The reaction to Governor J.B. Pritzker's ban on gathering of more than 1,000 people throughout the state of Illinois has been swift, spurring the cancelation of everything from arena concerts to theatre shows in Chicago. While museums didn't seem to be an explicit target of the state's recommendation, some of the city's most popular institutions are acknowledging that hosting thousands of visitors in their exhibitions could potentially contribute to the spread of coronavirus.
Over the past 12 hours, all three institutions on Chicago's Museum Campus have announced temporary closures that will extend over the next few weeks (and possibly beyond):
- The Field Museum will remain open until 5pm on Friday, March 13 and then close to the public through March 29. Events and programming at the museum will be canceled or rescheduled (Dozin’ with the Dinos events on March 27 and April 3 will be rescheduled, and Members' Nights on April 30 and May 1 are postponed).
- Adler Planetarium will remain open until 4pm on Friday, March 13 and then close to the public until further notice. All programming and events at the Adler through May 1 will be canceled or rescheduled (canned events include Smithsonian Museum Day on April 4, Sun Salutations Yoga on April 4, Adler After Dark on April 16 and Earthfest on April 25.
- Shedd Aquarium will remain open until 3:30pm on Friday, March 13 and then close to the public through March 29. All scheduled events and programs will be cancelled but may be rescheduled to a later date.
The Museum of Science and Industry in Hyde Park has also announced that it will close from March 14 through April 6 and cancel all events at the institution. In the Loop, the Art Institute of Chicago will close from March 14–27 and all museum programming—including tours, lectures and performances—will be on hiatus until April 10. The Museum of Contemporary Art will be closed through March 29, with all programming events during that time being canceled or postponed.
Keep up to date on the latest developments in Chicago with our ongoing list of event cancellations and venue closures.