CAMH’s Long-Awaited Reopening (Slightly) Delayed Due to Weather

by Christopher Blay February 18, 2021
CAMH, Houston

Contemporary Arts Museum Houston

Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (CAMH), which was scheduled to reopen today, February 18 — for the first time since the Covid shutdowns began in March 2020 — is now considering options to reopen next week. Its reopening is delayed due to the severe winter storm that left millions across Texas without power or water for the past few days.

“We are postponing our reopening as staff tend to extreme conditions and turmoil at their respective homes,” writes CAMH’s Director of Communications and Marketing, Kent Michael Smith, in an email to Glasstire. “We now plan to reopen next week, but we are still working through those details. We will be sure to keep you apprised of what is decided.”

CAMH closed on March 16, 2020, along with museums and businesses state- and nationwide, near the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. Although it has been the last major non-profit visual arts institution in Houston to remain closed, CAMH has continued online programming and activities. The museum also continued its plaza redesign, part of a $3.1 million capital campaign that was announced in July 2019. The construction includes the exterior plaza at the intersection of Montrose and Bissonnet, and a complete restoration and renovation of CAMH’s Brown Foundation Gallery.

Installation view-Wild Life- Elizabeth Murray & Jessi Reaves

Installation view of CAMH’s current show “Wild Life: Elizabeth Murray & Jessi Reaves”

“Our incredible staff has been working diligently behind the scenes to provide a safe environment for CAMH’s visitors. I am excited to welcome our community back, but do so understanding that we have a great responsibility to open safely,” states Hesse McGraw, CAMH’s Executive Director, about the anticipated opening. “We are pleased to present a new exhibition, Wild Life: Elizabeth Murray & Jessi Reaves and to bring back the wildly popular Slowed and Throwed: Records of the City Through Mutated Lenses, which was forced to close within a week of opening, back in March of last year.”

When reopened, CAMH will operate at a reduced visitor capacity, and new safety protocols will be implemented including the requirement that all staff and visitors wear face masks, follow physical distancing measures, and pass a non-invasive temperature screening  before entering the building. The complete guidelines are available here.

0 comment

You may also like

Leave a Comment

Funding generously provided by: