MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota — Both the Walker Art Center and the Minneapolis Institute of Art opened its doors to the general public Thursday for the first time in four months.
"I want to support the arts so that's why I'm here," said Mandy Chowen of St. Paul, while visiting the Walker Art Center.
The Walker reopened to its members on July 10 and to the general public on July 16.
"I am super happy to be in the galleries with the art but it's equally exciting to be in the spaces at a nice distance with other people and seeing them experiencing the art and having conversations around it. That's what that connection, that human-to-human connection is about," said Mary Ceruti, executive director of the Walker.
The museum has reopened with new protocols. Visitors over the age of 2 are required to wear masks. They've also put up signage to remind people to social distance. Besides hand sanitizing stations, they're cleaning the museum more.
"We already have a state-of-the-art HVAC system. So for us, we did change out filters and swap them up to a higher grade so that we felt like we were taking an additional step. But, in general, museum systems are pretty high quality, circulating a lot of air and keeping the humidity levels at the right levels which happened to coincide with what the public health experts recommend," Ceruti explained.
Because the Walker is limited to 25% capacity, it has a new process for timed tickets. Tickets can be reserved online; they're required even for free admissions.
Gallery hours are also limited:
- Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Monday - Wednesday, closed
Free admission is every Thursday evening (5–9 p.m.) and on the first Saturday of each month (10 a.m.–3 p.m.). 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Thursday and Friday are dedicated hours for visitors and their companions who have a greater concern for an increased risk of contracting COVID-19. You can find more information, here.
Also on Thursday, the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) reopened.
"It feels like my first day of work and I'm so excited about that," Katie Luber said.
Luber became the Nivin and Duncan MacMillan director and president of Mia in January. Then COVID-19 happened.
"I was here for like nine weeks and then we closed," Luber recalled.
Like the Walker, Mia has new safety measures in place. Hand sanitizer stations are available throughout the museum and floor stickers have been placed to remind people to social distance. While general admission to Mia is free, Luber said tickets still need to be reserved in advance. You can reserve tickets online, here. Masks are required while visiting.
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"To see people telling me how much they've missed being at Mia is truly the most wonderful feeling that you could have as a museum director," Luber said.
Museum hours have been modified:
- Thursday-Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Special hours for older people, those who are pregnant and anyone who identifies as immunocompromised are Thursdays from 10 a.m. to noon.
You can find more information on planning your visit to Mia, here.
Also on Thursday, the Bell Museum reopened to its members. It reopens to the general public on July 23. You can find more information, here.