Around 1989-1990, approximately half of all museums charged an
admission fee (Rosett 144).
By 2008, that number had dropped to a little over one-third of
museums (Grant 29).
Even for those museums who do charge admission, the majority
have a timeframe each week when admission is free (Grant 30).
These museums often see the bulk of their visitors during these
timeframes.
Admission Fees As
Barrier To Entry:
Joslyn Art Museum
Concerns about charging admission at the Joslyn were felt
beginning in the 1970’s. A 1981 research study conducted by The
Center for Applied Urban Research at University of Nebraska at
Omaha showed this:
“Other suggestions for increasing participation in Joslyn included
the extension of visiting hours and elimination of entrance fees.
People would visit the museum more frequently if they did not have
to pay admission, many respondents felt. This increased usage
might result in increased community support for the museum. As
some respondents pointed out, people will not support the museum
if they do not use it and perceive it as a country club for an elite
group.” (Frost 13)
Admission Fees As
Barrier To Entry:
Joslyn Art Museum
Because admission revenue did not cover operating costs, the Joslyn
was heavily dependent on fundraising from individuals,
corporations, and foundations.
1960’s through mid-1980’s: heavy support from Internorth Art
Foundation, later Enron Art Foundation, both financial and
collections.
Mid-1980’s: Enron moved out of Omaha and reduced their support,
and the museum lost one of three major collections that had been
on permanent loan.
It was also discovered around this time that the Joslyn owed the
state of Nebraska due to confusion around their tax obligations
(Walker).
Admission Fees As
Barrier To Entry:
Joslyn Art Museum
1993: the Joslyn issued a $20 million cultural bond (Carvlin).
1994: 58,000 sq ft expansion, Walter and Suzanne Scott Pavilion,
opens (joslyn.org). New works were acquired. Admission charge was
still in place (Rummel).
Attendance grew by 33% due to the expansion (Carvlin). The
museum worked to continue developing educational and outreach
programs.
2001: second bond issue
However, attendance figures indicated that at least 40% of visitors
came in during the weekly free admission hours (Grant 28).
Admission Fees As
Barrier To Entry:
Joslyn Art Museum
2013: admission charges eliminated.
The Sherwood Foundation awarded a grant “to help defray costs
associated with the waiver of general entrance fees” (Rummel).
Museum CEO and executive director, Jack Becker, was enthusiastic
about returning to the museum’s original vision which “is
accessibility; to never deny the opportunity to view original works
of art in our collection to anyone because of an inability to pay”
(Rummel).
Additional sources of revenue: facility rentals, special events,
museum cafe, gift shop, endowment, memberships (2010-2013
Annual Reports).
Admission Fees As
Barrier To Entry:
Joslyn Art Museum
Eliminating the admissions fee has not yet caused financial
hardship for the Joslyn, and the data show that attendance and
participation at the museum continues to grow (2013-2014 Annual
Reports).
Recent and current sources of revenue:
○ corporations & foundations,
○ interest from investments,
○ facility rentals,
○ cafe and gift shop purchases, and
○ museum memberships (2010-2013 Annual Reports).
Admission Fees As
Barrier To Entry:
Joslyn Art Museum
Not all museums should eliminate admission fees.
○ Large, famous museums in popular tourist destinations: “The
willingness of visitors to keep coming even with admissions fees
rising may be attributable to what economists call the ‘elasticity
of demand’--the degree to which price effects the volume of
demand” (Grant 29).
○ Museums that rely on admission charges to cover more than the
usual 2-4% of their budget.
Works Cited
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Carvlin, Elizabeth. "Omaha's Joslyn Art Museum Creates $10 Million
Issue." Bond Buyer 338.31283 (2001): 33. Business Source Premier. Web.
21 Sept. 2015.
Frost, Murray, "Analysis of Community Input for Joslyn Museum's
Long-Range Planning" (1981). Publications Archives, 1963-2000. Paper
131.
Grant, Daniel. "The Cost Of Culture." New Criterion 33.4 (2014): 28-31.
Art Full Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. 21 Sept. 2015.
Joslyn Art Museum. 2013 Annual Report, 2014. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.
Joslyn Art Museum. 2012 Annual Report, 2013. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.
Joslyn Art Museum. 2011 Annual Report, 2012. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.
Joslyn Art Museum. 2010 Annual Report, 2011. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.
Joslyn Art Museum. Joslyn Art Museum, n.d. Web. 21 Sept. 2015.
Works Cited (con’t.)
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Le Cuyer, Annette. "Art of understatement." The Architectural Review.
Aug. 1995: 45+. Biography in Context. Web. 21 Sept. 2015.
Rosett, Richard N. "Art Museums in the United States: A Financial
Portrait." The Economics of Art Museums. University of Chicago Press,
1991. 129-178.
Rummel, Amy. "Joslyn Art Museum Announces Permanent Free
Admission Beginning May 25, 2013." Omaha: Joslyn Art Museum, 10
April, 2013. Web. https://www.joslyn.
org/post/sections/157/Files/free_admission_press_release.pdf
Walker, Richard W. "A Taxing Situation" [abstract]. Artnews 84.(1985):
19. Art Full Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. 21 Sept. 2015.