Art Institute Of Chicago Welcomes Visitors Back After Another COVID-19 Pandemic Closure
CHICAGO (CBS) -- After another closure that dated back to the fall amid a surge in the coronavirus pandemic, the Art Institute of Chicago reopened its doors on Thursday.
As CBS 2's Marissa Parra reported, the museum is of course full of prized collections from around the world. But the real sight for sore eyes was the humans – back at the Art Institute for the first time in months
"Everyone's happy to see each other face-to-face," said Amy Allen, Associate Vice President for Individual Giving at the Art Institute.
Allen likened the reopening Thursday to a reunion.
Like the rest of the museums in town, the Art Institute closed during the spring and reopened during the summer, only to close again not long afterward.
"The Bisa Butler textiles exhibition was actually open to the public one day before we had to close," Allen said.
While they're hoping this reopening lasts a little longer, Allen said the museum did not let the down time go to waste. Now covered by a curtain is a new Tiffany window work in progress – currently ahead of schedule.
"It's special to have a museum close and be able to make headway on some major installations so that, when we reopen, we are that much ahead of the game," Allen said.
Aside from the usual signage telling people to social distance and keep masks on, there are some changes.
The 1 million square feet of space is capped at 25 percent capacity, and the number one thing they don't want to see at the Art Institute is people clumping together.
One big change in particular is that instead of waiting in line for tickets, the Art Institute is asking you to get your tickets online in advance and then have your phone ready so that you can scan – and then keep it moving by getting straight to the exhibits
It is the same idea with the special exhibits too – both "Monet in Chicago" and "Bisa Butler: Portraits" have been extended. And now, you can get in line online to go see them.
"Monet in Chicago" explores French impressionist painting movement founder Claude Monet's connection to the city. While Monet never actually visited Chicago, the Art Institute noted that his works were purchased in the late 19th century by the likes of celebrity Chicago businessman Potter Palmer and his wife Bertha and were shown at the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893. Monet's first solo show at a U.S. museum was "20 Works by Claude Monet" in 1895, and the museum's permanent collection of Monet paintings went on growing in subsequent years.
Bisa Butler is a native of Orange, New Jersey whose work is dedicated toward celebrating Black life. She uses textiles to focus on the historical marginalization of her subjects, and uses "scale and subtle detail" to convey the subjects' complex personalities, the Art Institute said.
"Together, Butler's quilts present an expansive view of history through their engagement with themes such as family, community, migration, the promise of youth, and artistic and intellectual legacies," the Art Institute said.
And as to preparing for the reopening, Allen said there were a lot of sleepless nights on Zoom mapping out every detail, even down to the direction of the arrows on the floor, so to make an unusual time feel just a little bit like the way things were before
"It makes myself and the teams so happy to welcome people back during what's been a pretty tough year for everybody," Allen said.
The Shedd Aquarium and the Field Museum of Natural History have already reopened with similar precautions in place. The Museum of Science and Industry will reopen to members on March 4 and the general public on March 7 with the exhibition "Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes" – which has been extended to run through Oct. 24.