From TOLEDO MUSEUM OF ART
The Toledo Museum of Art will begin reopening this month, with significant changes to visitor and staff experiences designed to create a safe and enjoyable museum visit during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The Museum will open to the public on Tuesday, June 23. Several new procedures and practices will prioritize the health of staff and visitors.
“We look forward to welcoming our members and the public back to the Museum,” said Adam Levine, TMA’s Edward Drummond and Florence Scott Libbey director. “Even though the world looks very different from when we shut our doors in March, the role TMA plays in the community has not changed.”
Levine added, “Whether it is offering respite, encouraging creativity or being a place to gather for shared experiences, the Museum staff is committed to providing our guests with an enjoyable visit at TMA.”
Limited hours and changed entry procedures
Beginning June 23, the West Wing of the Museum and the Museum Store will be open Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 4 p.m., with special hours from 10 a.m. to noon reserved for at-risk populations. The Museum Café will be open with a Grab & Go menu. The East Wing, Community Gallery, Family Center, Works on Paper/History Hallway, Art Reference Library and the Glass Pavilion remain temporarily closed.
Admission to the Museum is free as always, but visitors will be required to reserve a museum pass in advance through tickets.toledomuseum.org or by calling 419-255-8000 ext. 7448. Museum passes will be timed in half-hour increments with the last pass issued for 3 p.m. Visitors can reserve museum passes beginning at 10 a.m. Monday, June 15.
Group tours will not be conducted, and all indoor performance or educational events have been canceled or postponed to the fall. Outdoor programs and events are currently in the planning phases.
“These changes will permit staff to better control the number of people in the museum, monitor proper physical distancing among visiting guests and complete enhanced cleaning procedures,” said Kristina Crystal, TMA’s chief revenue officer and head of its reopening task force. “Our staff has worked diligently to ensure that resuming operations at the Museum is done in a manner consistent with best-practice standards in the environmental health and safety field and follows guidelines set forth by state and federal agencies.”
Face covering and distancing procedures
Visitors are strongly encouraged to wear face coverings while in the Museum. All TMA staff and contractors will wear masks at all times.
Physical distancing of at least 6 feet between parties will be monitored within the Museum. A one-way path that takes visitors through many of the West Wing galleries has been created. Highlights of this route include the Cloister, New Media Gallery, Great Gallery and Levis Gallery. Visitors are also encouraged to spend time outdoors in the Welles Sculpture Garden.
Cashless and touch-free transactions
Plexiglass will be in place at the front desk, the Museum Store and the Museum Café. Cash will not be accepted; guests can pay for purchases using a debit card or credit card.
Parking at TMA will be free to the public through July 7. Paid parking for nonmembers will resume Wednesday, July 8.
Updated exhibition schedule
Many of the exhibitions that were on view when the Museum closed in March have been extended. Others will open as new exhibitions:
- Mirror, Mirror: The Prints of Alison Saar will be on view through July 26
- Thornton Dial: Trip to the Mountaintop will be on view through July 26
- Global Conversations: Art in Dialogue will be on view through Aug. 16
- ONE EACH: Still Lifes from Pissarro, Cezanne, Manet and Friends will be on view through Aug. 23
Two exhibitions scheduled to open this past spring have new dates:
- The Path to Paradise: Judith Schaechter’s Stained-Glass Art, Oct. 3, 2020-Jan. 3, 2021
- Rare and Wondrous: Birds in Art and Culture, 1620-1820, April 24-July 5, 2021
The following exhibitions will remain temporarily off view:
- PICTURE ID: Contemporary African American Works on Paper
- Yayoi Kusama: Fireflies on the Water
Those with tickets for Fireflies on the Water can request a refund or consider their purchase as a charitable gift to TMA. Ticket holders may contact Visitor Services at customerservice@toledomuseum.org or (419) 255-8000 ext. 7448 to arrange a refund.
More information
Reopening efforts at TMA, including decisions involving programs and events, are led by a task force composed of staff members from key operational areas of the Museum, including the collections; communications; education and engagement; facilities; and protective services departments, as well as the Center of Visual Expertise (COVE), TMA’s enterprise focused on the delivery of its visual literacy curriculum in the environmental health and safety field.
TMA has developed an extensive Q&A about reopening that may be accessed at: toledomuseum.org/reopen. In addition, Visitor Services staff may be reached by phone at (419) 255-8000 ext. 7448.
