Message from the Secretary: Reopening Update

Dear Colleagues,

This week we marked 174 years since the founding of the Smithsonian. Throughout our history, the Smithsonian has always helped our global community look to the future while understanding our shared past. As an organization, we conduct cutting-edge research, catalyze conversations around critical contemporary issues, prepare people of all ages for tomorrow, and bring context and meaning to tumultuous times. By increasing and diffusing knowledge, we make our global community a better place.

We recognize that there are concerns about our reopening, and with each step forward, we are keeping the health, safety and well-being of our community as a primary factor in our decisions. We are continually evaluating not only when we might reopen facilities that are currently closed, but also whether we need to reduce hours or close facilities currently open to public operations.

We will not completely reopen until it is safe to do so, and we have a responsibility to be prepared to resume our public-facing mission fully when that time comes. We must be ready for the future even if current external circumstances are uncertain. While we lay this important groundwork, we continue to vigilantly monitor the external landscape and our ability to protect and support the Smithsonian community.

We are proceeding cautiously, and we will pause when necessary. We are also learning from our colleagues at the Zoo and Udvar-Hazy Center who were tapped to lead the way because of the unique features of their facilities: they have adequate space for free movement and social distancing, areas that can easily be kept clean and hygienic, and parking for staff and visitors to avoid public transportation. No COVID-19 cases have been reported among staff at those sites in the weeks they have welcomed visitors. The Zoo and Udvar-Hazy Center will continue to remain open as long as these reassuring metrics continue to be met. We are, however, prepared to close these facilities if conditions require it.

Because of the encouraging example of how the Zoo and Udvar-Hazy have welcomed the public, I am pleased to share news that Smithsonian Gardens and the Hirshhorn Museum’s outdoor sculpture garden will reopen on Monday, August 17. The opening of these locations was carefully assessed. As with the Zoo and Udvar-Hazy Center, our outdoor gardens allow for social distancing, optimal circulation paths, and strong crowd management. Smithsonian Gardens and the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden are vibrant and vital parts of the Smithsonian experience that our visitors can learn from and enjoy. Many thanks to all who have prepared for and contributed to their reopening.

Our gardens, along with the Zoo and Udvar-Hazy Center, are different from many of our other museums and facilities. As such, they can be open while the rest of the Institution takes a step back, slows the rate of our reopenings, learns from those places that are open, and plans for a future when we can gladly, and safely, open all of our doors.

Much has been asked of each of us, but please remember – the Smithsonian needs America, and America needs the Smithsonian. We have a mandate to serve the nation as only the Smithsonian can and to fulfill our promise of “the increase and diffusion of knowledge” for all. I look forward to speaking with you next week, and in the meantime, please know how grateful I am for all that you do and the patience and perseverance you have shown during such trying times.

Sincerely,

Lonnie Bunch
Secretary

Hirshhorn to Reopen Its Sculpture Garden Aug. 17

Two Newly Acquired Monumental Sculptures by Huma Bhabha and Sterling Ruby on Display

Left, “We Come in Peace” (2018) by Huma Bhabda. Right, “DOUBLE CANDLE” by Sterling Ruby. Both works will soon be activated by Hirshhorn Eye (Hi), the museum’s free mobile video guide, along with Jeff Koons’ “Kiepenkerl.”

The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden will reopen its outdoor sculpture garden to the public Monday, Aug. 17, marking the Washington, D.C., debut of two major outdoor sculptures by contemporary artists Huma Bhabha and Sterling Ruby. The new acquisitions join an array of more than 30 modern and contemporary works of art on display in the garden, which visitors will be able to enjoy with new health and safety measures in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The museum’s building and outdoor plaza remain temporarily closed to the public.

This reopening will take place as the Hirshhorn continues the public consultation process for a revitalization of its sculpture garden. Working with artist and architect Hiroshi Sugimoto, the museum undertakes this civic project to repair damaged infrastructure and create a universally accessible and dynamic space to serve a growing audience. This includes improvements to visitor amenities and more flexible exhibition spaces to provide a greater variety of programming, including performance art and large-scale new sculptural commissions, alongside intimate areas for the museum’s modern masterpieces.

“We are thrilled to welcome visitors back into our sculpture garden, a safe summer respite,” said Hirshhorn Director Melissa Chiu. “Our mission is to open the museum up to share the art of our time with as many people as possible. The reopening of our garden is one step closer to this ongoing objective, culminating in the garden’s redesign.”

Located on the National Mall, across from the Hirshhorn’s drum-shaped building, the 1.5-acre sculpture garden offers visitors a retreat in the heart of the nation’s capital. Visitors will be drawn into the newly reopened sculpture garden by Bhabha’s “We Come in Peace” (2018), a monumental sculpture standing more than 12 feet tall, greeting viewers at the garden’s Mall-side entrance. Ruby’s “DOUBLE CANDLE” towers at over 24 feet, located at the heart of the garden by the reflecting pool. Both works will soon be activated by Hirshhorn Eye (Hi), the museum’s free mobile video guide, along with Jeff Koons’ “Kiepenkerl.”

The sculpture garden will be open 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. daily. To protect the health of visitors and staff, new safety measures based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other sources will include:

• Requesting all visitors who are sick or do not feel well stay home.
• Requiring visitors ages six and older wear face coverings during their visit. Face coverings are also strongly recommended for visitors ages two-six, per CDC guidelines.
• Daily monitoring to maintain a safe garden capacity. Entry may be suspended momentarily when maximum capacity is reached.
• Implementing safe social distancing, including some one-way paths and directional guidance where appropriate.
• Providing hand-sanitizing stations for visitors and conducting enhanced cleaning throughout the garden.

For more information about what to expect when visiting go to hirshhorn.si.edu.

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