Paying to enter an exhibition

Source A: an original contemporary non-fiction-style account.

I almost left when I saw the ticket price for the small photography exhibition. Then I read what the fee supported: printing, accessible captions, insurance and the people keeping the gallery open. The room did not maintain itself merely because looking at pictures felt less like a service than having a haircut. I bought a ticket and spent an hour there.

I still worry about who can afford that hour. A reduced-price evening and free places arranged through local groups seemed useful beginnings, though they did not remove every barrier. The argument is not settled by declaring that culture is priceless and therefore somebody else must quietly pay for it. Nor is it settled by charging everyone the same and calling that fair. I want exhibitions whose labour is supported and whose audience is not selected simply by the amount left in a visitor's pocket. Finding that arrangement is harder than praising either free entry or a balanced budget in isolation.

Source B: an original letter in a nineteenth-century voice. This is a period-voice simulation, not an archival document.

Sir, the exhibition committee proposes an entrance charge that may appear modest to its members but is not modest to every household. A family wishing to attend together must multiply the sum before considering the journey. We are told that the collection is intended to educate the town. It is an odd lesson in public benefit if a substantial part of the public can afford only to admire the notice outside.

I do not overlook the expenses. Rooms, attendants and the care of exhibits require payment. My request is that the committee seek subscriptions from those able to give and reserve certain hours for admission without charge. Let those who value the undertaking help extend its reach, rather than measure its success only by receipts at the door. An exhibition that teaches a few people very well may be worthwhile; one that claims to serve the whole town must also consider who is missing from the room.

Refer to the whole of both sources. Compare the writers’ perspectives on charging admission to exhibitions and how they convey those perspectives. Support your comparison with evidence from both sources.