Istanbul Modern has reorganized its public day, free admissions once a week, as 10:00-14:00. A petition was launched on change.org against this new regulation of the museum.
The new regulation introduced by Istanbul Modern, Turkey’s first modern and contemporary art museum, for a free public day every Thursday between 11.00 and 17.00, with the slogan “Your Thursday”, caused a reaction in public. The public day application, free admissions on Thursdays, has been updated to 10:00-14:00 with the new regulation.
After the recent time update, a petition titled “Remove Restriction on Istanbul Modern Museum’s Free Public Day” was launched on change.org. The petition requested the free day stay as it was, which is Thursday, 11:00-17:00.
Launched by Açık Masa (Open Table), Katılımcı Sanat Topluluğu (Participatory Art Community Turkey) (PACT) and Kamusal Sanat Laboratuvarı (Public Art Laboratory), the slogan “Istanbul Modern Museum should lift its restriction on the free public day!” The following statements are included in the petition:
”We demand that the free public day * be brought back and that institutional information about the museum be announced transparently.”
“Istanbul Modern Museum** has restricted the public day, free once a week, to 10:00-14:00 with the new regulation.”
“By reducing the free public day to visiting hours without any justification, the Istanbul Modern Museum has made an arbitrary decision that interferes with the public’s right to participate in cultural life regarding their financial and social situation.’’
“Since the land on which the museum is currently located belongs to the public, and the Istanbul Modern Art Foundation was granted tax-exempt foundation status by the Presidency in 2011, the institution is directly responsible to the public.’’
“Despite its direct responsibility to the public and its indirect responsibility to the entire city population by using the name (Istanbul) as a brand, the Istanbul Modern Museum exhibits a structure far from transparency and has left its corporate definition ambiguous on its website.’’
“We demand that the restriction in question be lifted, that the museum opens its doors to the public free of charge on Free Public Day – ‘Free Thursdays’, and that institutional information be announced to all tax-paying citizens in the clearest way possible.’’
The ‘Free Public Day’ regulation was achieved due to a series of actions developed by the ‘Art Workers Coalition’, an artist initiative that started operating in New York in 1969, against the malfunctioning of museums worldwide. The regulation was written by Seth Siegelaub and Robert Projansky, artists who formed the contract, and this contract was brought into force in New York museums in 1970. Today, free public days are held in museums in many countries, including Türkiye.’’
‘’The term museum today; It is defined as a non-profit, permanent institution that serves society and its development, is open to the public, and acquires, preserves, researches, communicates, and exhibits the “intangible” and “tangible” human heritage and environment for the purposes of education, study, and entertainment (ICOM, 2007a: article 3.1).’’
‘’According to Article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, “Everyone has the right freely to participate in the community’s cultural life, to enjoy the arts and to share in the benefits of scientific development.’’
Museum visits reconsidered for a safe museum
The museum’s website, states, “It is free for visitors residing in Turkey on Thursdays between 10.00 and 14.00.”
According to information obtained from the museum, “According to information obtained from the museum, the new schedule allows free entry for all visitors between 10:00 and 14:00 on Thursdays, and for young people between the ages of 18 and 25 on Tuesdays. The change was made due to the high interest that Istanbul Modern received after the opening of its new building. Visitors can attend exhibitions for free during designated days and hours, and also have the opportunity to meet with artists through workshops and talks held every month. Additionally, there are free events that are organized on different days of the week, which run concurrently with the exhibitions.’’
Reactions on social media
After the museum’s new arrangement was implemented, social media users shared their reactions. Some of the comments included: “Citizens are struggling with the high cost of living, and a day of free travel is a great initiative”, “The priority should always be the citizens’ interests to avoid arbitrary decisions”, “Financially disadvantaged individuals are being deprived of the opportunity to access art at least once a week”, and “What’s the point of restricting access to art without a valid reason? Art should always be free for students.”
