The Bainbridge Island Historical Museum & Bainbridge Island Museum of Art are set to reopen this Friday, Feb. 19.
Gov. Jay Inslee’s announcement that the Northwest Region, which includes Kitsap County, in his Roadmap to Recovery plan has been moved to Phase 2, allowing museums to reopen at 25 person capacity.
• BIHM will open Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
• BIMA will open daily from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Both museums are following state safety guidelines including required face coverings, limited capacity, social distancing, one-way flow and removal of interactive elements.
BIHM will have a maximum capacity of 10 visitors with a group size limit of five. Their research library will remain closed.
BIHM will open with a new exhibit, Vanishing Bainbridge, in a collaboration with island photographer Joel Sackett. The exhibit explores Bainbridge history composed mostly of older homes that are still in use, repurposed or in disrepair. All of the photographs come with stories of island lives. The exhibit will be on view through Sept. 12.
BIHM’s new lobby installation offers cultural materials collected during the pandemic. The installation highlights some creative ways islanders responded to the COVID-19 crisis with new ideas and innovations.
BIMA’s reopening includes all galleries and the store. The BIMA Bistro will continue its Tuesday night take-out dinner service and will reopen for daily service at a later date. Due to restrictions on events, BIMA has refocused many of its programs to virtual offerings. Check www.biartmuseum.org for details.
BIMA will be opening with all-new exhibitions throughout the museum:
• Paul Rucker: FOREVER This series acknowledges little known civil rights martyrs: Four Little Girls, victims of the 1963 church bombing in Birmingham, Ala., and Edwin T. Pratt, former executive director of the Seattle Urban League, who was murdered in 1969 at his home.
• Breathe: This group exhibition, inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr., is part of BIMA’s Untold Stories series. Works focus on social justice and human rights.
• Kimberly Trowbridge: Into the Garden: This body of paintings reflects images, ideas and methods developed over the past two years as Creative Fellow at The Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island.
• Water is…A water-themed exhibition, from the Cynthia Sears Collection of Artist’s Books.
• Selections from the Permanent Art Collection: BIMA features a diverse array from the Collection, several including new acquisitions.
