The Momentary Chairperson Olivia Walton looks on as Director Lieven Bertels makes remarks at the museum Friday.
The Momentary museum in Bentonville is back open for business, on one-third the scale.
The museum, which features contemporary visual and performing arts, opened Feb. 22 and early attendance surpassed expectations after years of planning. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit and the museum closed from March 16 until June 10.
“Closing was certainly the right thing to do for the safety of the community and our staff,” said Emily Neuman, the Momentary’s public relations director. “It was kind of — what’s the right word? — a ‘bummer.’ We had great momentum with the opening and had great plans in place.”
The State of the Art 2020, which was the museum’s centerpiece opening exhibit, closed Sunday. The museum allows 15 visitors every 30 minutes and also has online tours.
Attendance has been nearly the one-third capacity limit in the 24,000-SF gallery, Neuman said.
“You feel like you’re in the gallery all by yourself,” Neuman said.
Neuman said the Momentary didn’t furlough or lay off any staff during the downtime.
It has rescheduled many of the planned 2020 exhibits, including “Until” by Nick Cave, which tackles race relations and gun violence.
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