Springfield Museums cope with coronavirus challenges

May 13, 2020 | Debbie Gardner
debbieg@thereminder.com

SPRINGFIELD – Beyond the big tourist attractions - Six Flags, the Basketball Hall of Fame, The Big E - are many other tourism venues in the Valley equally hard-hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

Among those is the Springfield Museums – a five-building complex on Edwards Street that includes the Springfield Science Museum, opened in 1899; the George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum, opened in 1896; the Museum of Fine Arts, opened in 1933; the Dr. Seuss Museum, opened in 2013; and the Wood Museum of Springfield History, which opened in 2009.

Reminder Publishing reached out to Kay Simpson, president of the Springfield Museums, to learn what impact Gov. Charlie Baker’s ongoing stay at home orders and closure of all nonessential businesses has had on the museum complex, a cultural mecca and tourist attraction in Springfield for more than 120 years.

“We announced our closure on March 13, and closed on March 14, Simpson said, referring to Baker’s order prohibiting gatherings of 250 people or more at any event, also announced on March 13. “It was incredibly sudden. We thought the initial period was going to be three weeks but it has been extended several times.”

She said the abrupt closure of all five buildings, and the Dr. Seuss Sculpture Garden and grounds came just as the museums were moving into their busy season.

“The weekend before we had had our annual birthday party for Dr. Seuss – every year it’s one of our most popular events,” Simpson said. “On March 7 we had close to 2,000 people for that event; to go from that to one week later completely closed – and it’s been that way ever since – it’s a very big change.”

The museums, Simpson said, had been having a “very good year” with a full calendar of events planned and in process up to that abrupt closure, the impact of which she said has been “detrimental” to their annual budget.

“Once we understood that it wasn't going to be just three weeks we've [moved to] a cost saving [mode],” she said. “The impact, obviously, has been devastating but we have been able to mitigate that somewhat.”

In addition to their cost-saving measures, Simpson said there has been help from members of the public. “We have had some private donors who wish to remain anonymous,” she said. “They are coming through with support at this time and we are incredibly grateful that they are coming through to help us.

 “A lot of other museums are not in that position, which is unfortunate,” Simpson added.

Another bright spot has been the continuation of some of the Museum School classes in a virtual format.

“The Museum School, which has always been on site, had people sign up for classes taught in our galleries and classrooms,” Simpson said. “When we closed, several instructors have offered to teach classes online [and] they have become very popular, and we are generating revenue online.”

The new internet format has had another plus – expanding the museum’s reach, Simpson said. “People who took the classes before at the museum were from the immediate area. Now we have people signing up for classes even from the Boston area.” She added the success of these online class offerings may remain part of the museum’s strategy moving forward. “We think it is important to use this experience to our benefit,” she shared, especially if a return of the virus in the fall prompts another quick closure.

Another crucial part of that ongoing planning for the future is how the museums will need to adapt once the governor allows venues such as theirs to reopen, Simpson said.

“It’s not a case of just opening our doors and having people come in, we have to make lots of adjustments,” so visitors feel safe returning to the museums, she noted. Among the planned changes are “having plexi barriers at our admission desk to protect visitors and our admission staff, and giving people the ability where they don’t have to hand over credit cards, to have the kind of machines visitors can use themselves [for payment],” she said. “We also plan to have face masks that we can give to visitors; we will ask people to come wearing masks but will have them, to give out if they arrive without face protection.”

There will also be enhanced cleaning protocols – which Simpson said the museums had already begun putting in place “because people were already concerned about COVID-19 even before we closed,” to insure public and staff safety. “We have stepped up efforts to sanitize exhibits – anything people touch – railings, doorknobs, interactive exhibits, the railings on stairs, countertops, chairs and benches,” she said. “It’s amazing how many things you touch – you get into an elevator and push buttons – all of those are areas where you have to be conscious about cleaning all the time”

In addition, the museums will be adding directional markings on the floors of the exhibit halls to ensure a safe traffic flow, staff members to help “guide people around the museums” and there will be a push to encourage visitors to purchase admission tickets online to “decrease the number of people in the Welcome Center at any one time,” Simpson said. They are also hoping to use the museum’s outdoor areas for activities during the summer, which will make social distancing easier to achieve.

Simpson noted the museums are also closely watching how fellow museums in states that are already opening venues, such as Texas, are handling their initial welcoming of visitors.

“They are looking at 25 percent [initial] capacity,” she said. “We are anticipating the same thing will be ahead for us, starting with a lower number of people who can come into the museum.

“Those numbers will go up as time goes on,” she added.

At press time Simpson did not have a projected date for the reopening of the Springfield Museum com

Share this: