A Big Surprise from Boston’s Most Loved Art Museum

October 6, 2020 • Written by Alice Romanov

The summer of 2020 has flown by like a tumbleweed in the wind, Boston still a fairly empty desert compared to the pre-dystopian lives we were living in this city before COVID-19. One of the hardest things to witness as an artist were museums closing down at the beginning of this year, with little plans for reopening. Museums like the Guggenheim in New York City have come up with a new way to make art accessible through virtual tours, but most have kept their galleries closed and inactive. Unfortunately, thousands of museum employees have been furloughed nationwide.

 Museums have been silent about reopening throughout the last few months until now. Just yesterday, September 10th, the Museum of Fine Arts announced that it would be reopening its doors on September 26th with new rules and precautions for the public. After 6 months of zero access to the museum, the MFA plans to welcome back guests and members by dividing up visitor hours with certain time slots that have to be reserved online by purchasing tickets in advance. This is amazing news for art lovers and students in Boston, and a long-overdue announcement since the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) has been open since July 16th, for half of the summer. I spoke with my new roommate, Noelle, who works in ticket sales at the MFA about their plans for staying COVID-safe, and delivering new and unique experiences. An obvious but important change is that all guests are required to wear masks inside the establishment as well as outside of the grounds, at all times. 

I asked Noelle what the biggest differences between now and pre-COVID are going to be, including any new layouts or limitations.

“We will be in front of the museum at the Huntington entrance, both outside, and just inside the main entrance. We’re going to be asking people questions about their health such as ‘Have you been in contact with anyone who has been sick recently’. [Additionally] you won’t be able to purchase tickets inside on the spot, you have to purchase a ticket on the website before you visit.”

The Huntington Ave entrance will be the only open entrance. The Fenway side with the ginormous baby heads won’t be accessible to visitors, but instead will be used as a staff entrance and exit to minimize traffic. The Fenway side was my favorite entrance. Noelle said,

“That side was my favorite too! It was always really quiet and peaceful.” 

In addition to the new rules about purchasing tickets, the museum will also be limiting its hours to Wednesday through Sunday, from 10 AM to 5 PM. Noelle mentioned that not all of the galleries will be open to the public, mostly the larger wings such as the Art of the Americas wing. How the MFA is keeping track of visitors is important for everyone’s safety. Will the museum staff be limiting or counting how many people go into each wing?

“No, they won’t be keeping track of who goes into each gallery, but everyone who goes into the museum will have the time slots that they have to arrive for, but visitors will be able to stay for longer periods.”

Coming up this fall, there will be a few traveling exhibitions popping up. On October 18, the MFA will be exhibiting Writing the Future Basquiat and the Hip-Hop Generation, which features Jean-Michael Basquiat and other artists during the post-graffiti movement in 1980’s NYC. November 11th brings a new collection of 12 Cezanne paintings to the MFA, Cezanne: In and Out of Time, and on November 15th, Monet and Boston: Lasting Impression will be making a debut. 

Along with the exciting new exhibitions, Noelle says that MassArt students will still be getting free admission to the MFA, although it will be a little different. Students will need to reserve a ticket ahead of time online. Details, including the promo code needed, can be found at https://massart.edu/museum-passes. In all, this year is out of the ordinary for both museums and art students, but just like MassArt is making this semester work, the MFA will no doubt be providing a thrilling experience as they always have done.