Museums all over the world are in an uncomfortable spotlight for raising admission fees, from New York to Philadelphia to Chicago, and even to the Louvre. These rises come even as the museums say they are working to break down barriers to entry.

Offsetting that a bit, New York’s Whitney Museum of American Art is extending an offer of free admission to anyone under 25 years old, beginning in mid-December. Two board members—artist Julie Mehretu and Susan Hess, whose husband John is chief executive at oil and gas supplier the Hess Corporation—have made this possible. 

“Since its founding the Whitney has been committed to supporting young and innovative artists, and we now hope to further support younger audiences, too, by addressing financial barriers that affect this group the most,” said museum director Scott Rothkopf in press materials. “I believe deeply in the cultural and social impact we can have by sharing the vitality and relevance of the Whitney’s artistic program with young people from New York, the United States, and around the globe.”

Julie Mehretu. Photo by Rachel Murray/Getty Images for Visionary Women.

In July 2023, the Whitney became the one of the priciest tickets in the city when it hiked its adult admission fee to $30 and its rate for students and seniors to $25. It was the first increase in admission fees since 2016, and the museum cited “inflation, rising costs, and still-recovering attendance.”

Since January 2024, the museum has offered free admission on Friday nights and on the second Sunday of each month. Nearly 200,000 visitors have taken advantage of those offerings, and the museum says that those visitors are, on average, younger and more diverse, with the average age dropping by 10 years and the majority of visitors coming from BIPOC communities. More than half of visitors during those hours have been first-timers, and more than 80 percent of those under 25 cited free admission as “extremely important” in their decision to attend, according to the Whitney. 

“The launch of our first two free admissions programs have had such an incredible impact on our audience that we wanted to go even further in making the Whitney one of the most accessible large museums in America,” said Rothkopf. “You can feel the amazing energy in the galleries on free days, and I couldn’t be more excited to see that grow.”

The museum has also offered free admission for those 18 and under for a decade.