The Detroit Institute of Arts is working to persuade voters to authorize a tax to support the cultural institution, promising free admission and expanded programming if it passes.

The museum is asking voters in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties to approve a 10-year tax that works out to $20 per year on a home worth $200,000.

It would raise an estimated $23 million a year, nearly as much as the museum's current annual operating budget.

The museum is looking for financial stability.

If it fails, however, it's raised the possibility that it would exist as a shadow of its current self.

The Aug. 7th vote comes as museums around the country learn to survive without support from state or local government budgets.