NASHVILLE, TENN.- The Frist Art Museum has established a plan for reopening in stages beginning June 22 with an initial members-only period. With continued improvement/stability of Davidson County COVID-19 metrics, the exhibition galleries will reopen to the general public on July 1 with required advance timed ticketing. The Frist Art Museum Board of Trustees’ decision to reopen gradually aligns with recommendations from Nashville Mayor John Cooper’s original Roadmap for Reopening Nashville. The museum’s new health, procedural, and cleaning protocols and restrictions are outlined below.

All current exhibitions that had opened before the Frist closed on March 15 will be extended. “We are tremendously appreciative of the enthusiastic cooperation of the museums, lenders, and artists who have worked so diligently with us to make the complex schedule adjustments possible,” said Frist Art Museum Director and CEO Dr. Susan H. Edwards.

The higher-touch areas in the building, including the Martin ArtQuest Gallery, café, gift shop, and auditorium will remain closed, and there will be no group tours in the first stage of reopening. Some public programs, such as virtual tours, lectures, and other events, will continue to be offered online-only at FristArtMuseum.org for the time being.

On April 23, after Mayor Cooper announced the Roadmap for Reopening Nashville, the Frist Art Museum created a Reopening Task Force to implement the safest possible environment for all guests, staff, and volunteers.

“Our commitment to keeping everyone who enters the Frist safe has never wavered,” said Dr. Edwards. “Our reopening plan has been scrutinized and vetted by members of every department, our board of trustees, and by knowledgeable and trusted outside advisors. We are excited to reopen our building as a place for learning, inspiration, reflection, and solace, but do so with cautious optimism. On June 22, we will begin to turn a dial, not flip a switch.” Detailed information about the first stage of reopening as well as subsequent changes in procedures or lifting of restrictions is available at FristArtMuseum.org/Reopening.

New closing dates for current exhibitions

• J.M.W Turner: Quest for the Sublime, originally scheduled to close May 31, will remain open through September 7, 2020.

• Terry Adkins: Our Sons and Daughters Ever on the Altar, originally scheduled to close May 31, will remain open through January 10, 2021.

• Jitish Kallat: Return to Sender, originally scheduled to close June 28, will remain open through October 12, 2020.

• Mel Ziegler: Flag Exchange, originally scheduled to close on June 28, will remain open through October 12, 2020.

• The Nashville Flood: Ten Years Later, originally scheduled to close May 17, will remain open through January 3, 2021.