The Phoenix Art Museum is reopening, with safety precautions to the public, on Oct. 14.
The museum, which has been closed since March, re-opened to members on Oct. 1 and features new exhibits, updated resources and new safety precautions.
The opening follows guidelines put in place by health officials. They include exclusive senior hours from 10 a.m. – 11 a.m., Wednesday through Sunday; masks required by patrons and staff; frequent disinfecting, one-way walking zones; no cash; no lockers; no tours; and no parties over 10, all with a capacity cap of 600 people.
The museum “has worked over the past few months to create an in-person experience that balances the vital need for health and safety measures with a positive visitor experience,” said Amy Estes, the director of visitor services, in an email.
During the closure, the museum added the digital experience of Zoom Dial-a-Docent hours.
“Visitors can connect with a Museum Docent via Zoom on their hand-held mobile devices via a QR code. In this way, Docents can answer questions about artworks in a manner that is safe and physically distanced. This program is available daily from 11 a.m.-12 p.m. with an additional session from 4-6 pm on Wednesdays,” Estes said.
They also added a digital scavenger hunt and Museum map in English and in Spanish which can be accessed through QR codes found around the building.
Since the closure in the spring, the museum had to push back exhibits that were supposed to start in the fall, including new exhibits “Stories of Abstraction: Contemporary Latin American Art in the Global Context” and “Teresita Fernández: Elemental.”
Gilbert Vicario, the deputy director for curatorial affairs and the Selig family chief curator said, “I’ve noticed that people are so excited to be in the museum. Seeing people that they hadn’t seen in a while and having a conversation. Everybody’s craving that basic human need to communicate with each other.”
Estes also added, “During one of my conversations, a visitor was in tears expressing how glad she was to be back at the Museum and how much she missed it when it was closed.”
As far as the space goes, the only major change has been in the Great Hall, which was previously used for social events.
“Because of social distancing, that’s not going to be possible for quite some time, so we decided to just use it as an opportunity to show more art,” Vicario said.
Rachel Ewell, a downtown Phoenix resident and museum member, went to the art museum the first week it was open to members.
“There’s lots and lots of room…There was always way more than six feet between me and anyone else that was there,” Ewell said.
Ewell, who had not been to the museum since February, said she frequented the museum at least once a month before the shutdown. She said her favorite exhibit was “Teresita Fernández: Elemental.”
“There’s this really cool effect on the walls that’s like a flame and it goes through the whole exhibit. It’s almost like the artists kind of charred the wall. It’s just like a really interesting concept, a really emotional vibe or feeling from it,” Ewell said.
Ewell was just one of many members to visit.
“It has been so fun to welcome people back and join in their excitement as they express what it means to them that we are open again. It’s like having a ‘welcome home’ party every day,” Estes said.
Tickets can be purchased at the Phoenix Art Museum website.
Contact the reporter at etutora@asu.edu.
Elinor Tutora is a staff reporter at Downtown Devil. She is currently a sophomore at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
