16 | Friday, May 29, 2020 HONG KONG EDITION | CHINA DAILY LIFE 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.
fter remaining closed venues … that is a very significant since March 13 due to the thing.” COVID19 pandemic, The museum provides free admis New York’s Metropolitan sion to New York residents. MuseumA of Art expects to see a Weine says the Met has an annual change in visitor numbers when it budget of more than $320 million. reopens, which is necessitating a The closure 10 weeks ago has affect change in its curatorial approach, ed the Met’s three main locations on says Kenneth Weine, the Met’s chief Fifth Avenue, the Met Breuer and communications officer. the Met Cloisters. With revenue He says 70 percent of the muse streams on hold, the museum puts um’s visitors used to be from outside its estimated financial losses at New York City, but “when the crisis around $100 million. subsides, we will reopen in a differ “We have gone to our trustees to ent environment”. create an emergency fund for the In an email to China Daily, he crisis and we aim to raise $50 mil adds, “We’re in the very complex lion,” he says. process of rescheduling planned “This is unprecedented territory exhibitions and events, which is for us. Depressions and wars, hurri then cascading across our planning canes and blizzards, even Septem for many years — just as it is at other ber 11, we’ve never been closed for institutions. more than three days in our entire “The change in audiences might history.” also mean a shift in our program The Met has more than 7 million ming, with more focus put on our visitors a year. For the first time, the own collection and less on expen city welcomed over 1 million visitors sive loan shows. The Met expects from China in 2019. that we’ll all need to be nimble and “The Met is their No 1 destina creative. We’ll be looking at what tion,” says Weine. “Now, even if we great experiences we can offer local come up with the vaccine (for COV visitors from within the museum’s ID19) tomorrow, we cannot reverse collections.” the trend (of people not coming) The museum has an unparalleled immediately, because traveling a advantage in that respect, Weine long haul is something people plan says. for months, if not years in advance.” “The mayor (Bill de Blasio) said Above: A file photo taken on April Maxwell Hearn, chairman of the something very helpful and impor 4, 2019, of the Metropolitan Muse museum’s department of Asian art, tant the other day. He said that um of Art, one of the top destina says the pandemic has driven when all these places reopen, New tions for visitors in New York City. nations and people apart rather York City residents will likely ZENG YUTIAN / FOR CHINA DAILY than bring them together. remember what gems they have in Right: The museum has been “At such a challenging time, the their city,” Weine adds. closed since March 13 due to the role of museums is more important “The incredible thing about the COVID19 pandemic. REUTERS than ever. It reminds people of the Met is that we have 1.5 million world’s long history of interactions objects, 2 million square feet and cultural exchange,” he says. (186,000 square meters) and 17 “I am particularly proud of the curatorial departments. There’s an Met’s commitment to showing its abundance of treasures to share diverse audiences the full sweep of from our permanent collection for At such a challenging China’s contributions to mankind’s New Yorkers.” shared cultural heritage. And I look However, Weine says that right time, the role of forward to a time when we can again now things remain shrouded in museums is more welcome Chinese visitors to our gal uncertainty. leries so that they can see their artis “Our highest priority is the safety important than ever. tic tradition as an essential part of of our staff and visitors. And we’re It reminds people of the Met’s story of world art.” working closely with the governor, the world’s long Since the COVID19 outbreak, the the mayor and the public health museum has been featuring the authorities right now,” he says. history of interactions work of its essential staff on social “They say that New York will have and cultural media. The first post is a photo of four phases of opening and the first Saul Cohen, a technician from the phase will not begin until midJune. exchange.” museum’s buildings department. Each phase will take two weeks and “It feels surreal to be working in a Maxwell Hearn, chairman, museums are in the fourth phase. department of Asian art at the time of crisis, seeing my beloved So, it’s going to take time.” Metropolitan Museum of Art main hall empty with no visitors or But reprogramming exhibitions fellow workers. Today, I had the started much earlier. pleasure of bringing online a 75hp “One of the complicated things He says the muchanticipated Institute to accompany its highly anchors the museum’s 150th anni the museum opens,” says Weine. pump to provide cooling for our 2.4 about our museum and all muse exhibition, Art at the Tudor Courts, a publicized Met Gala, will be held. versary celebrations and “will lead Reflecting on the financial dam millionsquarefoot museum,” says ums is that we have longplanned joint effort by the Met and the Cleve Traditionally held on the first Mon visitors on an immersive, thought age still being done to the museum Cohen in the caption. exhibition calendars,” he says, add land Museum of Art, originally day of May, the starstudded red provoking journey through the his by the pandemic, Weine says, “What “The Met is a beacon for culture ing that as soon as the crisis hit, the planned for between early next carpet event and the gallery show, tory of one of the world’s will be really impactful is not having and creativity for New York City and Met’s exhibition team started to week and October, will be post with the theme About Time: Fash preeminent cultural institutions”, tourists, because for anybody who the rest of the world,” says Weine. reengineer the calendar for the poned for two years. ion and Duration, are expected to according to the museum’s website. walks in the door, if they are tour “We take that very seriously.” future. But another highprofile show, take place in late October. “The exhibition was almost ists, then we have admission reve “And we have made several the annual fashion exhibition Then there’s Making the Met completely installed when we nue and retail. They go to our stores, Contact the writer at changes,” says Weine. mounted by the museum’s Costume (18702020), an exhibition that closed. And it will debut the day they enjoy one of our restaurant [email protected]