MoMA to Serve Art for Breakfast

Starting in January, the museum will be making its early-hours ‘Quiet Mornings’ part of the regular calendar

Featured on wsj.com

Call it the latest twist on New York’s morning routine: bagels, coffee and…Monet.

After giving it a trial run in October, the Museum of Modern Art is making its “Quiet Mornings” program part of the regular calendar at its Midtown location. Starting in January, MoMA will open select galleries to the public from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. on the first Wednesday of every month. The museum normally opens at 10:30 a.m.

Adult admission will be $12 (or roughly half the regular price) for the start-of-day session, though visitors can return for no additional charge that same day during the museum’s regular hours. Another perk: The “Quiet Morning” sessions will include a guided-meditation program for patrons who want to partake.

MoMA officials say the “Quiet Mornings” program is an effort to reach out to local patrons who often find the museum, a popular tourist draw, too busy and crowded during the day—or who simply don’t have the time to work in a visit during regular hours.

Ultimately, the goal, said MoMA special-events director Maggie Lyko, is to reinforce the idea of the museum as “a respite for people.”

MoMA is hardly alone in rethinking its hours of operation. A number of museums locally and nationally have started extending the admission time frame, typically by adding evening hours during peak periods or when special exhibits are on display.

The American Museum of Natural History has also had success with its “Night at the Museum” family-friendly sleepovers, playing off the movie franchise. The program was expanded in 2014 to include an adults-only version that now sells out regularly at $350 a pop (a buffet dinner and live music are included in the price). The standard suggested admission to the museum during regular hours is a $22 for adults.

American Museum of Natural History spokesman Roberto Lebron said the sleepovers “certainly provide an additional stream of revenue” for the institution, though he added that the aim was more about redefining the museum experience.

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