ArtsWatch

C'mon in. It's free.
The Institute of Contemporary Art says that thanks to a gift from a member of its board of overseers, the museum will charge $0 for admission for the next five years.
Glenn R. Fuhrman - big New York money guy, contemporary art collector, alumnus of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School - made the gift, which the museum is declining to quantify.
The free-admission policy starts July. 1, and ICA director Claudia Gould says she hopes it will last more than five years.
"The idea is that we would continue it. I believe this is the beginning of our relationship with Glenn. I don't think it's the end. It will take a while for people to know that we’re free, so we are hoping to have other board members give to a marketing campaign we would do in tandem."
Gould declined to say how much the gift was, but would say the money will be spent out over five years, not kept in perpetuity in the endowment.
ICA drew 25,000 visitors for the year ending June 30, an ICA spokeswoman said. So, considering that the museum has always been free to Penn students, faculty, staff and members, and with current admission at $6 per head, it might be reasonable to speculate that Fuhrman's gift comes to about $100,000 per year.
Pictured is a piece from “Mike's World: Michael Smith & Joshua White (and other collaborators),” at the ICA through Aug. 3.