TOLEDO, Ohio — The Toledo Museum of Art has been open since June 23 in a limited capacity as the coronavirus continues to be a concern in our area.
New hours and procedures were put in place to create a safe visit for guests, as outlined below.
Now, the museum will implement new hours of operation, extending evening hours on Fridays and Saturdays. The museum says the new hours are intended to better serve the public and increase accessibility for visitors with varied schedules.
Starting Nov. 20, TMA will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, and from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The museum will be closed Mondays and Tuesdays as well as on major holidays.
Museum guests are also no longer required to reserve a museum pass in advance of their visit, but are required to register at the Information Desk when they arrive.
The museum says the changes in hours coincides with the openings of Radical Tradition: American Quilts and Social Change and Telling Stories: Resilience and Struggle in Contemporary Narrative Drawing.
Member previews for both exhibitions will take place Friday, Nov. 20, from 4 to 8 p.m. The exhibitions will open to the public Saturday, Nov. 21, at 11 a.m. Information about the exhibitions is available online.
New Museum guidelines
- The West Wing of the Museum and the Museum Store will be open Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. with special hours from 10 a.m. to noon reserved for at-risk populations.
- The Museum Cafe will be open with a grab & go menu.
- The East Wing, Community Gallery, Family Center, Works on Paper/History Hallway, Art Reference Library and the Glass Pavilion remain temporarily closed.
- Group tours will not be conducted and all indoor performance or educational events have been canceled or postponed to the fall.
- Outdoor programs and events are currently in the planning phases.
- Visitors are strongly encouraged to wear face coverings while in the Museum. All TMA staff will wear masks at all times.
- Social distancing of at least six feet between parties will be monitored within the Museum.
- A one-way path that takes visitors through many of the West Wing galleries has been created. Highlights of this route include the Cloister, New Media Gallery, Great Gallery and Levis Gallery. Visitors are also encouraged to spend time outdoors in the Welles Sculpture Garden.
- Plexiglass will be in place at the front desk, the Museum Store and the Museum Cafe. Cash will not be accepted; guests can pay for purchases using a debit card or credit card.
- Parking will be free to the public through July 7. Paid parking for non-members will resume July 8.
- Many of the exhibitions that were on view when the Museum closed in March have been extended. Others will open as new exhibitions:
· Mirror, Mirror: The Prints of Alison Saar will be on view through July 26
· Thornton Dial: Trip to the Mountaintop will be on view through July 26
· Global Conversations: Art in Dialogue will be on view through Aug. 16
· ONE EACH: Still Lifes from Pissarro, Cezanne, Manet and Friends will be on view through Aug. 23
Two exhibitions scheduled to open this past spring have new dates:
· The Path to Paradise: Judith Schaechter’s Stained-Glass Art, Oct. 3, 2020-Jan. 3, 2021
· Rare and Wondrous: Birds in Art and Culture, 1620-1820, April 24-July 5, 2021
The following exhibitions will remain temporarily off view:
· PICTURE ID: Contemporary African American Works on Paper
· Yayoi Kusama: Fireflies on the Water
Those with tickets for Fireflies on the Water can request a refund or consider their purchase as a charitable gift to TMA. Ticket holders may contact Visitor Services at customerservice@toledomuseum.org or (419) 255-8000 ext. 7448 to arrange a refund.
As the museum continues to reopen, more galleries, special exhibits and classes will be open and available for patrons.
Starting Aug. 4:
- Select galleries in the East Wing of the Museum will open and feature a new exhibition called PICTURE ID: Contemporary African American Works on Paper. The exhibit, originally set to open in March, addresses race, gender and identity issues through the art of nine contemporary African American artists.
- Intersections by Pakistani-American artist Anila Quayyum Agha will also be back on view. Agha is known for creating intricately-lit spaces that evoke the sacred, while exploring issues surrounding exclusion and belonging, global politics and other issues.
- Virtual art classes for youth and adults and in-person workshops for adult students will begin Aug. 10. Courses will be offered in a variety of media, with materials included and no experience necessary. Class topics include glass, jewelry, drawing, comic book design (ages 12 to 18) and a colorful Japanese marbling technique for children ages 5 to 7. Registration for classes is open until Aug. 6 on the Toledo Museum of Art website.
- The Art Library will also open Aug. 17.
