Milwaukee Art Museum Announces Reopening Timeline

Milwaukee, Wis. – June 10, 2020 – The Milwaukee Art Museum has announced that it will begin a phased reopening of its galleries to the public in the summer, with new protocols developed to ensure the safety of staff and visitors.

The Museum’s “Safer with Art” plan includes robust cleaning procedures, the installation of hand sanitizing stations at entrance points and throughout the galleries, and the requirement that all staff and visitors wear cloth face coverings. A dedicated pathway through the Collection Galleries on the Museum’s main level will encourage and emphasize proper social distancing, and a new digital timed-ticketing system will be part of an overall touchless experience inside the Museum. Priority hours will be reserved for first responders, and those among vulnerable populations. The Museum also utilizes a MERV15 air filtration in the campus HVAC system, which is considered hospital grade. Additionally, admission during Phase One will be free for one month, thanks to The Krei Family in Memory of Melinda.

“Our staff and board have been working diligently behind the scenes to plan for our reopening in a very measured and thoughtful way. The Museum is a complex organization that requires a carefully orchestrated, phased reopening to ensure everyone’s safety,” said Marcelle Polednik, PhD, Donna and Donald Baumgartner Director, Milwaukee Art Museum. “We look forward to seeing our visitors and staff return, and to providing our community with the opportunity to stand again before the art, to find inspiration and moments of peace.”

The Museum created an internal task force to determine and implement protocols that need to be in place in order for staff and visitors to return to campus. The task force is closely monitoring guidelines and recommendations from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, the City of Milwaukee, the Centers for Disease Control, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, the Metro Milwaukee Chamber of Commerce and more.

Museum staff deemed as necessary will begin working on-site in mid-June. A large proportion of staff members will continue working from home. The Museum originally closed due to the COVID-19 outbreak on March 15, 2020.

Updates about the Museum’s reopening will be available on the Museum’s website, mam.org/safetyfirst.

About the Milwaukee Art Museum

The Milwaukee Art Museum is a private institution in public service, and the health and safety of our staff, visitors and community is our highest priority. The Museum welcomes people from throughout the community and the world to find themselves and lose themselves in art, creativity and culture. At any one time, visitors can experience over 2,500 works on view within the Museum’s collection galleries and three ever-changing exhibition spaces; participate in engaging programming; and explore the one-of-a-kind spaces across the 24-acre lakefront campus. The iconic architecture brings together structures designed by Eero Saarinen, David Kahler and Santiago Calatrava. Famous for its moving Burke Brise Soleil, the Museum serves as a symbol for Milwaukee pride and connects the shores of Lake Michigan to the city’s bustling downtown.

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