Executive Director Pamela L. Myers. Image David Huff. Dear Museum Members and friends,
Today we’re elated with Gov. Roy Cooper’s announcement that museums in North Carolina have the green light to open at 50% capacity with the lifting of select restrictions on businesses as the state enters Phase 2.5. We look forward to sharing details later this week, so please keep an eye on your inbox for more information. Our Members will be the first to learn about our reopening plans and the first to reenter the Museum on our Members-only reopening days. Our team has worked diligently over the past few months to develop a reopening plan with the utmost concern for the safety and wellness of our visitors, community, and staff.
Unbelievably, almost six months have passed since the Museum temporarily closed its doors with the COVID-19 Stay Home, Stay Safe orders and safety concerns. During this time, we’ve worked creatively and collaboratively to continue our mission of offering innovative experiences for learning, enjoyment, and interpretation of art. Our digital outreach has been revolutionized, and we’ve delivered thousands of hours of virtual programming for Members, teachers, parents, students, and friends who’ve joined us from around the world. It’s been a time of intense review, planning, and learning that will impact all areas of operation—analog and virtual—going forward.
I applaud and am amazed by the resilience of the dedicated Museum staff and trustees. I especially thank our funders, including foundations and businesses from here in WNC and across the country who’ve been joined by generous individuals who love the arts and have given support at all levels. By doing so, they’ve made it possible to retain staff, deliver programs, safely and securely manage the facility, and protect our Collection and works on loan to us.
We’re 72 years strong, and while the future will undoubtedly look different, we know that with your help and participation we’ll remain vital and essential in a changed world. We’re planning years out, and when we reopen with protective protocols in place, you’ll experience exhibitions including A Telling Instinct: John James Audubon and Contemporary Art, Dancing Atoms: Barbara Morgan Photographs, Andy Warhol: Silver Clouds, Reverberations: Exploring Movement in the Collection, Muddying the Waters: Traditions in North Carolina Clay, 50 Years of Western North Carolina Glass from the James D. & Judith S. Moore Collection, and new works and recent acquisitions to the Collection installed in Intersections of American Art. To me, the works in Many Become One resonate with new insights that recent experiences have provided. To whet your appetite, you may want to peek at our 3D tour with audio guides, or book a Virtual Visit with your family, friends, or students.
We’ll safely celebrate with you and our community before and on the one-year anniversary of the opening of the new Museum on November 14. We look forward to seeing you in the galleries where American art and creativity—on view in our new 54,000-square-foot building—can once again provide solace, inspiration, and joy.
Be safe and well.
Sincerely,
Pamela L. Myers
Executive Director
