Before classes started, we were instructed, as Macaulay freshmen, to visit the Macaulay Honors Center in the city and pick up our Cultural Passports.  My friend and Macaulay peer, Natasha, came with me on this venture.  We were a bit disappointed in the long trip only to arrive at the Honors Center and only be there for about ten minutes.  As a result, we grabbed a bite to eat while looking at the names of the museums listed on the back of the Cultural Passports.  We were actually inexplicably excited to make use of them.  Nonetheless, to our further disappointment, there were no museums near us that seemed interesting.  We decided to simply walk back to the train station.  Before we made it there, however, we encountered the American Folk Art Museum.  After a moment of uncertainty as to whether or not the museum took part in our Cultural Passport discount, one of us pulled out the card and screamed in excitement that the museum was in fact listed.

We walked into the American Folk Art Museum with Cultural Passports held high only to learn that the museum is already free.  Again our excitement sunk, but at least we could still enjoy the museum.

After looking around for about five minutes, we weren’t very impressed.  We weren’t necessarily disappointed, however; instead it gave us both a big laugh.  I don’t know what we were expecting, but definitely not a small collection of quilts.

Today I looked through the New York Times, and I found an article about the very museum that marked a beginning to my college career.  Upon reading, I learned a great deal about the museum.  Little did I know, the museum has had quite the financial struggle, and “last spring, having defaulted on a $31.2 million construction bond, [the museum’s trustees] sold the museum’s 10-year-old building to its neighbor, the Museum of Modern Art, and retreated to its small, rather grim Lincoln Square branch.”  That “grim Lincoln Square branch” is what Natasha and I had visited.  In addition, the article did confirm that the museum is in fact free at this time.  Money donations, however, along with petitions and letters can help this museum stand strong.

I have gained much more respect for the collection at the American Folk Art Museum since that visit.  At this time the museum continues to struggle and there are talks of disposing of the collection or dispersing it throughout various museums.  The importance of keeping the collection together has become increasingly evident to me and at this point I would do almost anything to be able to go back to that “grim Lincoln Square branch” and take a second look at the art–the art that includes such a full and wide range of the American experience.  It is something that can easily be taken for granted, as I took it for granted, but I suggest that we do not do this anymore. Click here to learn about the history of the wonderful museum and be sure to read the article that changed my mind: