UPPER EAST SIDE — The Metropolitan Museum of Art has kicked off a new program allowing members to bring guests for free, see exhibitions before anyone else and earn dining discounts, officials announced.
The Met's new yearly membership structure is broken into three levels:
► Member with Early Views
This member gets to see selected exhibitions before the museum opens and has access to five exhibits before they open to the public. The membership costs $100 per year for one adult and includes free admission for one guest per visit. Those who live outside a 200-mile radius of the city can join for $80.
► Member with Evening Hours
This membership is for two adults that includes free admission for two guests per visit. These members get access to exhibitions before the museum opens and can go to three "The Met After Hours" events after the museum closes, including access to the balcony lounge. They will also have access to five new exhibitions before they open to the public. This membership costs $200 a year.
► Member with Opening Nights
Members who select the opening nights option will be able to add another person to the membership, as well as get four guest passes per visit. These members will also have the same benefits as the other two memberships, except that they will have access to four evening receptions celebrating new exhibitions. These benefits will stretch to 16 other museums across the country, and membership costs $600 a year.
No matter what level members choose, each will benefit from 10 percent off when they dine at the Met's Dining Room, officials say.
Additionally, all those who become members will have their names projected on the wall on the day of their visits.
Met officials announced the new membership program last week after naming new president and CEO Daniel Weiss.
"The Met is one of the world's most important art museums, and we have a thriving membership community that provides critical support for everything we do, from putting on stunning exhibitions to offering complimentary educational programs for students," Weiss said in a statement.
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