Message from the Secretary: All Smithsonian museums to reopen this summer
Museum reopenings will be staggered, beginning in Jun.e
I am pleased to announce that we will reopen 10 more museums over the course of the summer, following the successful reopening this month of the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture and the Renwick Gallery, the National Museum of American History, the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., and the National Zoo.
This marks a full reopening of the Smithsonian for the first time since closing to the public in March 2020. These additional openings in Washington, D.C., and New York City will occur on a staggered schedule from June through August. All museums will reopen with added health and safety measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic and many will have reduced hours of operation. Visitors will need to reserve free timed-entry passes for most locations. Detailed information for visitors is available on the museum websites.
These reopenings do not change our operating status. Only staff directly involved with reopening will return to the workplace. If you are not asked to report to the workplace by your supervisor, please continue teleworking. And, as always, if you feel ill, stay home. Please continue to care for one another and support our community as we slowly and diligently move forward.
Reopening Schedule
- Thursday, June 10: Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City
- Friday, June 18: National Museum of Natural History
- Wednesday, June 23: National Museum of the American Indian in New York City
- Friday, July 16: The National Museum of African Art; The National Museum of Asian Art Freer Gallery
- Friday, July 30: The National Air and Space Museum (Mall location); Smithsonian Institution Building (The Castle)
- Friday, Aug 6; Anacostia Community Museum
- Friday, Aug 20; Hirshhorn Museum (The Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden is currently open)
- Friday, Aug 27; National Postal Museum
* In November, the historic Arts and Industries Building will open to the public for the first time since 2004 with a new exhibition FUTURES in honor of the Smithsonian’s 175th anniversary.
To protect the health of visitors and staff, safety measures based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other sources will include:
- Requesting that all visitors who are sick or do not feel well stay home.
- Requiring visitors ages 2 and older to wear face coverings while visiting museums and indoor spaces.
- Closely monitoring and limiting the number of people in each location. Visitors may need to obtain a free timed-entry pass in advance of their visit.
- Implementing safe social distancing, including one-way paths and directional guidance where appropriate.
- Providing hand-sanitizing stations for visitors and conducting enhanced cleaning throughout all facilities.
Some museum cafes, exhibits, galleries, interactives, theaters, retail shops or indoor spaces may be closed or operating at a limited capacity. Detailed information for visitors is available on the museum websites.
The decision to reopen these facilities was made carefully and with the utmost consideration for the health and safety of our staff and visitors. We have been closely monitoring the landscape in our region and receiving guidance from government agencies and public health experts.
I am proud of your dedication and your ability to adapt to meet our mission in ever-changing circumstances. You have shown me, time and time again, how much we can accomplish. Together, we will move beyond the challenge and sacrifice of the past many month to embrace our new normal moving forward.
Sincerely,
Lonnie G. Bunch
Secretary
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Posted: 26 May 2021
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