State of Affairs: Reopening & Funding
With an eye on the future, Museum Director Sebastian Belfanti began working on a detailed reopening plan in April and received board approval of the plan in early May. Also in April, to help offset revenue losses under the mandated closure, Belfanti proactively launched the West End Museum COVID-19 Relief Fund via GoFundMe, an online fundraising platform.
The Museum has been closed for 18 weeks (as of July 13). That’s more than one-quarter of the current calendar year. With essential capital improvements looming, not to mention normal operating costs and required purchasing of new health and safety supplies, the loss of revenue from visitor donations has created a serious deficit.
Economic realities like unemployment and increased contributions to antiracist causes — which we support — have further reduced our donations. The Museum is taking steps to boost funding in the form of grants and corporate patronage, but your support is also needed, now more than ever.
We ask that you consider making a tax-deductible contribution today to the West End Museum COVID-19 Relief Fund, or Donate or Become a Member on the Museum website. Any amount of support through any of those methods will help sustain us and will be greatly appreciated.
The Museum’s reopening plan establishes stages and corresponding requirements and protocols designed to protect the health and safety of vistors, volunteers, and staff. Those include: cleaning and disinfecting, physical distancing, personal protective equipment, limited staffing, restricted access to offices, and much more.
On July 13, the City of Boston implemented its Step 1 of Phase 3 of the State’s reopening plan, which allows the Museum to welcome visitors once again as long as it is compliant with reduced capacity mandates and other requirements. Provided we are able to secure all of the necessary health and safety supplies, we hope to open the week of July 20 at our full regular schedule.
“We are so excited to be on the verge of inviting our members, friends, and the public back into the Museum,” said Belfanti. “I personally can’t wait to see your faces, even under masks.”
Only Belfanti will be onsite initially, handling docent duties in addition to his administrative responsilbilities. When visitor numbers achieve a certain level, the Museum will begin to reintroduce events, also in phases. Details about current and future exhibits will soon be posted to the Museum website. Meanwhile, learn about and register for our first-ever virtual exhibit opening on July 16 here.
Of course, the Museum will additionally follow all city and state directives and requirements for reopening, including face-covering stipulations for vistors and staff. As both Governor Charlie Baker and Mayor Marty Walsh have indicated, if public health data reveals a resurgence in COVID-19 cases and/or deaths, businesses and institutions may need to return to an earlier phase, including complete shutdown. We plan to do our part to prevent that from happening for the sake of the Museum, our patrons, and society at large.