A List of Reopening Dates for NYC Museums
When New York governor Andrew Cuomo gave museums and other “low-risk” cultural institutions in the city the go-ahead to welcome visitors again starting August 24, many of them began announcing their reopening dates. However, visiting a museum in times of COVID-19 will require some advance planning: capacity will be limited to 25%, and visitors will have to reserve tickets ahead of time.
Museums will also be changing their hours of operating with reduced schedules to promote social distancing and allow for additional cleanings. Other safety measures will be in place, including enforced face coverings, and some amenities, like coat check, may be temporarily unavailable.
Here is a list of reopening dates at major New York City institutions.
Reopening date: August 27
Hours: Monday–Sunday, 10:30am–5:30pm (Mondays are reserved for members and members’ guests only)
For more information click here.
Reopening date: August 27
Hours: Thursday–Monday, 10am–6pm (10am–11am will be a designated hour for seniors and other high-risk visitors)
For more information click here.
Reopening date: August 28
Hours: Wednesday–Sunday, 11:30am–6pm
For more information click here.
Reopening date: August 29 (general public), August 27–28 (members only)
Hours: Saturday–Monday, 10am–5pm; Thursday–Friday, 12pm–7pm
For more information click here.
Reopening dates: September 3 (general public), August 27–31 (members only)
Hours: Monday, 11:30am–6pm; Thursday, 11:30am–6pm; Friday, 1:30pm–9pm; Saturday–Sunday, 1pm–6pm
For more information click here.
Reopening dates: September 9 (general public), September 2 (members)
Hours: Wednesday–Sunday, 10am–5:30pm; special access hours for members on Saturday and Sunday from 10am–11am and Thursday 6pm–8pm
For more information click here.
Reopening date: September 9
Hours: Wednesday–Sunday, 1pm–6pm
For more information click here.
Reopening date: September 11
Hours: Thursday, 11am–5pm (for visitors age 65+ and immunocompromised only); Friday, 10am–8pm; Saturday–Sunday, 11am–5pm
For more information click here.
Reopening date: September 12 (general public), September 10–11 (members)
Hours: Thursday–Monday, 11am–5pm with extended hours on Free Fridays, 6pm–10pm
For more information click here.
Reopening date: September 12
Hours: Saturday and Sunday, 12pm–5pm
For more information click here.
Reopening date: September 12
Hours: Wednesday–Sunday, 11am–6pm
For more information click here.
Reopening date: September 12
Hours: Thursday-Monday; March–October: 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
November–February: 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
For more information click here.
Reopening date: September 13 (general public), September 9–10 (members)
Hours: Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday, 10am–5pm
For more information click here.
Reopening date: September 15
Hours: Tuesday–Sunday, 11am–6pm
For more information click here.
Reopening date: September 17
Hours: Thursday–Monday, 12pm–6pm
For more information click here.
Reopening date: October 3
Hours: Thursday–Monday, 11 am–6 pm
Members-only hours Monday 6–8 pm
For more information click here.
Reopening date: October 7
Hours: By appointment only
For more information click here.
The reopening of museums is no different from the reopening of other businesses and institutions. The visitor experience won’t be the same as it was pre-COVID due to these new advanced safety measures, social distancing, and limitations to the number of visitors allowed in a gallery at a time, however, museums are structured in a way that goes well with these new measures. Gallery spaces are often spacious, well-circulated rooms so social distancing shouldn’t be much of a problem, visitors simply must abide by the face mask requirement which is the case for all public spaces.
How we experience museums will never be the same, but the same sentiment goes to any public outing. The fact of the matter is that reopening, while a tentative subject, is necessary for these institutions to stay afloat. Especially for smaller museums and galleries, the shutdown has hurt them economically and the only way to come back from this is continued visitor support whether that be through donations and interacting with their digital resources, or taking the time to safely visit their space in person.
Museums are monuments for human accomplishment in our society. They are intended to reflect back to us the capability of the human spirit and creativity. The arts are able to capture moments in history (including the one we are currently in) in a way that documents and statistics cannot. It’s difficult to surmise whether things will ever go back to normal following this pandemic. What I do know is that we will look back at the arts and humanities and how they were able to help us make sense of what was happening, and distracted us momentarily from the uncertainty around us. Art has a way of bringing people together, even if it is from 6 feet away or through a computer screen.
Liscia, Valentina Di. “A List of Reopening Dates for NYC Museums.” Hyperallergic, 27 Aug. 2020, hyperallergic.com/583256/nyc-museums-reopening-covid-19/.
Melmoth, Jonathan. “Dinos! Nukes! Nudes! The Best Museums in NYC.” Thrillist, www.thrillist.com/lifestyle/new-york/best-museums-in-nyc.