Bruce Museum closes temporarily

Unexpected measure is forced by construction work

GREENWICH — The Bruce Museum announced Tuesday evening it was temporarily closing its doors to the public due to the ongoing major construction work underway on the building.

The unexpected and unplanned closure began immediately. In a statement, the museum cited the “challenges encountered during the ongoing construction project to create the new Bruce” for the closure. Its website said, “Pardon our dust! We’re temporarily closed and working hard toward the new Bruce Muse

um!”

The ongoing work on the renovation and expansion work made it difficult to keep the galleries open to the public, the statement said.

The plans for the “New Bruce” call for building a 43,000-squarefoot addition on the museum, doubling its size. The construction work is scheduled to be completed by the fall of 2022.

It was not clear Tuesday how long the museum will be closed; the museum said only that the reopening would be announced at a later date.

“We are enduring some of the growing pains associated with any major expansion,” Robert Wolterstorff, the museum’s executive director said in the statement. “We had two really great special exhibitions on view, and were hearing from our visitors how much they were enjoying them. I’m very hopeful that we will reopen soon.”

The museum store will also be closed to the public during this period.

Museum staff will continue to work during the closure, and the museum will still hold online public programs that it had previously announced.

The recently opened exhibits are “Fun/No Fun: Children’s

Book Art” by James Stevenson and the “She Sweeps With Many Colored Brooms, Paintings and Prints” by Emily Mason.

“We apologize for the inconvenience this may cause museum members and other visitors, especially lovers of the wonderful illustrations created by James

Stevenson and the dazzling abstract paintings and prints by Emily Mason,” Wolterstorff said. “The entire museum staff will continue to bring exhibitions to the public online, as well as offer programs to educate and entertain all ages through our website and social media channels.”

A video curator’s tour and overview of the Stevenson exhibition can be seen online at www.brucemuseum.org.

The museum said it will still hold an art workshop connected with the Stevenson exhibit from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday. Artist Emily Curran will hold a Zoom webinar for families to learn how to create an illustrated story inspired by Stevenson’s work.

The Stevenson exhibit, which shows children’s book art from the late artist who was also known for his cartoons in the New Yorker, is scheduled to run through April 18

The Mason exhibit is scheduled to be on view through March 21. A three-part weekly series of printmaking workshops from 10 to 11:30 a.m. starting Jan. 20 will still be held, as will a virtual conversation about Mason’s techniques for printmaking from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Jan. 28.

To make an online reservation, visit www.brucemuseum.org or by calling 203-869-0376 ext. 311.

Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut Media Construction proceeds on the expansion and renovation at the Bruce Museum.

Hearst Connecticut Media file photo Museum leaders, donors and elected officials break ground on a major addition at the Bruce Museum on Oct. 8. The new addition will be comprised of the William L. Richter Art Wing, the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Education Wing, the Robert R. Wiener Mineral Gallery and a restaurant.