FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 5, 2020
MEDIA CONTACT: Cody Hefner, Cincinnati Museum Center (513) 608-5777, chefner@feverforfreedom.com
Kara Driscoll, Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center (513) 638-0508, kdriscoll@cincyhhc.org

Cincinnati Museum Center and Holocaust & Humanity Center target July 17 reopening date

Crowd capacity, timed tickets and cleaning protocols in place for guest safety

CINCINNATI – After what will be a four-month closure, Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC) and the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center (HHC) are planning to reopen on July 17. Both museums, who share Union Terminal as a home, have taken extensive measures to ensure guest and staff safety upon reopening meaning your next visit with a dinosaur or tour through HHC’s Humanity Gallery may be a little different, but the impact of the experience will not be diminished.

imageAmong the steps CMC and HHC are taking to keep its guests and staff safe is instituting timed tickets for both general museum admission and featured exhibitions like Maya: The Exhibition. Timed tickets will help manage the number of people in each museum, ensuring proper social distancing of six feet or more. Seating arrangements in HHC’s theaters have also been reconfigured to ensure guests maintain distances of six feet from each other. Given the high touch nature of some of CMC’s exhibits, certain areas will be offline upon reopening but CMC is working on adapting other interactive elements for guests’ personal mobile devices.

Extensive cleaning protocols will ensure the building is clean and sanitized multiple times per day, including particular attention to high touchpoint areas like doors, elevators, handrails, countertops and restrooms. For the safety of guests and colleagues, masks will be worn by both CMC and HHC staff at all times and they are asking all guests to please do the same. Additionally, signage and floor markings will encourage guests to abide by the six-foot social distancing recommended by health officials.

“We are doing our part to create a safe, clean environment for our staff and guests and we’re asking everyone to please experience our museum responsibly,” says Elizabeth Pierce, president and CEO of Cincinnati Museum Center. “The community makes our museum and we need our community to help ensure it remains a safe space for everyone.”

imageSince their temporary closures on March 14, both CMC and HHC have increased online and virtual offerings. CMC has taken popular programs like STEM Girls and Story Tree Time online and added weekly Facebook Live conversations with its curators, fashion tutorials through time with Vintage Beauties and at-home science experiments. HHC continues its weekly Holocaust Speaker Series online and given survivors a voice through social media.

“Working in unison with our partners at Cincinnati Museum Center, our top priority is the safety of our guests and employees,” says Sarah L. Weiss, CEO of the Holocaust & Humanity Center. “Museums have always been a place that help shape community identity, and our role will be an important one as we move forward during this challenging year. We look forward to interacting with you all again, while offering meaningful experiences that allow Cincinnatians to learn from history and be inspired to shape a better future.”

CMC and HHC will share more details of their reopening plan over the next several weeks.

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About Cincinnati Museum Center
Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC) at Union Terminal is a nationally recognized institution and national historic landmark. Dedicated to sparking community dialogue, insight and inspiration, CMC was awarded the 2009 National Medal for Museum and Library Service from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and received accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums in 2012. CMC is one of a select few museums in the nation with both of these honors, making it a unique asset and a vital community resource. Union Terminal has been voted the nation's 45th most important building by the American Institute of Architects. Organizations within CMC include the Cincinnati History Museum, Duke Energy Children's Museum, Museum of Natural History & Science, Robert D. Lindner Family OMNIMAX® Theater and Cincinnati History Library & Archives. Recognized by Forbes Traveler Magazine as the 17th most visited museum in the country, CMC welcomes more than 1.8 million visits annually. For more information, visit www.feverforfreedom.com.

About the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center
The Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center exists to ensure the lessons of the Holocaust inspire action today. Located at Cincinnati’s historic Union Terminal, HHC educates more than 200,000 community members through its educational initiatives, innovative programs and partnerships. For more information, visit www.holocauastandhumanity.org.