The New York Historical Society, the oldest museum in NYC, plans to re-open on August 14 with a FREE outdoor exhibit in the museum courtyard chronicling New York City under quarantine. Indoor exhibits are scheduled to re-open in September.
“Hope Wanted: New York City Under Quarantine” features more than 50 photographs along with audio interviews with the subjects of the photographs.
The photos were captured by Kay Hickman, who also curated the show alongside writer Kevin Powell, during the height of the pandemic in April, when one thousand or more New Yorkers were dying every day.
Both opening days are – of course – pending approval from the NY State and NYC.
Like the rest of New York City’s museums, New-York Historical Society closed in mid-March, and now beginning to announce re-opening plans.
The photo installation will be in the museum’s open-air courtyard, with safety precautions put into place.
Masks will be required for entry and social distancing, enforced through timed tickets, will be required.
The museum also has been collecting objects related to the COVID-19 crisis and Black Lives Matter protests as part of its “History Responds” initiative, a program that gathers materials from current events in real-time.
“We are eager to welcome visitors back to the New-York Historical Society,” Louise Mirrer, president and CEO of the New-York Historical Society, said in a statement. “While so much has changed over the past several months, our mission of ‘Making History Matter’ remains vital, now more than ever before.”
“Hickman’s empathetic photographs of people and their neighborhoods in all five boroughs and Powell’s searching interviews of New Yorkers impacted by the crisis capture both tragedy and remarkable resilience at a moment in time during the pandemic,” the statement added.
The re-opening plan is under New-York Historical Society’s announcement is in preparation for Phase 4, the final re-opening guidelines.
Phase 2 was implemented last week.
Phase 3 is due to be implemented on Monday, July 6, which will allow for gatherings of up to 25 people.
If all goes as planned, museums and historical sites will be allowed to start opening on Monday, July 20, when the city embarks on Phase 4.
More Museum News
The New York Times reports that the Metropolitan Museum of Art will open its doors to visitors Aug. 29.
“The safety of our staff and visitors remains our greatest concern,” Met president Daniel H. Weiss said in a statement. “We are eagerly awaiting our reopening as, perhaps now more than ever, the Museum can serve as a reminder of the power of the human spirit and the capacity of art to bring comfort, inspire resilience, and help us better understand each other and the world around us.”
When the museum reopens, it will be without the Met Breuer, the former home of the Whitney Museum of American Art. The Met turned the Breuer-designed building into an outpost for modern and contemporary art.
Met Breuer will be taken over by the Frick Collection, sealing a deal put into motion in 2018.
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