This isn’t a new challenge, but it’s one and made the news again this morning.
Should Museums and Galleries be free?
Few receive central government funding, many are funded local authorities. But should people have to pay to see the nations treasures? Is, say, £10 too much to spend a day with millions of pounds worth of art or artefacts? I might be happy to do it, but should our collections be restricted to only those that can afford to pay?
What do you think, would you visit less if you had to pay each time, or would you buy an annual pass? Should Aberdeen Art Gallery be free to all always, or should we consider charging visitors to the city, or charging for special events?
Or do we need to be more creative and look at “freemium” business models or similar?