The Metropolitan Museum of Art just announced that they will be opening their doors to visitors seven days a week beginning on July 1.
An historic decision, this will be the first time in 42 years that the Met will be open every day of the week. Currently, the museum is only open from Tuesday through Sunday. Most museums are closed to the public at least one day a week, making use of that extra day to set up gallery exhibitions and move art around when they don't have to worry about visitors getting in the way.
Thomas Campbell, the Director and CEO of the museum, commented on Thursday,
Art is a 7-day-a-week passion, and we want the Met to be accessible whenever visitors have the urge to experience this great museum. Last year we had record-breaking attendance of 6.28 million visitors and yet were turning away many thousands more on Mondays, when we have traditionally been closed. Our new schedule will remedy that, and we look forward to welcoming visitors to our encyclopedic collections, robust exhibition program, and wide-ranging educational offerings nearly every day of the year.”
This new schedule affects both the Metropolitan Museum and the Cloisters.
As the news broke over social media sites, visitors were ecstatic. Facebook users left comments such as Elizabeth Miller, who was excited about the news: "Fantastic, esp if visiting NYC for just a couple of days!"
Jess Bugg wrote, "I can't even count how many times I've made it all the way to the Met only to realize it's Monday! This is the best!"
Selene Carroll commented, "This is very good. I used to have Sunday and Monday off every week, and there was nothing good to do because all the fun stuff was closed."
Ir remains to be seen if this decision will affect other museums in the area so that visitors can wander through their favorite cultural sites any day of the week.
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