BALTIMORE, MD – Due to the rising number of cases of COVID-19 throughout the country, The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) will temporarily close the majority of its galleries beginning at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, November 25. The museum plans to reopen on Wednesday, January 6, 2021, in accordance with health and safety requirements. The BMA’s outdoor sculpture gardens will also remain open Wednesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. through dusk unless there is inclement weather. The BMA Shop, Gertrude’s Chesapeake Kitchen, and Stripes and Stars: Reclaiming Lakota Independence, a one-gallery exhibition adjacent to the East Lobby, will remain open Wednesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. through 5 p.m. Face masks and social distancing are mandatory in the building and the gardens at all times. During the closure, the BMA will continue to employ its entire staff.
“Though we will miss seeing visitors during the holidays, the health of our community, staff, and volunteers is our utmost concern during this unprecedented global health crisis,” said Christopher Bedford, BMA Dorothy Wagner Wallis Director. “We hope that by doing our part to help slow the spread of the virus in the community now, we will be able to reopen the entire museum in the new year.”
The BMA will continue offering a range of digital experiences for virtual visitors. Highlights of the museum’s digital assets include:
· Free Family Sundays & Art-To-Go
The popular Free Family Sundays at Home weekly drop-in event is now a do-at-home craft project that is emailed every Sunday. More than 100 downloadable Art-To-Go activities for kids are among the educator resources on the BMA’s website.
· Virtual Gallery Walks
Watch Virtual Gallery Walk videos for a glimpse of 2020 Vision exhibitions that opened this fall, including A Perfect Power: Motherhood and African Art and Adelyn Breeskin: Curating a Legacy.
· BMA Stories
BMA Stories includes thoughtful features and behind-the-scenes glimpses of museum work. Current highlights include the second part of artists Elissa Blount Moorhead and Bradford Young in conversation with Arthur Jafa and an eight-minute guided meditation with Mark Rothko’s Black Over Reds.
· BMA Go Mobile
The museum has repurposed BMA Go Mobile in-museum smartphone tours for people to use at home with tours for families, teens, and other special interests.
· BMA Shop Online
The BMA Shop has expanded its selection of online merchandise and is offering free shipping through December 31, 2020.
VISITOR INFORMATION
The BMA’s Sculpture Gardens are open Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to dusk and the BMA Shop is open Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Both are closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day. Connect with us online at artbma.org
