Shanghai’s Rockbund Artwork Museum (RAM) this 12 months turned one of many solely non-public museums in China to supply free admission, as a part of celebrations marking its fifteenth anniversary. Based on RAM’s govt director and chief curator, X Zhu-Nowell, the transfer has been a worthwhile declaration of institutional values. Nevertheless, it has not been with out its challenges, with guests taking to social media to complain about lengthy wait instances and “inappropriate” responses to queries.
The free admission launched in Might 2025 with a trio of exhibits by Ash Moniz, Cici Wu and Irena Haiduk. Initially, guests may pre-book timed entry slots by way of the museum’s channel on the social media platform WeChat. Nevertheless, on 11 June, in response to what Zhu-Nowell describes as “city-wide steering encouraging establishments to take away as many boundaries to entry as attainable”, the museum’s pre-booking system was eliminated, permitting guests to reach and not using a timed entry slot.
Based on social media posts by guests, this rapidly led to lengthy waits at instances, with the museum generally reaching its each day capability of 500 individuals a number of hours earlier than its 8pm closing time.
Based on the Chinese language outlet China Youth Every day, one customer who was turned away from RAM later took to social media to request a proof of the museum’s entry system. The customer claimed to have acquired a response from the museum’s official account which learn: “We don’t have to do this. Please don’t come again.” On 17 June the museum’s official account posted an apology for the “inappropriate feedback”, with Zhu-Nowell posting a private apology some days later.
Shortly after this incident a hybrid system of day-ahead reservations by way of WeChat plus same-day walk-ins was established. The Artwork Newspaper skilled no wait time when visiting on a July weekday, and a really brief, fast-moving queue the next weekend.
Requested in regards to the points RAM confronted, Zhu-Nowell says: “As a small, unbiased kunsthalle, we out of the blue discovered ourselves receiving the type of foot visitors sometimes reserved for bigger, state-funded establishments. It was, as they are saying, a superb downside to have—however an actual one. Our front-of-house group confronted immense new pressures, and we needed to rapidly rethink tips on how to protect the standard of expertise for each customer.”
Zhu-Nowel, who makes use of they/them pronouns, additionally sees an upside to the controversy. “But this second additionally turned a gap: not solely to broaden entry, however to lift a public dialog in regards to the tasks of an unbiased, privately funded museum that serves a large and unpredictable public,” they are saying. “As a non-profit up to date artwork establishment, we see our position not simply as an organiser and presenter of exhibitions and concepts, but in addition as an area to prototype new, extra simply energy constructions and economies.”
Whereas many government-backed establishments in China provide free admission, few if every other non-public museums have adopted the observe. Zhu-Nowell means that making the change to free admission calls for a elementary rethinking of the establishment itself, from staffing and viewers move to programming and financial fashions.
“In China, circumstances fluctuate broadly relying on funding constructions and native governance, however a shared problem stays: tips on how to maintain creative and mental ambition whereas increasing public entry,” they clarify. “My recommendation is to deal with free admission not as an endpoint, however as a starting…to think about new institutional varieties that aren’t merely conscious of public life, however able to shaping it.”
Consistent with this, Zhu-Nowell says that for RAM, the choice to maneuver to free admission was much less about growing foot visitors, and extra about ideology. They declare that the transfer has since “remodeled” the museum’s viewers.
“We imagine that cultural establishments ought to stay among the many few public arenas the place different types of worth, entry, and participation will be modelled,” they are saying. “We now see extra first-time guests, extra intergenerational teams, and extra individuals who come not just for artwork however to relaxation, assume, or just inhabit the area.”
