AMHERST — The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art on West Bay Road has temporarily closed due to the statewide spike in COVID-19 cases.
The move, which began Monday, is a precautionary one, according to Executive Director Alexandra Kennedy, and staff members will continue to go into the museum on an as-needed basis. The museum’s bookshop will also offer curbside service while the museum is shuttered.
“We made the decision to close after the 20th because of the number of COVID cases increasing locally and across the state,” Kennedy wrote in an email. “We are hoping we can reopen to visitors early in the new year.”
Museum officials say they’ll monitor state health data and will reopen “as soon as we feel that it’s safe for our staff, visitors and community. Everyone who has purchased advanced tickets will be contacted directly and issued a refund.”
Kennedy said this is an unfortunate time to have to close, with schools closed for the holidays, thus giving families more time to visit the museum: “We really miss seeing (visitors) when we are closed!”
Virtual programs will remain in place and can be accessed at bit.ly/2WDtxTQ and at various social media links such as Facebook. Questions can be emailed to info@carlemuseum.org.
The museum closed in March when the pandemic arrived and then reopened in August, though with strict protocols in place; advanced registration was required for most visits. Chief Curator Ellen Keiter said in November that visitation this fall was only about 40 percent of the museum’s typical capacity.
It’s not yet clear if the current closing will affect the installation of two exhibits slated for early 2021: “Little Books, Big Feelings,” scheduled to open Jan. 9, and “Picture the Dream: The Story of the Civil Rights Movement through Children’s Books,” scheduled to open Feb. 7.
Steve Pfarrer can be reached at spfarrer@gazettenet.com.