From Sarah Bursley McNamara
Rockford Art Museum

Rockford Art Museum will reopen Monday, July 6, with new health and safety protocols in place – and free admission through the end of the year. RAM is located inside the Riverfront Museum Park building at 711 North Main Street in downtown Rockford, Illinois, across the hall from Discovery Center Museum and next door to Burpee Museum of Natural History.

Shortly after closing its doors in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the museum was able to extend major exhibition ‘Sonic Disruptions: Buisch + Hogin’ through September 27. Also extended was the special exhibit of taxidermy on loan from Burpee Museum.

“We are thrilled to be able to extend ‘Sonic Disruptions’ through the end of summer so more people have the opportunity to experience this engaging exhibition. We are grateful to artists Derrick Buisch and Laurie Hogin for their commitment to the museum and this exhibition,” said Rockford Art Museum Executive Director/Curator Carrie Johnson. “None of this would be possible without support from the artists, exhibition sponsors, museum members and our community.” Exhibition sponsors include the Smith Charitable Foundation, Community Foundation of Northern Illinois and Rockford Area Arts Council.

NEW

Summer camps will be in full swing, with smaller groups and new health and safety procedures, when we open doors on July 6. The museum will be open 7 days a week, 10 AM–5 PM, with free admission through the end of the year except during the four days of Art in Bloom (December 3–6) when admission will be $7 per person. Tickets are still available for the rescheduled, revamped, Art X fundraiser, now virtual and happening July 17. Ticketholders will now be able to pick up their gourmet barbecue meal (provided by Abreo) on the museum grounds and then return home to tune in to the virtual event.

NEW PROTOCOLS

The museum’s top priority in preparing to reopen is the health and safety of our community, visitors, staff and volunteers. As part of our phased reopening, new requirements for visitors will include: face coverings over mouth and nose, wellness checks (no temperature above 100.4, no COVID-19 symptoms) and social distancing. Visitors who are not able to meet the entrance requirements will be asked to return a different day.

All policies and practices align with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and Winnebago County Health Department (WCHD), and are subject to change as updated. Rockford Art Museum follows all guidelines given from the official State of Illinois Reopening Plan as well as the City of Rockford. Other procedures are based on best practices from research and collaboration with the American Alliance of Museums (AAM).

Rockford Art Museum is an active part of Rockford’s Clean Hands, Open Doors program, led by the Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau (RACVB). The museum has pledged to join with organizations and businesses across the Rockford region to help keep residents and visitors safe by adhering to guidelines regarding face coverings, clean hands, sanitization, social distance, wellness checks, training and protocols, and public health guidelines.