Happy Visitors Return to the Museum of Art
by JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor —
After being closed for a couple of months, the San Antonio Museum of Art reopened its doors this past weekend to welcome visitors to its halls and galleries. By all accounts, it was a happy day for both staff and museumgoers.
“The mood was very positive. People were calm, they came prepared with masks and other protective gear, and seemed happy to be back,” said Emily Sano, SAMA’s current interim co-director. “They said things like ‘We are so glad you are open,’ and ‘I really needed to get out of the house.’”
For Sano and other SAMA leaders, the reopening also meant they could finally relax a bit. “It’s a big relief for me personally,” she noted. “I am proud that we kept everyone employed during the lockdown. No one was fired, no one was furloughed. We were fortunate to get a PPP (Payroll Protection Program) grant which protected the employees’ salaries for two months. So, now we can start looking at a little more income to help us going forward.”
Like other similar institutions, SAMA will limit attendance to 25% of its normal capacity in order to comply with social distancing requirements. Tickets are sold by designated time blocks, which encourages a gradual inflow of people throughout the day. However, visitors are permitted to stay for as long as they wish.
Opening weekend, most gravitated toward the special exhibit, Texas Women: A New History of Abstract Art, a unique opportunity to see in one place the work of 17 women artists who made a large contribution to abstract art in the 20th century and continue to do so at present. Represented artists include Dorothy Hood, Susie Rosmarin, Margo Sawyer, Sara Cardona, Liz Trosper, Connie Lowe, Liz Ward, and others. Due to COVID-19, the show was forced to close a short time after it opened back in March. While it was supposed to close May 3, the museum has worked with the artists and/or their agents to get permission to keep it on view through Sept.6.
“It’s a fascinating show, quite ground-breaking,” said Sano.
But there’s a lot more to see at SAMA. The museum’s collections span 5,000 years of human culture across the globe, starting with a comprehensive Art of the Ancient Mediterranean World which focuses on ancient Greek, Roman and Egyptian art. Its Asian Art collection is one of the most admired in the United states as is its Latin American one, housed in the Nelson. A. Rockefeller Center for Latin American Art. SAMA is also one of the world’s most important repositories of folk art from Central and South America, largely due to a donation from the former vice president. And Contemporary art is also well represented, including works by Texas artists.
Returning visitors will likely find new additions to the permanent exhibits, such as a Japanese swords collection in the Asian section, as well as a collection of tribal Chinese jewelry, which the museum expects to receive through a gift. Other items will be brought out of storage to replace the currently shown pieces, a rotation that happens on a more or less regular basis.
Life away from the stately building where she normally spent her days, felt “very strange” admitted Sano who, like everyone else, had to adjust to working from home and holding Zoom meetings with the rest of the staff. Like the Witte, SAMA formed a task force to plan for the eventual reopening and Zoom provided a good platform for employees from different departments- who normally do not interact – to see each other and work together.
“It was a bit scary, to be honest,” she said referring to the lockdown. “Too many unknowns: How long it was going to last? How easy was it to catch the disease? All those questions! We constantly worried about how to go forward.”
One way to go forward is to be cautious. While the public can once again stroll through the galleries, most programs that bring people together in a single room will remain online until at least the end of the summer. Plans for the summer months are still being formulated, but you can already take part in a virtual Happy Hour tour or sign up your toddler for an art-centered playdate.
“I hope people will continue to come to the museum to enjoy art,” said Sano, who is also the curator of the Asian Art Collection. “It’s really much better to experience art in person.”
————————————————-
Summer Virtual Events: Summer Teacher Institute: Creating Classroom Culture and Community During COVID-19; July 18, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Virtual Playdates for Toddlers, Wednesdays 10-10:45 a.m.; Art to Lunch Online, every first and third Thursday at 12:30 p.m.; BYOB Online Happy Hour Tours, every second and fourth Friday at 6 p.m. The last two events are free for members, $10 for non-members. To keep current on developments, check the online calendar at samuseum.org/calendar. SAMA is located at 200 W Jones Ave., 78215; www.samuseum.org