Both the Perot Museum of Nature and Science Science in Dallas, and the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum have, for now, postponed reopening plans. As we reported earlier this month, the Perot had planned to open on July 9, and tickets would have been available beginning tomorrow, July 1.
But cases of Coronavirus have spiked in the DFW area (and other Texas regions), and given that and Governor Greg Abbott’s halt to phased reopening in the state, both the Perot and the Holocaust museums have changed their plans and will hit pause on reopening. Both museums announced phased reopening plans even as the rest of the museums in the Downtown Dallas and Arts District group of museums (Dallas Museum of Art, Nasher Sculpture Center, Crow Museum of Asian Art, and The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza) remain closed and had not announced reopening dates.
Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum.
Two other North Texas museums, the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and The Meadows Museum at SMU, are scheduled to open this week. The Modern reopens tomorrow, and the Meadows has planned reopening on July 7.
A joint statement issued by the Downtown Dallas museums reads as follows:
“Given the spike in COVID-19 cases in Dallas County and the rollback of the State’s phased reopening, the Perot Museum of Nature and Science and the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum have decided to pause plans to reopen in early July.
Though we have created rigorous guidelines and best practices to ensure that we reopen the museums safely and protect our staff and visitors, we are part of a larger community. We believe it is important to support Governor Abbott’s, Mayor Johnson’s and Judge Jenkins’ appeals for Texans to stay home, if at all possible, to be good community partners and neighbors. While museums are still allowed to be open at 50% capacity, we believe a temporary delay in reopening is the most appropriate demonstration of our shared responsibility.
The Perot Museum and the DHHRM are working in close coordination with the other museums in downtown Dallas, including the Dallas Museum of Art, Nasher Sculpture Center, Crow Museum of Asian Art, and The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, to evaluate when we will reopen to the public.”
