Free February at Chicago Museums?

February was a sly month for the museum-going people of Chicago. The Shedd had a "discount week" in the middle of the month with free admission to their permanent exhibits (the net one to come in June). Meanwhile, the Field Museum and the Art Institute of Chicago were free the whole month of February, to little publicity. I only found out about the Field when a bus advertising it passed me about a week ago. The Art Institute was a little better, owing mainly to the publicity about the opening of the nationally traveling show Edward Hopper and the Chicago-only Watercolors by Winslow Homer usually included a side-note about the free month and the exhibits which are not free (tickets are now $20). One of Chicago's major assets in its bid for the Olympics are the cultural institutions that truly make the city world-class, institutions that I believe should be operated on a free basis as the national museums are in the UK and closer to home the art museums in Madison, WI. However, it's a shame that media outlets didn't play this benefit up, that Chicago would beat the coasts to free cultural access. I hope they try out the free month again to larger fanfare, open institutions will make London's 2012 Olympics notable I am sure, Chicago should follow suit and the media should take note.