Mead Art Museum Visiting the Mead During COVID-19

What to Expect When Visiting the Mead During COVID-19

We’re excited to welcome Amherst College faculty, staff, and students back into the Mead this fall. To "Protect the Herd," we’ve modified our visitor protocols and procedures, following the recommended guidelines from the CDC and Amherst College. Click for more information on Amherst College’s testing procedures and general personal safety practices. Read on to find what you can expect when you visit the Mead. 

Before You Arrive at the Mead 

• Be sure to monitor your temperature and your health. If you are not feeling well, and you are a student, please contact Keefe Health Center and do not visit the museum. If you are a faculty or staff member, contact your primary health care providers and do not come to the museum. 
• Please wear a mask and make sure your College ID is visible at all times.  

Arrival at the Mead

• Masks must be worn at all times. Expect to see museum staff in masks throughout the building. 
• When you enter the building, you’ll see extra masks and hand sanitizer. Help yourself to any items you need.
• Please show your Amherst College ID to the lobby attendant upon entering the building. They will record your name in our visitor log for contact tracing purposes, should that need arise. 
• Expect to see plexiglass at the front desk and in the Study Room. 
• You’re permitted to carry small bags and backpacks at your side when visiting the Mead. 
• You can also check your personal belongings in the lockers. Locker keys are sanitized after each use. Before you leave, please return locker keys to the lobby attendant at the front desk so that they can be sanitized.
• Wheelchairs are available for use. Please notify a lobby attendant upon arrival if you need a wheelchair and wheelchair access.

Inside the Galleries

• Please maintain 6 feet between yourself and others at all times.
• To maintain physical distancing, our galleries have limited capacities. There will be signs in each gallery to let you know how many people can safely enter at a time. 
• Museum Security Staff are monitoring the number and flow of people in each gallery and may ask you to wait until it is safe to enter a particular gallery.
• Photography without flash is still permitted within the galleries.
• Sketching and drawing with pencil are also still permitted within the galleries.

Class Visits

• If you’re here for a synchronous class session, please check in with the lobby attendant and wait in the Fairchild gallery upon arrival. You will be greeted by a museum staff member, or receive any class materials there.
• You’re welcome to arrive before your class time begins. Please check in with the lobby attendant upon arrival. 

Study Room Visits 

• If you have a reservation to view artworks for classes, please check-in at the front desk.
• The staff member at our front desk will give you a visitor pass, direct you to the Study Room, and notify the Study Room Manager that you’re on your way.
• Before you enter the Study Room, please wash your hands or use hand sanitizer, which will be provided at the entrance to the space.
• When in the Study Room, please maintain 6 feet between yourself and others. 

 Study Space

• There will be rooms throughout the museum for students to use as study space.
• All are welcome to do work or study in the Mead. Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. 
• Study spaces will be sanitized between each use. 
• Please do not move the furniture, as it has been laid out to accommodate physical distancing. 

 Mead Cleaning Procedures

• All doorknobs and surfaces are sanitized regularly.
• The restroom is open and available for use. It is cleaned multiple times a day. 

If you have any questions about visiting the Mead, please contact Nicholas Taupier by email at ntaupier@amherst.edu or by phone at 413-406-6361.