California Science Center, Autry Museum Announce Reopening Dates, New Exhibits
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Museums in Los Angeles will soon reopen their doors to welcome visitors with an array of new exhibits built up during pandemic-forced closures.
With more of California's counties in the red tier, which allows more businesses to reopen their indoor operations, museums are preparing to allow visitors beyond their gardens and outdoor exhibits. All require visitors to make advanced reservations before arriving, wear face masks while visiting and adhere to COVID-19 safety guidelines.
The California Science Center announced it would reopen March 27, with public reservations opening on March 24. The museum, which is in Exposition Park next to USC and the Natural History Museum, will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., but capacity will be limited to 25% and visitors will be required to get timed entry reservations. Its IMAX theater will also reopen the same day, showing the films "Hubble" and "Under the Sea."
"Science is core to everything and our reopening protocols reflect the guidance of state and local health agencies, as well as the Science Center's public health and infectious disease expert advisors," Science Center President Jeffrey Rudolph said in a statement.
Two new exhibits will also premiere at the California Science Center soon. "All in This Together," which premieres in April, explores the facts about COVID-19 and will include a special display from the COVID Memorial Quilt, which honors people who were lost to the virus. "Life! Beginnings," which will give guests a chance to experience the journey from conception to birth inside an immersive "womb room" and explore real fetal specimens, will open in June.
The Autry Museum of the American West in Griffith Park will reopen to the general public on April 6. Its Historic Southwest Museum Campus, however, will reopen at a later date.
"After a challenging year for so many, we are ecstatic to reopen the museum and welcome the community back into our building," W. Richard West, Jr. (Cheyenne), president and CEO of the Autry, said in a statement.
The Autry will have two new exhibits when its doors open to its members on March 30, including its annual display and sale of art from dozens of Western artists and "When I Remember I See Red: American Indian Art and Activism in California," an art exhibit exploring the intersection of native art and activism.
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art also announced it would reopen on April 1, while Getty officials say the Getty Villa in Malibu will probably open first, in mid-April, followed by the Getty Center, above the 405 Freeway in West Los Angeles, a few weeks later.
