Seattle Asian Art Museum Reopens After Remodel/Covid Closure

After a long closure for a huge remodeling, the Seattle Asian Art Museum in Volunteer Park got to reopen BRIEFLY last February before the arrival of Covid-19 caused the beloved museum to shut down.

Happily, that is all changing with the announcement that the museum, which is part of the Seattle Art Museum, will reopen its doors to the general public starting May 28th but SAM members get a three week head start and can check out the museum starting May 7th which is reason enough to get a membership!

The poo:

SAM’s Asian Art Museum in Volunteer Park will reopen to the general public on Friday, May 28. The museum will be at a limited capacity and open Fridays through Sundays, 10 am–5 pm. Timed tickets will be sold online only, beginning April 29 for the May 28 reopening. 

For the first opening weekend to the public, the museum will be open Friday through Monday, to be open for the Memorial Day holiday. In addition, tickets for Friday, May 28 will be free to all, and the Asian Art Museum will continue to offer free admission on the last Friday of each month. 

The museum reopens to SAM members on Friday, May 7. Members will be able to reserve their timed spots beginning April 15. Tickets for the public and for members will continue to be released on a rolling basis, every Thursday. 

The Asian Art Museum has been closed since March 13, 2020 to support Seattle’s efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19 and safeguard the health and safety of the community. Prior to that, it had reopened on February 8, 2020, following an extensive renovation and expansion with a groundbreaking thematic presentation of its Asian art collection, as well as new spaces for art, education, and conservation. When the museum reopens, the inaugural exhibitions will remain on view, including Boundless: Stories of Asian Art and Be/longing: Contemporary Asian Art in the museum’s galleries and the installation Kenzan Tsutakawa-Chinn: Gather in the Fuller Garden Court. 

Much of the Art Deco building’s spaces are intimately scaled, ideal for engaging with many of the works in the Asian art collection. As such, the museum will be at a limited capacity with one-way signage throughout. All touchscreen interactives are temporarily deactivated or altered; the Color in Clay digital interactive will be a slideshow. The Asian Paintings Conservation Center will be closed, but a monitor outside the space will show videos about conservation processes. The shop will be open to ticket holders. The Education Studio, Community Gallery, Chen Community Meeting Room, and the McCaw Foundation Library will be closed. 

The Asian Art Museum is one of three sites operated by SAM. The downtown Seattle Art Museum reopened to the public on Friday, March 5 for the special exhibition, Jacob Lawrence: The American Struggle, which closes May 23. The downtown SAM Shop and SAM Gallery are also open. TASTE Café at SAM and the PACCAR Pavilion at the Olympic Sculpture Park remain closed until further notice. The outdoor spaces of the sculpture park are open and free to the public, operated in accordance with public health guidelines.

HOURS AND TICKETS 

Friday–Saturday: 10 am–5 pm
 
Adults: $14.99
Seniors (65+): $12.99
Military (With ID): $12.99
Students (With ID): $9.99
Teens (15–18): $9.99
Children 14 & Under: Free
SAM Members: Free
 
The museum is at limited capacity with timed tickets available for purchase online and in advance. Tickets includes access to all exhibitions. Tickets will be free to all on the last Friday of each month. Visitors who choose to pay what they want by contacting SAM’s Customer Service Center in advance using the online form or by calling 206.654.3210 from 10 am–5 pm Wednesday–Monday.