Cautiously, hopefully, museums reopening

Visitors appreciate institutions’ safety protocols, happy to get back to learning while having fun

Milwaukee residents Eric and Jess Gebhardt were first in line at the Milwaukee Art Museum for reopening weekend on Saturday.

For the couple, it was a time to celebrate Eric’s birthday and, as museum members, support the institution during the pandemic.

With area museums opening to the public for the first time in 2021, the Gebhardts came early to avoid any rush.

“We figured we’d just get in and see what it was like, and go before it becomes busier throughout the day,” Jess Gebhardt said. “We’re excited to get out on a nice sunny day and do something that feels familiar and exciting.”

After months of planning and coordination with the city Health Department, the Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee Public Museum and Harley-Davidson Museum welcomed guests with the intention of staying open in some capacity throughout the year. Discovery World plans to open later this month.

“(The Health Department’s) goal was once we open to never have to close again,” said Milwaukee Public Museum President

Ellen Censky.

Part of that opening includes adopting similar safety protocols. Each museum requires guests to wear masks and has created a one-way path to regulate the flow of foot traffic and keep people physically distanced.

Tickets must be purchased in advance online, and while the museums can go up to 25% capacity, they are staying below that limit while they learn how their protocols hold up.

“With the pandemic hitting, we really came together, and not just the museums, but the other cultural (institutions) came together to try to navigate this as one,” Censky said. “And one of the big things that came out of it was the museums are all now doing something very similar, and that helps with the community, too.”

Last year, the art museum was open for a few months in the

An arrow directs Alexandra Megan, from left, son Graydon, 5, and daughter Madeline, 3, at the Milwaukee Art Museum.

PHOTOS BY MIKE DE SISTI / MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL Sisters, from left, Olive, Penelope and Ella Sullivan, all 7, of Milwaukee, look at an assortment of crystals in the Third Planet area at the Milwaukee Public Museum on Saturday. They were there with parents Dianne and Wayne Sullivan. The museum, along with several others in the area, has reopened after being closed because of the pandemic.