Before the pandemic, our Curatorial team would visit a museum each quarter. The Collections Manager, Restoration Specialist, Collections Assistant and I would tour the museum and meet our counterparts there. Hearing from other museum professionals in our region and promoting their content was a way for us to be a resource to our arts and culture network and to get ideas for solutions to similar challenges. We have not been able to visit a museum this year and we were inspired by New Zealand’s #ReopenRun, so we planned a curatorial trip to the Acadiana Center for the Arts (ACA). The Reopen Run is a way to show people how to safely visit museums again.

Jaik tells the curatorial team about the Field of Diamonds.

The ACA staff were very helpful identifying a time for my team to visit when they had the fewest visitors, and we made sure to wear our masks our entire visit. The galleries are spacious and cleaned frequently, with enough room to stay six feet away from other visitors. When we arrived at the ACA, the general manager checked our temperatures, and I used the iPad to check us in. The Executive Director greeted us and walked us through the Illustrated Café and the Open Studio Acadiana (Quarantine Edition). We picked the Illustrated Café for our Curatorial Christmas photo, because it is crazy photogenic! We then spoke to the curator, Jaik Faulk, and learned that our Vermilionville colleague Bob Borel co – curated “Artist Quarantine.” The Field of diamonds is a participatory part of the exhibit, where people share what helped them through 2020. Inspired with this song, the ACA curator thought of Diamonds in our Minds while our Collections Manager noted that diamonds are made under pressure. ACA has WIFI, places to sit, listen to music, and places for artists to photograph your own art and network. Visit all these exhibits before January 9^th for free. Thanks ACA!

We really enjoyed our first Curatorial Department Professional Development day since March. The American Alliance of Museums reported that 30% of museums are not sure if they can reopen after the pandemic. It is important to follow guidelines, and safely support your museums so that they are there next year. For December, consider safely visiting the museums in Acadiana. Vermilionville opened to the public in May, and here are other museums currently open to the public:

• Hilliard Art Museum
• Acadian village
• Children’s Museum of Acadiana

Anne Mahoney Fontenot, Curator