Aerial shot of MoMA PS1 in Queens, New York. (Photo: Noel Woodford)
Beginning on January 1, 2026, MoMA PS1 will offer free admission to its guests. The Queens, NY–based museum has long maintained a free admission program for New Yorkers, but this new policy will remove financial barriers for all visitors.
Made possible by a $900,000 gift from creative entrepreneur Sonya Yu, the initiative will cement MoMA PS1 as the largest free museum in New York City. The change is also expected to bring an increased number of people through the institution’s doors, with MoMA PS1 hoping to reach 180,000 guests by the end of 2026 and a total of 500,000 in the next five years. Free admission will be in effect for the next three years, ensuring that anyone, regardless of financial circumstances, can explore the museum’s vibrant collection and exhibitions.
As the world’s most ethnically diverse urban area, Queens boasts a vast assortment of cultural opportunities, whether it be the Queens Night Market in Flushing, Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City, or the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria. Even so, the borough has historically faced health and socioeconomic disparities, including in MoMA PS1’s surrounding Queensbridge neighborhood. For Yu, that fact was critical in her decision to fund the museum’s new admissions initiative.
“The PS1 location, being in Queens, is really near and dear to me, given that it is an underserved community,” she said in a recent interview with The New York Times. She added that it was equally essential to create “porousness between the institution, building, program, and exhibitions.”
Donovan Richards Jr., the current Queens borough president, echoed the sentiment: “Ensuring the unmatched programming offered by MoMA PS1 is accessible for residents and tourists alike is an incredible way to immerse families into the unmatched culture offered in Queens,” he said in a statement. “It’s no surprise that New York City’s largest free museum is here in Queens, where we continue to break down barriers to the arts.”
The initiative will also be timed to coincide with MoMA PS1’s 50th anniversary, which will feature a series of special programming. Among the museum’s plans is the fifth edition of its signature Greater New York exhibition, gathering work by 47 artists and collectives from the New York City area. Per the museum, the exhibition offers an “intimate portrayal of [the city], forging connections between often under-examined histories of art-making.” Greater New York is slated to open on April 16, 2026.
“For 50 years, MoMA PS1 has made the work of living artists relevant and accessible,” Connie Butler, the museum’s Agnes Gund director, said. “Thanks to Sonya’s extraordinary gift, we can invite even more New Yorkers and audiences across the world to engage with our program.”
To learn more about this new initiative and the museum’s upcoming anniversary, visit the MoMA PS1 website.
Thanks to a gift made by creative entrepreneur Sonya Yu, MoMA PS1 will be offering free admission to all visitors beginning on January 1, 2026.
Portrait of Connie Butler, the museum’s Agnes Gund Director, and creative entrepreneur Sonya Yu at MoMA PS1, 2025. (Photo: John Kim)
All images via MoMA PS1’s press room.
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