Free For All: The Fight to Reclaim NYC's Free Admission Rights (Online)

Learn about the movement to make NYC's cultural institutions on parkland free for all New Yorkers!

Talk Highlights:

• Uncover the forgotten promise, buried in original park plans, which led to free rent for cultural institutions, such as The Met, the Bronx Zoo, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and free admission for all New Yorkers
• Go behind the scenes of a grassroots public policy effort, Free Admission Campaign, that strives to codify, enforce, and make publicly available the facts about New Yorkers’ right to free admission to 17 of the city’s most iconic cultural park institutions
• Gain expert insights from Founder Pat Nicholson, who has worked on the project for over two decades, following the paper trail from the 19th-century to the present day
• Hear from legal advisor Michael S. Hiller and find out the status of a bill that would affirm the initial free admission rights promised to New Yorkers
• Find out how you can be part of this movement and have your own questions answered

About the Free Admission Campaign:

The Free Admission Campaign was founded in 2012 by native New Yorker, Pat Nicholson. In 2015, Pat was a successful co-litigant in a lawsuit leading to the changing of deceptive signage regarding The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s pay-what-you-wish policy. Additionally, in 2023, the campaign helped introduce a study bill to the state legislature that asked state lawmakers to review the original founding laws of these institutions to uncover and affirm the initial free admission rights promised to New Yorkers.

The campaign aims to make publicly available the facts about New Yorkers’ reciprocal right to free admission and popular instruction to 17 of the city’s most historic cultural park institutions. The campaign has been featured in Forbes, City & State, New York Daily News, amNY, Next City, and more.

In this live virtual talk, we'll talk with Nicholson and legal advisor Michael S. Hiller to uncover the inspiration behind this effort, the latest updates, and how you can get involved! Guests will also have the chance to answer their own questions during a Q&A.