The Vancouver Art Gallery is officially reopening June 15

After closing its doors in mid-March, the Vancouver Art Gallery officially announced Monday that it will be reopening on June 15.

“Art can help us to heal and provide opportunities for reflection, laughter and joy, something we can all use after this lengthy period of isolation,” said the gallery’s Interim Director Daina Augaitis. “With plenty of room for physical distancing, the Gallery offers a safe space for visitors to revisit their favourite artworks or discover new ones.”

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Upon reopening, the Vancouver Art Gallery will have new safety protocols to protect staff, members, and visitors:

• All visitors are required to self-assess before visiting the gallery. Visitors who are not feeling well must stay home.
• Visitors are strongly encouraged to wear self-provided masks. Masks will be available for purchase at a nominal cost.
• The gallery will limit the building’s capacity and use floor markers and signage to prevent congestion. For the full four floors, gallery capacity will be 225 visitors at a time.
• Online timed-entry ticketing based on one-hour intervals must be purchased from the gallery website in advance. This has been implemented to manage crowding, capacity, and queuing.
• Members can book their timed-entry tickets starting June 9.
• Timed-entry ticket sales will open to the general public on June 11.
• Once in the galleries, all visitors are asked to maintain a two-metre distance from each other. Household groups may remain together. Children must stay with adults at all times.
• Service desks have plexiglass barriers, and floor decals are placed in the lobby to indicate visitor spacing in line-ups for service desks.
• Hand sanitizer is available in the lobby, and stringent cleaning practices, especially for frequently touched items, are in place throughout the gallery.

Starting Monday, June 15, the gallery will reopen with the following schedule:

• Monday, June 15, 10 am to 5 pm – special reopening day for members, artists, and donors
• Tuesday, June 16, 10 am to noon – special hours and free entry for frontline workers and their families; noon to 5 pm open to the public; 5 pm to 8 pm by donation
• Wednesday, June 17, 10 am to 5 pm – open to the public
• Thursday, June 18, 10 am to 5 pm – open to the public
• Friday, June 19, 10 am to noon – special hours and free entry for frontline workers and their families; noon to 8 pm open to the public (new Friday hours)

As a thank-you to frontline workers, the gallery will be offering them two mornings of free, early-access admission during the first week of reopening.

The gallery also said that in order to avoid large group gatherings, all public tours, onsite school and adult programs and special events have been postponed until further notice. This includes all social events, FUSE, and exhibition openings. Art Connects and Art At Home online programs will continue to be offered.

A full schedule of operating days, hours, procedures and policies is available on the Vancouver Art Gallery’s website.