RICHMOND, Va. -- The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) will reopen Saturday, July 4, museum officials announced Wednesday.
“We appreciate the community’s patience and support while the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts was temporarily closed to help slow the spread of COVID-19,” Alex Nyerges, VMFA’s Director and CEO, said. “We are committed to providing a safe, artful experience once again and we’re excited to welcome the community back to VMFA!”
The museum will open to members on July 1 and to the general public on July 4.
"With its reopening, the museum will resume its regular operating hours of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily with extended hours Wednesday, Thursday and Friday until 9 p.m.," a museum spokesperson shared.
There are some COVID-19 safety precautions the museum will take when it reopens:
- Wearing face coverings will be required
- Disposable masks will be provided to those who do not bring their own
- To limit the number of people within the museum at one time, visitors will enter through the main entrance near the McGlothlin Wing on the first floor and exit near the Art Education Center located off North Arthur Ashe Boulevard, also on the first floor.
- Physical distancing must be practiced while inside the museum and outside on VMFA’s grounds.
- The facilities and campus will be cleaned and sanitized daily, with high-touch areas and restrooms cleaned more frequently.
- Hand-sanitizing stations will be available throughout the museum.
- Clear acrylic partitions are installed at Visitor Services, in the VMFA Shop, and at all public-facing workstations.
"VMFA’s casual dining venue Best Café will operate “grab-and-go” service and provide limited seating, spaced to meet physical-distancing standards," a museum spokesperson said. "Amuse, VMFA’s fine dining restaurant, will also be open with limited seating; reservations are recommended."
Despite the museum's reopening, all in-person early childhood programs, kids’ camps, teen camps, and adult studio school classes, as well as K-12-adult guided and self-directed tours are canceled for the summer.