The Cincinnati Art Museum, Contemporary Arts Center and Taft Museum of Art have released a joint press release announcing that they will all be closing for three weeks — from today through April 3 — over COVID-19 concerns.
“You can imagine how difficult it was to come to a decision about closing the three art museums in our city,” the release says. “This decision ultimately came down to our belief that we have a duty to you, our visitors, staff, fellow community members and friends, to think first about your health and the health of the city we live in. For some people, the coronavirus is not a serious health threat, but for others, it most definitely is. Our concern is for the good health of all of us.”
The press release says that each museum has been taking preventative measures for the past several weeks and preparing for the worst.
“As institutions built on the belief that art has the power to change hearts and open minds, closing our doors during this time is painful, but we know it is the right thing to do to keep all of us safe in the face of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic,” the release states. “We want to do all we can to ensure that our community stays safe and healthy and to reduce opportunities for close physical proximity.“
The release says that museum staff will still be paid during the closure.
Get more info at cincinnatiartmuseum.org, cincycac.org and taftmuseum.org.
This article appears in Mar 4-17, 2020.