South Bank's Art Galleries and Museums Will Start to Reopen from Late June

Since the beginning of May, life has become a little more normal for Brisbanites. So far as part of Queensland's gradual easing of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, restaurants, cafes and pubs have reopened for dine-in service, you can have 20 people over and you can head on a regional holiday. Plus, a little later in the month, we'll be allowed to once again visit some of the city's cultural institutions.

While Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk gave the green light for art galleries and museums to reopen from June 1, a number of Brisbane's major cultural institutions at South Bank have announced that they won't officially relaunch until later in the month. Similarly to restaurants and cafes, they'll need to adhere to strict social distancing guidelines and will be allowed one visitor per four square metres.

The list of late-June reopenings includes the Queensland Art Gallery, which'll welcome visitors back in from Monday, June 22, including in the QAG store and QAG cafe. Queensland Museum and SparkLab, Sciencentre will open to annual pass holders on the same day, before allowing the general public back in the doors from Thursday, June 25. If you're wondering about the Gallery of Modern Art, it'll relaunch over a month afterwards, reopening on Friday, August 7.

As capacity is limited, it's expected that time-allotted visits will be on the cards, and that galleries and museums may require pre-purchased tickets. QAGOMA has advised that it'll be providing handwashing and sanitiser facilities, distance markers for queuing and will be increasing how often it cleans the galleries, with full details to be provided close to Queensland Art Gallery's reopening. The Queensland Museum / SparkLab, Sciencentre will also release the specifics of its COVID-safe conditions before it relaunches.

South Bank's major art and cultural institutions have been closed to the public since mid-March. So, in order to keep a sense of connection going — between artist and audience, venue and punter — many institutions made the transition to digital. GOMA's #HomeWithGOMA series features online tours and videos, with QAGOMA also hosting virtual meditation and yoga sessions, plus online talks and classes. Over at Queensland Museum, almost 800,000 items in its collection can be viewed online, while its At Home hub includes tours, peeks behind the scenes and curated activities.

Top image: Queensland Museum.