New Britain American Art Museum to Re-Open

The New Britain Museum of American Art (NBMAA) has announced that it is re-opening, with new policies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Welcome back to the NBMAA!,” said the Museum. “We are delighted to offer you and your family much-needed access to our lovely, peaceful galleries beginning July 18.”

The New Britain Museum of American Art is widely recognized to be a world class museum, with a large collection of celebrated works of art.

The Museum says that it, “closed its doors to the public on March 15 offices on March 18 prior to state regulations requiring it to do so,” in response to the pandemic.

“The safety and well-being of our Members, guests, staff, and volunteers has always been our top priority and guided our decision to close in March,” NBMAA Director & CEO Min Jung Kim said, “it continues to guide us in our planning and preparation for reopening.”

Since it closed, the Museum says, it has been working on reopening plans, and has enlisted the help of, “Hartford HealthCare to review its Reopening Plan and walk through the Museum to provide feedback on planned protocols and procedures.”

The Museum says it plans a, “phased public opening,” adding that, though permitted to open at 50% capacity, “the Museum will reopen in the first few days/weeks at a 10-25% capacity and only increase these levels based on the comfort and confidence of staff and public alike.”

Though the public reopening is to be on July 18, 2020, the Museum says that,

As a gesture of appreciation to all essential business workers who worked throughout the pandemic shutdown, the New Britain Museum of American Art (NBMAA) will kick off it’s reopening by welcoming essential business workers and their families free of charge for the first two days, July 14 and 15.

Kim says that, “We hope this opportunity to visit our beautiful Museum will give essential workers and their families respite from their stressful experiences throughout the pandemic.” The Museum has also announced that it,

has launched a BOGO Membership program to benefit the workers. For every Membership renewal or new Membership purchased by the general public, NBMAA will donate one household Membership to the family of an essential business worker.

The Museum says that it will then continue its “soft opening” by welcoming its Museum Members on July 16th and 17th, and the general public on July 18th.

The Museum says that its plans are to be open on Wednesdays to Sundays, from 10:00am to 1:00pm and from 2:00pm to 5:00pm.

“The Museum will close for one hour each day to thoroughly clean surfaces and rotate staff,” the Museum announced, “and will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays each week to allow additional cleaning and disinfecting of its spaces.”

Among the restrictions that will apply are that, “All guests and staff members are required to wear face masks inside the building,” and that, “Visitors will move from space to space in one direction by following floor arrows and by moving clockwise within each gallery space.”

“Guests are encouraged to limit visits to 90 minutes during these early opening phases,” the Museum says, adding that, “There will be no guided tours during this phase of our Museum reopening.”

The Museum says that its Café is temporarily closed and that only three people at a time are to be permitted in its Museum Store.

“This summer, visitors are required to make reservations and pay online in advance.” Tickets, for $10 this summer, are available on the Museum online tickets website. The Museum’s Members are to be admitted free, but, “are required to reserve an entry time.”

The Museum says that it, “will allow 15 entry tickets per every 15 minutes.”

The NBMAA has said that it,

is the first institution dedicated solely to acquiring American art. Spanning four centuries of American history, the Museum’s permanent collection is renowned for its strengths in colonial portraiture, the Hudson River School, American Impressionism, the Ash Can School, as well as the important mural series The Arts of Life in America by Thomas Hart Benton. The singular focus on American art and its panoramic view of American artistic achievement, realized through the Museum’s extensive permanent collection, exhibitions, and educational programming, make the New Britain Museum of American Art a significant resource for a broad and diverse public.

The New Britain Museum of American Art is located at 56 Lexington Street, adjoining New Britain’s historic Walnut Hill Park.