As COVID-19 cases continue to rise the Milwaukee Art Museum has announced that it will once again close due to the pandemic.
The museum will close as of today, Nov. 19 and remain shut at least through Jan. 2.
The museum closed on March 15 as much of the city began to shutter in response to the arrival of the novel coronavirus. It reopened on July 16 and on a visit there last week, I found very few visitors, everyone masked and following a clearly delineated path through the first floor exhibition spaces.
Floor markings – and staff – reminded visitors to social distance.
The upper and lower levels were closed. A smaller, temporary version of the shop had been relocated to the more open Windhover Hall.
According to a statement issued Thursday morning, “The Museum recently received clarity on the restrictions outlined in the Milwaukee Public Health Order 4.2 and is joining Milwaukee museums in putting the safety of visitors and staff first. In the interim, staff will continue working from home, ensuring that the Museum remains a vital resource for the community both online today and when we reopen our doors in the future. Updates can always be found on the Museum's website, mam.org.”
During the closure, the museum will continue all its virtual programming at mam.org.
Visitors who have already reserved admission tickets will have their purchases refunded to the card used to buy them.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
