Dear Director of the American Museum of Natural History,
You’ve been home to many of my school trips over the course of my academic career, and responsible for me meeting one of the coolest teachers I’ve met. Your exhibits are interesting and pretty diverse, which is something that can be lacking in many other places. There are some things though that can be problematic, the main one being the prices people must pay to see your exhibits.
History is said to be taught so that it may never be repeated. If your museum is about history, why does it cost so much for people to learn it? This hurts those who live in lower class families because it prevents them from possibly learning history they might find intriguing. Don’t you think that the more people learn about history, the better off they can be? You claim on your website that the museum was made for those with a passion of discovery, but if they can’t pay the entrance fee, the only thing they can discover is the front door. Your ticket prices for regular entry without any of the fancier exhibits is $23 for adults and $13 for children. If a family wanted to come and see your butterfly exhibit, the ticket prices go up about $5. If the family wanted to see exhibits other than the butterfly exhibit, the prices go up about $10. Many lower class families already have to find a way to live paycheck to paycheck, and prices like these could really hurt their finances if they try to take out the family in a nice outing. The permanent exhibits are nice to look at, but many children really want to see the big, exciting colorful exhibits, which require an extra fee for entry.
In order to fulfill that idea of having the museum made for discovery, how about making the tickets cheaper so that those people can actually go see your exhibits, including the special shows? If this is a money issue, focus on the bigger picture. If the tickets are cheaper, the more people will want to go because odds are, you’ll be cheaper than many other museums around NYC. The more people want to go, the more tickets they will buy and the more people they will tell about the museum. Word of mouth goes a long way, and could really bring good publicity to the museum. In the end, you will have not only sold more tickets and made the museum look good by looking out for those in the lower class, but you would have accomplished your goal for the museum; to intrigue those with a passion of discovery. In the end, you’re in charge of what goes on, so it’s up to you whether or not you want to start that change. Everything I’m saying is just food for thought anyway.
A person with a passion for discovery,
Kaelah Blanchette
