Multiple Charlotte museums closing temporarily following new county COVID directive
Six Charlotte museums said Wednesday they are voluntarily closing temporarily following a new Mecklenburg County directive urging people to stay home to help curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Mecklenburg County Public Health Director Gibbie Harris said Tuesday residents should stay home except for essential activities.
Harris said people should use virtual options for school and work, and that people 65 and older, and people at risk for COVID-19 complications should avoid leaving home. Her latest directive on Tuesday is a guideline, not a mandate, and will remain in effect until Feb. 2.
And on Friday, the Charlotte Symphony said it will suspend all rehearsals, recordings, and live virtual concerts through Feb. 2. All four previously announced virtual concerts — Mozart Night Music, Holst + Elgar, Mozart + Wirén, and Beethoven Symphony No. 1 — have been rescheduled for Feb. 6–April 24. Visit charlottesymphony.org/classical for a full schedule.
The museums that announced closures are: Mint Museum, Levine Museum of the New South, Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, Discovery Place and McColl Center for Art and Innovation.
“As we work with county officials to minimize the spread, the safety of visitors and staff is paramount,” Mint Museum president and CEO Todd Herman said in a news release. The Mint Museum will close its uptown and Randolph Road locations through Feb. 2.
Tickets purchased during the three-weeks can be refunded or used when the museum re-opens, according to the Mint. The Mint’s newly launched online store is open, with shipping or curbside pick-up at Mint Museum Uptown.
Exhibits, including “Expanding the Pantheon: Women R Beautiful” by Ruben Natal-San Miguel, are available online, as well as curator-led gallery tours, at-home activities and artist interviews.
‘Lead by example’
The Levine Museum said on its website the museum will be closed until Feb. 4. Museum officials will reach out to work with ticket-holders. The museum is highlighting current and past exhibits, along with activities and lesson plans, online for teachers.
The Gantt is closing as well, President and CEO David Taylor said in an email to the Observer.
“Although this directive is a recommendation and not a mandate,” Taylor said on the museum’s website, “the Gantt Center will lead by example to take appropriate steps to keep our community safe.”
Programs will be available online, including the upcoming Martin Luther King film series starting Friday and performances, discussions and other activities on Monday. The museum did not set a reopening date.
McColl Center for Art and Innovation said on its website the museum is temporarily closed and has canceled all on-location events until further notice due to the impact of COVID-19.
Bechtler Museum will close Thursday, museum spokeswoman Hillary Hardwick told the Observer. The museum will offer virtual programs through Feb. 3. More information will be posted to the museum’s social media sites soon.
Discovery Place also will close its three Mecklenburg museums for three weeks starting Thursday through Feb. 2, museum spokeswoman Kristen Swing told the Observer on Wednesday. That covers Discovery Place Science, Discovery Place Nature and Discovery Place Kids-Huntersville.
“We believe we created the safest possible environment for families to visit our museums during the past few months,” said President and CEO Catherine Wilson Horne. “However, Discovery Place is committed to the larger effort to stop the spread of COVID-19, and while the directive issued yesterday does not require us to close, we are doing so in hopes of being a part of the solution.”
Tickets purchased for dates the museum is closed will be refunded. The exhibit “Artificial Intelligence: Your Mind & The Machine” will be at the museum through August. Educational activities are available online.
Discovery Place Kids-Rockingham in Richmond County will remain open.
Local, state concerns
Museums were allowed to reopen in September with restrictions after being ordered to close in March.
The new public health directive was partly spurred on by the death of a 22-year-old Tuesday, the county’s youngest coronavirus death since the pandemic hit in March.
The directive largely echoed a directive last week by Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. Cohen had urged people to stay home as much as possible and avoid gathering with individuals outside of their homes.
This story was originally published January 13, 2021 at 12:52 PM.