In the last month, we’ve seen vacations, weddings, community events, and sporting events get cancelled or postponed. Businesses, nonprofit organizations, schools, churches, and art institutions have closed. Every day there’s new guidance from our local and federal governments about what we should do to protect ourselves and others. People have had to make very difficult choices about whether their businesses should stay open or closed, and whether they need to lay off or furlough employees. The status of many organizations has changed from hour to hour. Everything is very much up in the air right now, and we’re not sure when things will get back to normal.
State of Museums in this Crisis
Major art museums in Boston closed on March 12. MassMoca in North Adams closed on March 14. Other large and small museums all quickly followed suit. Subsequently, all museum events are also cancelled. The MFA had to cancel Art in Bloom, as well as their Summer Party, two large fundraising events the museum depends on. Staff has also been laid off or furloughed: the MFA furloughed 300 staff members and MassMoca laid off 120. In both cases, this is almost half of the staff employed at these museums. The MFA says they have lost $1.4 million already since closing and are bracing for more losses 1.
In the midst of all of this upheaval and bad news, it may seem difficult to engage with art, but there are many ways museums are making it possible to view art and learn about art while staying at home.
Options to View Museum Collections at Home
The MFA has made all of its online content accessible through their homepage. There are virtual tours of past exhibits (I highly recommend the Gender Bending Fashion exhibit), videos from artists and curators, and video and audio of the museum’s instrument collection. Additionally, Google Arts and Culture features the museum on their website and you can tour a large portion of the museum with Google Maps. The MFA Director, Matthew Teitelbaum, sent an email to the MFA mailing list describing an idea curators had of showcasing pieces that had been repaired, symbolizing healing during this time of crisis. As of yet, there are no solid plans for this and no one seems to know exactly how it will be presented.
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is also using Google Maps to allow visitors to tour their galleries. They have articles on significant pieces in their collection, as well as on the 1990 robbery.
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art has a video tour of the museum and an article on how kids can set up a creative space at home.
For parents, the Boston Children’s Museum (not necessarily art related, but parents need all the help they can get during this time) has several resources for kids’ activities parents can set up at home. They also have a virtual tour courtesy of Google Maps.
Many museums across the state and country are doing the same things, with virtual tours and exhibits that can be explored online. If there’s a museum that you’ve been trying to go to or that you already love, check out their website and see what the options are for enjoying their exhibits and collections online!
Museums are also engaging with people on social media in creative ways. The Getty Museum asked people on Twitter to recreate famous artworks 2. They received many really creative responses. Museums have been engaging with people online before this crisis, but in light of all museums being closed, it’s more important than ever to interact with people virtually and provide an opportunity to continue to engage with the arts.
In a time when people are working from home or out of a job, children are home from school, and everyone is stressed and worried, it’s important to be creative and continue to engage with and learn about art. For parents, it’s a chance to provide kids with fun activities that are educational as well. For everyone else, it’s an opportunity to see museums you love in a fun and new way, or to see museums you’ve always wanted to go to for the first time. For those who are scared, alone, or grieving, art has always been a salve and a retreat. It can continue to serve that purpose for us now in these difficult times.
- “The MFA Will Furlough More Than 300 Employees Through June,” The ARTery, https://www.wbur.org/artery/2020/04/03/mfa-will-furlough-more-than-300-employees-through-june
- Carlie Porterfield, “Museum Challenge To Recreate Art At Home Goes Viral In Coronavirus Quarantine,” Forbes, https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2020/04/01/museum-challenge-to-recreate-art-at-home-goes-viral-in-coronavirus-quarantine/