Perhaps it was just pure chance that the Academy Art Museum had already scheduled a significant shutdown of programs and exhibitions this spring. With a major renovation of its galleries and new visitor entry underway, the ability of the AAM to cope with the impact of COVID-19 has been far easier than many of its peer institutions as a result.
But that’s not to say that the Academy doesn’t face certain challenges going forward. Nonetheless, as AAM’s director Ben Simons notes in his interview with the Spy, the current crisis has opened up some new thinking about how an art museum and education center can operate.
From his home in the countryside just outside of town limits (hence the sub-par video quality), Ben highlights what his institution is doing with his creative staff and devoted board of trustees, to continue its mission. Harnessing the power of the web, the AAM is offering several new programs aimed at children, art students, and lovers of the visual arts, which is now making the Academy’s website an entirely new experience for learning and enjoying art.
This video is approximately four minutes in length. For more information about the Academy Art Museum, please go here.
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