Thinking ahead

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is changing its curatorial approach as it prepares to reopen in the future, Zhao Xu reports in New York.

After remaining closed since March 13 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art expects to see a change in visitor numbers when it reopens, which is necessitating a change in its curatorial approach, says Kenneth Weine, the Met's chief communications officer.

He says 70 percent of the museum's visitors used to be from outside New York City, but "when the crisis subsides, we will reopen in a different environment".

In an email to China Daily, he adds, "We're in the very complex process of rescheduling planned exhibitions and events, which is then cascading across our planning for many years－just as it is at other institutions.

"The change in audiences might also mean a shift in our programming, with more focus put on our own collection and less on expensive loan shows. The Met expects that we'll all need to be nimble and creative. We'll be looking at what great experiences we can offer local visitors from within the museum's collections."

The museum has an unparalleled advantage in that respect, Weine says.

"The mayor (Bill de Blasio) said something very helpful and important the other day. He said that when all these places reopen, New York City residents will likely remember what gems they have in their city," Weine adds.

"The incredible thing about the Met is that we have 1.5 million objects, 2 million square feet (186,000 square meters) and 17 curatorial departments. There's an abundance of treasures to share from our permanent collection for New Yorkers."

However, Weine says that right now things remain shrouded in uncertainty.

"Our highest priority is the safety of our staff and visitors. And we're working closely with the governor, the mayor and the public health authorities right now," he says. "They say that New York will have four phases of opening and the first phase will not begin until mid-June. Each phase will take two weeks and museums are in the fourth phase. So, it's going to take time."