Vesterheim announces plans to gradually reopen

Posted: Wed, Jun 24, 2020 4:04 PM

Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum is announcing plans to begin a phased reopening of its programs in July and its buildings in August.

Staff members have announced plans for having the Vesterheim Folk Art School shift the focus of programs from on-site classes to online offerings for the rest of 2020. Vesterheim Director of Folk Art Education Lea Lovelace says the classes will help people "stay connected with the community and find ways to grow in folk-art skills through video museum collection tours, online classes, conversations, and sharing,"

Registration for upcoming online programs will be available soon at www.vesterheim.org, as will the schedule of classes. Vesterheim has cancelled all on-site classes for the remainder of 2020, with the plan to offer a new schedule of in-person classes starting in 2021.

On August 1st, Vesterheim's main building and museum store will reopen to the public from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily at 50 percent capacity of normal operations. Vesterheim will evaluate the status of COVID-19 cases regionally and make changes to this opening and capacity as time goes on.

Reservations will not be required, but groups of six or more are encouraged to call ahead at (563) 382-9681. Guided tours will not be available.

Vesterheim is instituting a number of protocols to promote the health of staff, volunteers, and visitors. Everyone will be required to wear masks while in the buildings. Disposable facemasks will be available for visitors if needed.

Plexiglass barriers are being installed at the entrance desk and in the Museum Store, and chip card readers for credit cards will be used to avoid unnecessary contact. Social distancing of six feet will be encouraged with markings on the floor at the admissions desk.

There will be hand sanitizer stations in the lobby, elevator, admissions counter, and rest rooms. The frequency of deep sanitizing is being increased, using certified cleaning products.

Vesterheim staff will be monitoring their health, and visitors should stay home if they are sick.