MUSEUMS PREP FOR REOPENING
Green didn’t mean “go” for the museums in the Pittsburgh area.
Most of them kept the doors closed when Gov. Tom Wolf moved Allegheny County into the green phase on the first weekend of June.
But with the beginning of summer, museums, which have been closed since midMarch due to COVID-19, are beginning to reopen, including all four Carnegie Museums this weekend.
The Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History, Carnegie Science Center and The Andy Warhol Museum open to members Friday through Sunday and then to the public on Monday.
Timed ticketing and other safety protocols will be in place, including limiting the number of visitors to 25% of building capacity at any one time, timed ticketing, clearly marked foot-traffic patterns in hightraffic areas, enhanced cleaning protocols and modification of interactive exhibits with hand sanitizers near interactive exhibits. Visitors over age 2 and staff will be required to wear masks and practice safe social distancing.
“The four Carnegie Museums are ideal places to be inspired and uplifted by the wonders of art and science while also practicing social distancing,” Steven Knapp, president and CEO of Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh said in a statement, “and we are fully prepared to conform to recommended guidelines.”
Three of the museums are opening with new exhibitions. The Carnegie Museum of Art presents “An-My Lê: On Contested Terrain,” the first comprehensive survey of the work of An-My Lê, exploring “the intricacies of armed combat through the work of a photographer who lived through the Vietnam War.”
The collection of photos has been a virtual show with video at cmoa.org.
Dan Leers, Carnegie Museum of Art’s curator of photography, said her work “invites audiences to consider the impact of conflict and how those conflicts continue to shape our cultural narrative.”
There will also be new photographs from Lê’s ongoing series “Silent General,” works that “grapple with the legacy of America’s Civil War and connect to the complexities of our current sociopolitical moment.”
In the Heinz Galleries, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History unveils the world premiere of “Dinosaur Armor,” focused on body armor over the course of 500 million years, from combative to ornamental.
The Andy Warhol Museum on the North Side reopens with “Femme Touch,” telling the stories of women and femmes in Warhol’s life “from transgender icons and stalwart members of the underground scene, to the artist’s mother and his radical would-be assassin.” It will run through Jan. 3.
The Carnegie Science Center, which has more hands-on exhibits, will sanitize and disinfect as well as close certain exhibits that cannot be sanitized regularly, such as the Ropes Challenge and Rock Wall in Highmark SportsWorks and some interactive exhibits in Little Learner Clubhouse.
Full information at https://carnegiemuseums.org. Steel history
Rivers of Steel, a museum dedicated to preserving Pittsburgh’s history in the steel industry, is opening the Carrie Blast Furnaces in Swissvale, but its other four locations will remain closed.
Its guidelines for opening with the new coronavirus are extensive with cleaning procedures, bathroom regulations and updated tour plans. The museum will provide masks to anyone who wishes to enter the facility but does not have one. No one will be allowed to enter without a mask.
“We want to make sure everyone is safe,” said President and CEO August Carlino. “We’re not going to open stuff just to open.”
The furnaces were the first choice for reopening because the tour is mostly outside. Portions of the tour through small spaces have been eliminated for the time being.
The next site scheduled to open is the riverboat on the North Shore next to Heinz Field because it’s also partially outdoors. Other locations like the machine shop in Rices Landing may remain closed for longer because the many touchable objects make it difficult to sanitize everything.
“We plan to do a test run on the boat next week,” Mr. Carlino said.
Staff members do test runs of all their tours before opening them for visitors.
Having to stand 6 feet away from the tour guide and from other people on the tour can make it hard to hear. Rivers of Steel addressed this problem by adding extra equipment. Tour guides at the Carrie Blast Furnaces will wear an amplified speaking system. Information at riversofsteel.com.
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Fallingwater’s return
Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural masterpiece in Mill Run, Fayette County, will require all guests to reserve tickets in advance, and groups of 20 to 25 people will be allowed onto the site every half-hour. Only credit cards are accepted at the gift shop, cafe and membership desk.
Guided tours of the exterior only are available for groups of six people or fewer from the same household.
Those who want to see the inside can walk through on their own and ask questions to the museum’s experts stationed throughout the home. Intimate jazz concerts are typically held in the home during the summer months, but those will most likely be livestreamed.
“We’re using assisted listening devices,” said Fallingwater’s director Justin Gunther. “Visitors will get a pair of disposable earbuds with it so they can listen to the tour guide.”
Find more information at fallingwater.org. More museums
The Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art in Ligonier, part of a system of five art museums, reopened June 9.
“Each location is a little different,” said site coordinator Kristen Miller. “Some are keeping their [current exhibitions] up for longer.”
When the museum closed in March, its exhibition displayed the work of local high school students. Ms. Miller was tasked with returning the artwork to schools so students could take it home.
Pittsburgh watercolor artist Robert Bowden’s exhibition, originally scheduled to go up May 1, is open now. With the extra time, SAMA of Ligonier shot a virtual tour and interview with Mr. Bowden. This is the first video project it has done, and it should be available on its website and Facebook page soon.
SAMA also had to postpone events like the Derby Day Gala to Sept. 5.
“Fundraising events are vital to nonprofits like us,” Ms. Miller said.
SAMA (www.sama-art.org/) has adjusted its hours to noon to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday to allow staff time for extra cleaning. People who want to tour in groups must call ahead and will have to give their contact information so the museum can trace any reported cases of the new coronavirus through visitors.
The Heinz History Center and the National Aviary will reopen July 1, and The Frick Pittsburgh reopens its 5½-acre grounds to visitors on July 7.
The Children’s Museum on the North Side is holding off on reopening because its exhibits revolve around physical interaction. It’s also difficult to force children to social distance when they are in a high-energy, creative environment.
Despite not having an opening date set, staff have already discussed how to implement new safety procedures like timed ticketing and touchless checkout.
The new Kindness Gallery was supposed to debut March 20 but will wait until visitors return.
“We are extending memberships for as long as the museum is closed,” said Senior Director of Communications Max Pipman. “So, if you have a membership now, and the museum is closed for three months, your membership will be extended by three months. If you buy a 12-month membership while we are closed, the clock won’t start ticking on it until we reopen.”
In the meantime, it is running an online project called “Museum at Home,” which includes a series of video activities for kids to try. It will also hold a virtual summer camp.
Check pittsburghkids.org for details.