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Minneapolis Institute of Art
The Minneapolis Institute of Art, the largest art museum in the Twin Cities, announced last month it will cut $4 million from its 2021 operating budget. Seventeen employees took a voluntary separation package, and 22 staff were laid off. Additionally, Mia announced a pay freeze for all non-union staff, and a 15 percent salary cut for its leadership team.
"We pursued numerous options to save as many staff as possible and are grateful to have received a PPP loan as part of the CARES Act, which allowed us to pay all staff through June 19, during the museum’s closure," Mia director and president Katie Luber said in a press release. "We have also carefully evaluated whether there are untapped sources of revenue or new fundraising opportunities that could help alleviate the need for further cuts, but this has not been possible."
Now, Mia is planning to re-open on July 16, requiring timed tickets online (that are still free), and is reducing its hours by 43 percent. After updating its calendar, the art museum is also extending its “When Home Won’t Let You Stay: Art and Migration” exhibition through August 23, after closing since March 13.
“We look forward to welcoming visitors back to our galleries and public spaces,” said Mia’s director Katie Luber in a press release. “We have spent the past few months establishing a protocol to ensure everyone who walks through our doors feels comfortable and safe. The museum experience may be a little different now, but this is still the Mia our visitors have come to know and love.”
Here are the changed guidelines that Mia is following:
- Museum hours are now Thursday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Special hours for older people, pregnant women, and anyone who identifies as immunocompromised are Thursdays, from 10 a.m. to noon.
- While general admission to Mia is always free, tickets must be reserved in advance to maintain social distancing and a maximum capacity, at publication date, of 250 visitors. Complimentary tickets, available today, can be reserved here. Special exhibitions continue to be ticketed; tickets may be purchased here.
- A single entrance and exit on Third Avenue serves visitors and staff. The seasonal entrance at 24th Street and the Target Wing entrance are closed.
- Masks are required for all individuals older than age 2 who are able to medically tolerate a face covering, per protocols endorsed by the city ofMinneapolis.
- Visitors are required to maintain a six-foot social distance in galleries and public spaces.
- Visitors may move as they please throughout larger galleries; in smaller spaces and narrow corridors, one-way flow and floor graphics will direct visitor circulation.
- Hand sanitizer stations are available throughout the building. Mia has also doubled its daily janitorial staff, and high-touch areas will be cleaned multiple times a day.
- The Agra Culture coffee shop is open. Socially distanced tables are available in the lobby.
- The coat check is closed, so visitors should plan to carry belongings or leave them in cars.
- The Store at Mia now allows 20 visitors at a time. Merchandise is spaced to encourage social distancing, and touchless payment options are available. In addition, Mia continues to offer private shopping appointments, as well as curbside pickup for online purchases.
- During the first two weeks of reopening, Mia staff will ask guests to complete an optional survey on their museum experience to finetune procedures for future visits.
In June, the Walker Art Center announced it was laying off 15 part-time staff between the Walker Shop and visitor services and 18 part-time gallery assistants, while projecting a $5.7 million drop in revenue this year–26 percent of last year’s operating budget. Mary Ceruti, the executive director of the Walker, is taking a 20 percent pay cut as senior leadership takes 10 percent.
The Walker opened last week to members, and is opening to the public on July 16 as well (the museum has been closed since March 13, too.) The Walker galleries, the main lobby Walker Shop, and Esker Grove will open with modified hours and protocols: "Visitors over the age of 2 are required to wear masks, keep a distance of 6 feet from others outside their household group, and wash hands frequently," and expect a "near-touchless" experience after. booking on their timed online ticketing system. The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden is still open as usual.
While the Walker's Moving Image and Performing Arts programs will not come back until later this year, you can still see the museum's extensive collection of Jasper Johns prints.
After sustaining damages from the riots, and raising more than $28,000 on GoFundMe toward repairs, it appears the Somali Museum of Minnesota is open again with limited hours. Paisley Park is selling tickets for tours through August, and the Bell Museum is planning a July 16 open. The Museum of Russian Art also opened this month, and while some youth-oriented facilities like the Science Museum remain closed, the Minnesota Children's Museum announced a projected August 15 opening.
Meanwhile, as the Minnesota History Center stays closed, the Minnesota Historical Society announced the openings of some of its sites, including Split Rock Lighthouse, Jeffers Petroglyphs, Birch Coulee Battlefield, Lower Sioux Agency, Marine Mill, and Traverse des Sioux. The number of visitors at each site will be limited, so get tickets to reserve a spot up to a month in advance online. Last month, MNHS announced 176 furloughed employees were laid off and 64 were called back to work, and 136 staff members will get extended furloughs.
