Friday, March 29, 2024
36.0°F

Hockaday Museum of Art reopens Saturday

| May 14, 2020 1:00 AM

On Saturday, May 16, the Hockaday Museum of Art galleries and gift shop, closed since March 17 to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, will reopen to the public with additional capacity limitations, increased sanitization, and other social distancing measures in place.

Visitors will notice new policies and procedures, including:

• All staff will wear masks and gloves for visitor protection.

• New sanitization and cleaning procedures in place before, during, and after visitors arrive.

• All visitors are required to sign in at the front desk with their contact information

• Signs, barriers and directives in the galleries and gift shop requiring 6 feet social distancing

• Limited 50% capacity in the galleries and building per state directives.

The Hockaday has a phased reopening plan in alignment with federal and state directives, beginning with special hours for seniors 65 and older only,Thursdays, 9 a.m. to noon, and reduced general public hours Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Out of an abundance of caution and per the state’s reopening plan, Phase I, there will be no school or public tours, or public programs, classes, receptions or workshops offered at this time. The interactive Children’s Discovery Gallery will also be closed until further notice. Instead, members and the public are invited to participate in our free online programs such as: downloadable art curriculum, “Meet a Montana Artist” campaign, virtual tours, and more on the museum’s Facebook, Instagram and website.

“We recognize the devastating effect this pandemic has had on everyone’s mental health and want to make sure the museum can be open for limited hours, to provide the important social service of hope and healing through the arts during and after this crisis,” Hockaday Executive Director Alyssa Cordova said in a press release.

On view in the galleries is the current exhibition, “Looking at Landscape: Dale Beckman and Richard Thompson,” and a special limited exhibition in the community gallery curated especially for families affected by COVID-19, “Hope in Hard Times: Children in Art from the Hockaday Collection” with works by Bob Scriver, Jeanne Hamilton, Gary Schildt and Elizabeth Lochrie, among others. Both exhibitions will be up through May 23, with non-member admission and new memberships half-price through the end of the month.

The Hockaday Museum of Art is located at 302 Second. Ave. E. in downtown Kalispell. Learn more at www.hockadaymuseum.org.