Hockaday Museum of Art to close temporarily for month of January

Starting Monday, Jan. 4, the Hockaday Museum of Art’s classes, programs, tours, events and programs will be temporarily closed through the end of January to the public for facilities maintenance and pandemic remediation.

To allow public access the current art exhibitions that have been on view since November, the galleries and gift shop will be open to the public one day a week­ — Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. — or individuals and family groups can pre-schedule a viewing appointment on Wednesdays any time between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Staff will be working a staggered schedule from home and on organizational projects at the museum as well other museum safety and repair projects, the museum said in a press release.

The museum will reopen for regular hours Tuesday through Saturday and programming on Feb. 2.

“When many businesses had to close their doors and cancel their summer events, we worked hard to stay open, pivot, and safely restructure our programs and events for the public, but the energy needed to do this has taken a toll on our small staff and facility," Executive Director Alyssa Cordova said. "This temporary closure will allow the museum and staff some much needed time to rest and recover. We look forward to resuming our regular exhibition, class, and program schedule in February.”

Regular pre-school, after-school and homeschool classes will resume on Feb. 3 with limited capacity, masks required, and other COVID-19 precautions in place. While classes are closed in January, families will have the option to purchase weekly kids take-home class kits for $7 each. Please email education@ hockadaymuseum.org or call 406-755-5268 to pick up a take-home kit and/or pre-register for February classes. A full list of classes and descriptions can be found on our website: www.hockadaymuseum.org.

In February, the Hockaday will launch the museum’s first ever live, virtual art workshop: “Pocket Sketching with artist Kathy Macaulay.” This two-week course over Zoom for beginners or advanced artists will teach the valuable art technique of watercolor sketching for travel journaling, quick studies, hiking, biking, or sitting in a café. Classes are Tuesdays and Fridays Feb. 2-16 from 1-3 p.m. Cost is $175 for members or $190 for non-members. Class supplies are an additional $45 plus shipping.

Visit www.hockadaymuseum.org to download a pre-registration form. “Senior Tour and Tea,” a free event for Seniors 62+, will resume on Feb. 11 at 11:30 a.m. and “Crits and Croissants” will be with artist Rob Akey on Saturday, Feb. 13 from 10:30 am – noon, $5 for Members or $10 for non-members. Pre-registration for these and other programs begins now.

The Hockaday Museum of Art is located in the cultural district of downtown Kalispell at 302 Second Ave. E., housed in a 1904 Carnegie Library building that appears on the National Register of Historic Places.