The Art Institute recently announced that they are going to raise their price of admission this summer from $12 to $18. Most people I have discussed this with are students, and they are outraged. I can understand this. It is hard enough being a student in Chicago and paying for things like books, school, and food. It's disheartening to see the price of entertainment rise as well. 

However, I don't think raising the cost of entry is such a bad idea. It already costs $10 to go to a movie. With a movie, you don't really know what you're getting. It's kind of a wild card. No matter how many critics said it was a great movie, you still may hate it and you're gambling away your $10. With a museum like the Art Institute, you are really paying for the experience. $18 to view works of art by world renowned artists is a steal. Also, while a $10 movie may last only 90 minutes, the Art Institute can take up an entire day of browsing. Another thing museum officials are doing is lifting the special exhibit fees. Now, temporary exhibits such as the Edvard Munch exhibit that is currently going on will be of no extra charge. Currently, the Munch exhibit costs $20, plus the price of admission. I'm not great at math, but I'm pretty sure an $18 entry fee is almost half the price of $32.

The economy is obviously failing right now, and prices for entertainment venues such as movie theaters and museums are rising. The extra $6 we have to pay at the Art Institute now may go to something bigger, like acquiring new works of art. And even if you're still pissed off about the entrance fee, there's always going to be free Thursdays. So really, what's to complain about?