The Appleton Museum of Art at the College of Central Florida is preparing to reopen its doors to the public.
After a temporary closure due to COVID-19 precautions, the museum will welcome visitors back on Thursday, Oct. 15. During the closure, the entire museum received a deep cleaning while the staff also worked on indoor and outdoor maintenance projects and created new safety protocols to ensure that visitors have a safe and enjoyable experience.
Additionally, the galleries have been updated and reinstalled with Appleton treasures, promoting natural social distancing while presenting new, never- seen-before works alongside visitor favorites.
“Opening safely to all of our community members is finally within sight,” said Museum Director Jason Steuber. “The Appleton is an exceptional and dynamic place to enjoy 5,000 years of art face to face.”
Upon reopening, several new, special exhibitions will be on view to kick off the fall schedule:
- In “The Spaces Between,” mixed-media artist Christian Duran creates “theatrical landscapes” that, while giving a nod to historic botanical illustrations, break out of the confines of representational rendering to create a way of looking at nature in abstract.
- “The Art of Adventure” will feature serigraphs by Clayton Pond. Shared from the permanent collection for the first time these vibrant prints explore the culture and vocabulary of leisure sports.
- “Mid-Century Tourism on the Silver River” will feature photographs by Bruce Mozert. This exhibition will feature photographs of both Silver Springs and Paradise Park, as well as other ephemera, that will highlight Mozert’s innovation, creativity, and significance to the history of tourism in Marion County.
The Appleton will reopen with an abbreviated schedule:
- Thursdays-Saturdays, 10 a.m.- 5 p.m.; and
- Sundays, noon-5 p.m.
Masks are required for all visitors and social distancing procedures will be in place. Visitor occupancy of the museum also will be monitored. The museum’s store will be open for holiday shopping with one-of-a-kind gifts. The Artspace and classrooms and will remain closed until further notice.
Online content will continue to be updated and made available to the public, including “The Artist’s Outlook” online lecture series; “Teaching Tuesdays” instructional art project video series for children; “Art Minutes” video series highlighting works from the permanent collection; and the free Appleton mobile app. As always, the outdoor Sculpture Walk is open for a fall stroll.
A campus of the College of Central Florida, the Appleton Museum of Art is located at 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd. in Ocala, east of downtown on State Road 40 (exit 352 east off Interstate 75 or exit 268 west off Interstate 95). Parking is free. For more information, call (352) 291-4455 or visit AppletonMuseum.org.