Musing on Museums

Anytime is a good time to mix highbrow culture with low costs, for I only needed $1 to gain entry into the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 7. (Thanks to indefinite unemployment, I'm in no position to pay the "suggested price" of $20.)



It's rare that one can spend so little money on the Upper East Side and get away with it, so I used the opportunity to check out exhibits like The Pictures Generation: 1974-1984 and The Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion. The first installation challenged the premise of "seeing is believing" by manipulating and reappropriating images in playful and provocative ways, while the second show tracked the symbiotic relationship that designers and models have in defining fashion and beauty.



If these subjects aren't your cup of tea, cultural institutions like the Brooklyn Museum and the New York Hall of Science are among several venues that have inexpensive admission fees. Even better, some places offer free admission with limited hours, like the Museum of Modern Art (every Friday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.) and the Studio Museum in Harlem (every Sunday from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.).

Museums pride themselves on being accessible to everyone. Do your part and visit one.