ISAC Museum to Introduce New Admissions Model

September 26, 2026

Beginning September 28th, 2026, the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures Museum will introduce paid admission as part of a broader commitment to the future of the Museum and the world-class experience we provide to visitors from across Chicago and around the globe.

For more than a century, ISAC has brought people face-to-face with the extraordinary cultures of ancient West Asia and North Africa. Today, the Museum cares for a collection of more than 350,000 objects—including more than 5,000 on display—and welcomes visitors into galleries shaped by generations of archaeological and philological research, scholarship, conservation, and discovery.

For more than a century, ISAC has brought people face-to-face with the extraordinary cultures of ancient West Asia and North Africa. Today, the Museum cares for a collection of more than 350,000 objects—including more than 5,000 on display—and welcomes visitors into galleries shaped by generations of archaeological and philological research, scholarship, conservation, and discovery.

Tim Harrison Director of ISAC

The new admissions model will provide additional support for this work while allowing ISAC to continue investing in the Museum as a vibrant international destination and a community hub for all Chicagoans. Admission revenue will help sustain the curation and conservation of the collections, improve ADA accessibility, enhance exhibitions and gallery experiences, expand educational and public programs, underwrite visiting scholars and lectures, and strengthen the facilities and systems that protect the Museum and its collections.

As ISAC looks toward its next century, we want the Museum to continue to offer visitors not simply access to an extraordinary collection, but an experience worthy of it—one that inspires curiosity, encourages discovery, creates vocations, and connects fundamental research on the ancient world with contemporary challenges.

ISAC remains committed to making the Museum accessible to the broader public. Admission will continue to be free for ISAC Members and University of Chicago students, faculty, and staff, with discounted and complimentary admission opportunities available for additional audiences. Full admission information is available on the ISAC website.

We look forward to welcoming visitors into the next chapter of the ISAC Museum.

A group of people walking by ISAC.