Admissions Pricing at Four U.S. Art Museums and Its Effect on Attendance 1995-2004

This thesis examines how increasing the admission fees has affected attendance over the past ten years at the Museum of Modern Art, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Philadelphia Museum of Art and Art Institute of Chicago. While many factors may affect levels of attendance including exhibitions, marketing efforts, location, competition, hours of operation, cost of travel, and the institution's prestige, the focus of this study is on the price sensitivity of visitors. In addition, this thesis explores the debate over price, and it is considered to be a sensitive issue for many art museum goers.