Betty Brinn museum to stay closed this summer
As Milwaukee restaurants, theaters and entertainment venues figure out how to reopen after months of closures forced by the coronavirus pandemic, Betty Brinn Children’s Museum will stay closed for the summer.
There are a few reasons for that. First, the museum’s main demographic — toddlers and preschool-aged children — are not well-known for their ability to social distance. Second, the museum’s exhibits are highly interactive and hands-on — not ideal during a pandemic.
“I have a lot of colleagues throughout the country trying to figure out how to keep a mask on a 4-year-old while enjoying whatever is left of the children’s museum exhibits,” said Brian King, executive director of Betty Brinn. “I don’t think that’s a valuable use of our time.”
And, even if Betty Brinn could safely reopen with reduced capacity, with fewer exhibits and enforced mask requirements, as other venues are starting to do, King said there’s another reason for the museum not to open — parents don’t want it to.
The children’s museum surveyed frequent visitors, and they overwhelmingly said they’re not ready to return to Betty Brinn yet.
“I’m part of a weekly leadership call with children’s museums throughout the country, and I’m hearing the early experiences of some that have reopened,” said King. “With very few exceptions, it’s expensive, it’s exhausting and not many people are coming.”
While King is sad that the museum has to stay closed for the time being, he said it’s the right move to make to maintain the trust that Milwaukee’s parents have in the institution. King also said he and his staff are taking what he calls a “zoomed-out” approach to planning — focusing not just on what’s best for the museum for the next 25 days but for the next 25 years.
That means figuring out how to reopen as soon as safely possible and financially feasible, as well as strategizing new ways to provide services in fall and beyond.
The museum’s staff is working on building on the currently available virtual offerings — things like virtual tot times and parent groups. They’re also brainstorming ways they can offer educational resources to teachers as they face their own difficult task as kids go back to school in fall.
“Just because the museum floor is closed, we’re not closed as an institution,” King said. “We’re very actively planning to innovate our way through this pandemic.”