The Exploratorium was one of the first museums to close when the COVID-19 crisis shut down the arts in the Bay Area last year. Fifteen months later, the museum of science, art and human perception has announced its return. It will reopen to the public on July 1, with a special preview for members June 24–27, timed tickets and capacity managed in accordance with public health guidelines.
Hundreds of exhibits such as the living-wall terrarium, the anti-gravity mirror and the Library of Earth Anatomy will be on view. Aperture Lucida, an optical illusion installation by artist-in-residence Tristan Duke, will also be available; it opened to the public just three weeks before the museum shut down last year.
The Tactile Dome, which invites museum-goers to feel their way through a pitch-dark, textured environment, will remain closed for the time being. Throughout the rest of the museum, sanitation stations will be available, and there will be an expanded outdoor gallery and seating areas that invite viewers to reflect on the effects of the pandemic.
The Exploratorium will be open Wednesdays through Sundays starting July 1, and it will also resume its popular adults-only program, After Dark, every Thursday evening 6–10pm. Details here.
