Planning for the Future: The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) COVID-19 Response

FAIN: AH-274697-20

Glassell School of Art (Houston, TX 77005-1803)
Cindi Strauss (Project Director: May 2020 to October 2021)

Funding for staff to create installations in and digital experiences about a newly-constructed building dedicated to displaying modern and contemporary art.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) closed its doors to the public on March 16 due to the COVID-19 crisis. Despite these difficult times, the Museum remains committed to its mission of public service and is focusing on the future. While the Museum’s operations may look different in the aftermath of the pandemic, the MFAH believes that cultural institutions are places of solace, learning, and resilience. As such, staff members are continuing to work in earnest on installation and interpretation plans for the Museum’s new Nancy and Rich Kinder Building for Modern and Contemporary Art, scheduled to open in November 2020. With 100,000 square feet of new exhibition space, an open-air plaza and amphitheater, and interdisciplinary galleries that provide ample opportunity for humanities-based programming, this new building has the capacity to transform the cultural sector of the entire region by restoring cultural engagement at a critical stage in Houston’s social and economic recovery.