Officials fighting Art Institute admission hike

Members of the Chicago City Council are urging the city's park district to repeal a 50 percent increase in the admission fee at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Last month, the Chicago Park District Board approved a 50 percent increase in the admission price, from $12 to $18. As usual, students and seniors will not pay as much -- $12.

One alderman, Finance Committee Chairman Edward Burke, initially considered cutting off free water and other public subsidies to museums that charge more than $10 for admission. But he shifted gears Monday and pushed through a resolution demanding that the park board rescind the increase, to take effect in May.

Burke, striking a chord with his black and Hispanic colleagues, also noted only two of the 44 voting members of the Art Institute's board of directors are African-American.