Pandemic concerns triggered temporary shutdown
BECCA MARTIN-BROWN
bmartin@nwadg.com
A Facebook post on Jan. 4 reported that “due to covid-19, and the concern for our guests, the Fort Smith Regional Art Museum will be closed indefinitely.” That the museum is “temporarily closed until further notice” was confirmed today on the museum’s webpage.
The museum closed March 17 as the pandemic rolled into the River Valley, but reopened June 6. Since then, it has canceled opening parties for new exhibits, held lectures via Zoom and kept some galleries, like the Touch Gallery and the Dr. W.E. Knight Porcelain Gallery, closed, but has continued to show regional and national exhibits.
According to the museum’s director, Lou Meluso, “during this time of rising infections in our area, the safety of all our staff and visitors is our primary focus. RAM is closed temporarily so we may engage in a thorough cleaning and disinfecting of our entire museum. We will reopen as soon as possible once this task is completed.”
Visit the museum’s website at fsram.org.
