By Hayley Conole
The National Art Gallery is introducing admission fees to its permanent collection this week, with mixed reactions from the public and local art community.
The gallery was the only national institution providing free admission to the public, but the rising cost of programming and maintenance has forced the gallery to introduce the fees.
There was “absolutely no other choice,” says Joanne Charette, public affairs manager at the National Art Gallery,
“It was not an easy decision” Charette says but a reallocation of funds in the federal budget has affected the National Gallery, making an admission charge necessary.
Members of the local art community are disappointed by the introduction of the new fees.
“It’s a shame they haven’t been able to find another solution,” says Suki Lee, communications manager at the Ottawa Art Gallery.
Lee says the smaller gallery located in Arts Court “will never charge an admission fee.” Instead the galleries will use sponsorships and donations to maintain their collections.
“I would liked to have seen [the National Art Gallery] find another way,” says Lee.
Others in the local art scene share her opinion.
Peter Honeywell, executive director of the Council of the Arts in Ottawa, says while he understands a fee for special exhibits, he believes that the permanent collection should be free to the public.
The admission fees begin Oct. 1st ranging from $6 for adults, $5 for students and seniors, and children under 12 are still free.
After years of strolling through the gallery for free, art lovers like Paul Taillon are shocked at the introduction of a general admission fee.
He says other countries, like Great Britain, have recently stopped charging admission to their national galleries to increase access to the public.
Taillon describes the new costs as a “backward step” for Canadian art lovers.
Carleton art history student Alanna Petroff says she’s been to the gallery many times, but she’s not sure how often she’ll go in the future.
“It was a luxury going in for free. But now that they have the five dollar fee it’s a bit of a deterrent,” she says.
Jantine Van Kregten, director of communications for the Ottawa Tourism and Convention Authority, believes that the admission fee will have little effect on tourist visitors.
“It’s still a group attraction and [the gallery] is trying to make it as painless as possible,” she says.
Ruth Hardy, a tourist from Florida, says she would still go despite the admission fees because she is used to paying for almost everything while she’s on vacation.
Despite being a slight inconvenience to gallery visitors, Van Kregten believes the admission fees will “ultimately improve the overall quality of the gallery.”