Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois plan is now in place. Some businesses are preparing for the public’s return. A northern Illinois museum is one of them.
The Rockford Art Museum is opening its doors again on Monday, July 6.
Carrie Johnson is the executive director and curator of the museum. She said the staff started to plan for this about a month ago.
“Just because we didn't know when Phase 4 was actually really going to happen. So, we just wanted to make sure that we were prepared,” she said. “As soon as we could open our doors, we would be ready to go. So, we all moved back into our gallery space as a staff.”
Johnson said the staff took the Clean Hands Open Doors pledge from the Rockford Area Economic Development Council.
She said that people should be prepared to wear their face coverings, social distance and have their temperatures checked. She also said they should get ready to see top-notch artwork and exhibitions.
“We've got a great show called 'Sonic Disruptions' happening right now. And that show was only up for a month before we had to close our doors," she said. "So, we're so excited that people can come back now and see the show that's been just sitting here waiting for people to view it again."
Admission is free for the remainder of the year. Johnson said this will cut down cash exchange, which could help reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Yvonne Boose is a 2020 corps member for Report for America, an initiative of the GroundTruth Project. It’s a national service program that places talented journalists in local newsrooms like WNIJ. You can learn more about Report for America at wnij.org.
