How have museums made it through the pandemic?

For those of us who love exploring new museums and visiting old favorites, it's been a difficult 11 months of staying at home.

The state's museums have closed and opened and closed again as Gov. Tim Walz has tightened and loosened restrictions to slow the spread of COVID-19. On Jan. 11, the state's museums were allowed to reopen once more — at 25 percent capacity.

How have these institutions stayed up and running during an economically difficult pandemic? And how have they innovated to reach audiences at home?

MPR News guest host Chris Farrell spoke with three museum directors about the year they’ve had and what visitors can expect as they gradually re-open their doors.

Guests: 

• Katie Luber is the director and president of the Minneapolis Institute of Art.

• Denise Young is the executive director of the Bell Museum, a natural history museum on the St. Paul University of Minnesota campus.

• Ken Buehler is the executive director of the Lake Superior Railroad Museum and general manager of the North Shore Scenic Railroad in Duluth.

Use the audio player above to listen to the program.

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