The Portland Art Museum is closed to the public amid the coronavirus pandemic.Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
More than four months after closing amid the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, the Portland Art Museum is ready to reopen with new public health practices in place.
The downtown Portland museum announced Monday that it will reopen July 16. Under new safety guidelines, visitors will need to buy tickets online in advance using the museum’s new timed entry system, must wear face masks, and will need to keep at least six feet away from other groups.
Museum hours will also be reduced, to 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.
“We have been thoughtfully planning for our reopening under the guidelines set forth by the Oregon Health Authority and Centers for Disease Control, and have made changes to best serve our staff and public in the safest possible way,” museum director Brian Ferriso said in the announcement.
A limited number of galleries will initially be opened, and museum officials are compensating by cutting admission prices in half to $10 starting July 23, until the remaining galleries reopen. The museum is also offering free admission for its first four days open, July 16 to 19.
Because of ongoing state restrictions on large public gatherings, the museum will not yet resume in-person public programs, including tours and screenings at the Northwest Film Center, the museum said. The Museum Store will operate during the museum’s hours and will also offer curbside pickup.
Some exhibitions cut short by the pandemic will be extended, including “Volcano!” featuring art of Mount St. Helens, which opened Feb. 8 and will now run through Jan. 3, 2021.
The Portland Art Museum has struggled during its closure, laying off 123 employees and cutting pay to the museum’s senior leadership team, accumulating losses of roughly $1 million every month it remained closed, museum leaders said.
“Our reopening plan includes a shared belief that each of us plays a role in a safe reopening. We are in this together,” Ferriso said. “There’s no better way to heal and to learn than making it possible for everyone to connect with art and the creative spirit.”
–Jamie Hale; jhale@oregonian.com; 503-294-4077; @HaleJamesB
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