We will say this over and over and over: wear a mask in public, stay six feet from others, and avoid anywhere you can’t. Outdoors is safer than indoors. There is no such thing as a risk-free public outing and Dallas County is still advising you to stay home, stay safe. We have had a full week of daily increases of 1,000 or more coronavirus cases.
And yet things are starting to open in North Texas. Be careful and take precautions. Here is how some of the early risers are opening up.
The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth reopened to the public on July 1 with new rules that require masks and enforce six feet of distance between others. The museum has extended its exhibition, Mark Bradford: End Papers, a series of mixed media works inspired by the artist’s upbringing in his mom’s beauty salon and his own stint as a hairdresser. Bradford uses end papers—small squares used to protect hair from the heat damage of permanent waves—to create colorful, pixelated artworks. Also on view at the museum is Red Grooms’s Ruckus Rodeo and a Focus exhibition of recent paintings by Marina Adams. Learn more about the reopening rules and purchase tickets here.
The Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth has also reopened with some new adjustments (read this before you go), including closing the cafe and a few of its galleries to enforce social distancing measures. Fortunately, the museum has extended its exhibit Flesh and Blood: Italian Masterpieces from the Capodimonte Museum, giving North Texans another chance to see rarely traveled works by Titian, El Greco, Raphael, and other masters. You can read our write-up of the show here. Here are the museum’s policies regarding reopening.
Artist David-Jeremiah just debuted a compelling show at Janette Kennedy Gallery in the Cedars called “Offering.” The installation and memorial is based around the 2016 police shootings and subsequent killing of the shooter, Micah Xavier, in downtown Dallas. The artist has created six altars with collection plates and invites viewers to contribute as an act of mourning. You can read a bit more about the piece here. The exhibit is free and no tickets are required, but attendance is limited to ensure proper distancing. Masks are also required. Find more info on the gallery here.
The Dallas Zoo is open, but due to the rising number of cases in Dallas, it’s recently scaled back to its “initial level” of reopening activities. That means many of the indoor exhibits and high-traffic areas are closed. Now, you’ll need to buy a ticket for a specific time frame, wear a mask, and follow new traffic flows that allow for social distancing. All of the details of the reopening (like what’s open and what’s closed) can be found here.
The Dallas Arboretum and Fort Worth Botanic Garden are both decently safe options for a weekend outing since they are open-air, outdoor venues. Still, you’ll want to wear a mask and avoid any crowds you might encounter while strolling through. The Arboretum has closed the Children’s Adventure Garden for the time being. The Fort Worth Botanic Garden takes temperatures and checks for symptoms before allowing anyone in, and they are requiring visitors to buy time-stamped tickets in order to control the flow of traffic.
