The museum used to have a pay-what-you-wish policy on Friday nights but discontinued it in 2024 in favor of a reduced-admissions policy. The pay-what-you-wish policy was temporarily brought back in February on a trial basis for the final three weeks of the exhibition “Dreamworld: Surrealism at 100.” It proved successful as attendance increased 128% over the previous three weeks and overall ticket revenue increased 20%.
“I don’t know exactly what the average was that they paid, but it resulted in a net positive revenue result for us. Which is great,” Weiss said. “The museum has to find a way to fund its operations one way or the other. That’s part of what it means to live in the world and to be a functioning enterprise. But we also want people to come and not be held back.”
The museum will continue its longstanding policy of paying what you wish on the first Sunday of every month.
“The pay-what-you-wish program is how I was first introduced to the museum as a child,” Ellen Caplan said in a statement. “There’s no better way to turn 150 than to say ‘thank you’ to our city.”
Weiss, who stepped in as director and CEO on Dec. 1, used to be president and CEO of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. During his tenure, the Met eliminated its longstanding pay-what-you-wish policy, with the exception of residents of New York state and students of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
Weiss said the pay-what-you-wish plan for the spring and summer may be continued beyond Labor Day, or he may try out other experiments in revenue generation.
“There are things that might work in Philadelphia that wouldn’t work in New York or Los Angeles. Every city is a little bit different,” he said. “I know what works in New York. What we want to do is adapt best practices nationally to what would work in Philadelphia.”