Like most museums around the world, the impressive Medieval and Renaissance Galleries at the V&A in London are currently closed to contain the spread of COVID-19. Photo: Wikimedia Commons user BRENAC/CC-BY-SA-3.0.

While the worsening pandemic and sweeping social-distancing measures have brought normal daily life to a grinding halt around the globe, cultural institutions, typically the civic pride of cities and entire regions, were also forced to abandon their prime mission and temporarily close most, if not all, brick-and-mortar manifestations.

With physical exhibitions now inaccessible and museum staff ordered to work from home, we wondered: How has the switch to remote work been going so far for institutions that rely so heavily on personal interaction with visitors? Have online programs, or even virtual exhibitions, been in place before the crisis hit? Can the self-quarantining public access and enjoy collections via the web, potentially offering a vastly expanded, global audience to most museums?

Transition to museum teams working remotely

Archinect reached out to a number of leading museums that are all currently closed, and the responses — a mix of smooth sailing but also steep learning curves — were quite insightful. First up, we asked how the transition for museum staff to working from home had been so far.

"We are implementing a range of measures to enable flexible working across the V&A workforce during this time, and to enable staff to support key projects and priorities while our sites are closed," stated a spokesperson for London's Victoria and Albert Museum. "This is important for all our people and in particular for those who have children and other caring responsibilities. We also have a 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme which all employees and their immediate families can access."

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Sssssh....Our doors may have closed for now but we have a world of secrets for you to discover... From our captivating Cast Courts, to our superstar costumes, and breathtaking bling, uncover the thrilling stories of our objects and our talented people who look after them. Explore the V&A from behind the scenes in #SecretsOfTheMuseum - All 6 episodes are available to stream on iPlayer - link in bio Only available in the UK
A post shared by Victoria and Albert Museum (@vamuseum) on Mar 19, 2020 at 9:45am PDT

"Easy," was the simple answer from Valentina Avon, Press Officer at the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia, which operates eleven museums in Venice, Italy — a region hit especially hard by the COVID-19 outbreak.

Amilia Tsegai, Public Affairs Coordinator at The Art Institute of Chicago, answered: "Naturally, there have been challenges during the transition to remote work, but we're seeing teams demonstrate flexibility and skill to bring the museum to people in new ways."

"So far so good," was the chipper response from Jill Lynch, Communications Director at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Naturally, there have been challenges during the transition to remote work, but we're seeing teams demonstrate flexibility and skill to bring the museum to people in new ways." — The Art Institute of Chicago

At the Bauhaus-Archiv in Berlin, Director of Communications Therese Teutsch wrote: "The transition has been good, but it's too early to tell the long-term effects for internal communication etc."

"The transition to MCA staff becoming a remote workforce has been both seamless and efficient, due to the quick response and efforts from the museum’s leadership and operations teams," responded Lisa Key, Deputy Director at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.

"As a museum, the face-to-face interaction between our staff, visitors, and community is a large part of what we do, so the work from home transition has not been as straightforward a transition as it may be in other industries," explained Anthony Morey, Executive Director and Chief Curator at the A+D Architecture and Design Museum Los Angeles, adding, "that being said, it has allowed us to take a beat to reinterpret what our mission, goals, and vision mean in the digital realm."

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In order to contain the spread of COVID-19 in Chicago, the MCA Chicago is closed through March 29. Keep following for more information. Read the statement from the MCA Director Madeleine Grynsztejn by tapping the link in our bio.
A post shared by MCA Chicago (@mcachicago) on Mar 13, 2020 at 3:38pm PDT

Limitations of remote work for museums

We followed up with an inquiry about the limits of museum tasks that their staff could do from home online, asking which areas of work have been difficult, or impossible, to do remotely?

V&A: "At present, the museum is open to our security teams and a small number of contractors needed to ensure the V&A buildings and their contents are secure."

Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia: "Everything connected to security."

Art Institute of Chicago: "Our essential staff consists of members of our operations team who are responsible for the safety and security of our building and the art. Our teams who interact with visitors cannot work from home. We are currently paying staff and contractors for scheduled work regardless of whether they're able to work from home."

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La Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia informa che le sue sedi museali rimarranno chiuse al pubblico fino al 3 aprile, in ottemperanza alle direttive descritte dal DPCM del 8 marzo 2020 e fino a nuove indicazioni delle autorità competenti. The Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia informs that its Museums are closed to the public in compliance with the DPCM of 8 March 2020 until 3 April 2020, or to any other decisions of the competent authorities. #FondazioneMUVE #MuseiCiviciVenezia #Venezia #Venice @comunevenezia @ducalevenezia @museovetro @palazzofortuny_venezia @museocapesaro
A post shared by Musei Civici Venezia (@visitmuve) on Mar 8, 2020 at 1:55am PST

SFMOMA: "Many jobs are not possible with a closed museum — front line visitor services, our onsite stores and restaurants, hands-on positions in conservation and installation, for example."

Bauhaus-Archiv: "Our collection, of course, cannot be taken care of remotely. This has to be done on location."

Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago: "We are shifting our focus to staying connected by video during this time — we’ve always valued a collaborative work model within our office environment and want to ensure that spirit continues while we work remotely to support our mission. But, it is hard for cultural workers — we miss hallway conversations and the social interactions that drive creativity."

Our collection, of course, cannot be taken care of remotely. This has to be done on location." — Bauhaus-Archiv

A+D Museum: "Well, to be blunt, continuing the exhibitions and programming was initially impossible to do remotely. That would have to be the most gut-wrenching aspect of the whole process in regard to the institution. You work hard to build up the physical space, connect with artists, build programs and then, POOF, it's gone. That aspect took a few days to get through."

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The oculus bridge gets lonely without you, too. We can't wait to welcome our visitors back to the museum, but safety comes first. . In an effort to contain the spread of coronavirus and adhere to the Bay Area’s shelter-in-place directive, we are extending SFMOMA’s temporary closure. In addition, all programs and films are canceled through April 30, to comply with ongoing state + local guidelines on avoiding large groups. Please visit our website at sfmoma.org for the latest updates. In the meantime, we'll continue to share art digitally across our social channels. We'd love your suggestions on how we can help you #MuseumFromHome . . . [photo: Henrik Kam]
A post shared by SFMOMA (@sfmoma) on Mar 20, 2020 at 1:41pm PDT

Digital museum presence then and now

We wanted to know which of these museums already had online exhibitions, virtual tours, or live-streamed events available before the shutdown, and how this crisis is influencing their online experience going forward.

V&A: "The V&A offers a wide range of content online for visitors to enjoy the museum’s collections and archives, opportunities to explore the museum behind-the-scenes, access educational resources and further information on our world-leading exhibitions program — including virtual tours, blog posts, interviews, a Search the Collections website and a dedicated YouTube channel. The V&A’s collections also include the National Art Library, the Archive of Art and Design, and the library collections of the Theatre & Performance Department. These are catalogued on an additional online library database."

Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia: "We are working more than usual with all our social network channels and our monthly newsletter became daily. All our museums have been on Google Arts and Culture for years."

Art Institute of Chicago: "We have introduced several interactive elements on our website that allow a closer look into artworks in our collection, allowing people to experience the museum from anywhere. There will also be a tour of El Greco: Ambition and Defiance available soon."

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Because the health and safety of the Art Institute community is our highest priority, the museum is closed for two weeks, March 14–28. We will take this opportunity to develop enhanced standards and protocols in response to the escalating impact of COVID-19. During the closure, we will be sharing even more content here to continue to fulfill the museum’s mission to inspire and educate the public. (Link in bio for more information)
A post shared by The Art Institute of Chicago (@artinstitutechi) on Mar 13, 2020 at 12:49pm PDT

SFMOMA: "Yes — we have a robust presence online. Our digital and social teams are ramping up their content — see #museumsathome or visit us on social: Instagram, FB, Twitter or visit our YouTube channel to see our Artist Cribs segments. In addition, we have the longest running program of artists interviews and have a deep repository of interviews with contemporary artists as well as artists no longer with us (eg, Ellsworth Kelly)."

Bauhaus-Archiv: "We've had a live stream from our construction site set up already before the shutdown and an app which works a bit like a virtual tour. But we're definitely looking more into digital possibilities now for making our collection and knowledge accessible online."

All our museums have been on Google Arts and Culture for years." — Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia

Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago: "The MCA has a robust online presence with a comprehensive website and our social media, and we are actively working toward implementing enhanced online offerings to engage with our audiences remotely."

A+D Museum: "The museum has never before looked into the idea of a virtual tour, but we had done live-streamed events. The pandemic certainly is shifting the modes in which the museum will engage with its community for the foreseeable future. [...] Finding a balance between the physical, which is financially more burdensome but people will always crave, and the digital, which is accessible to more yet has experiential limitations, will dictate the future of museums, arts, and culture. As an institution, we have been fascinated in the digital and while we will embrace it more wholeheartedly, this is also a lesson not to throw the physical baby out with the bathwater."

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In view of current developments in relation to coronavirus, the temporary bauhaus-archiv and the bauhaus-shop are closed until further notice. All scheduled events have been suspended. The bauhaus-shop is available online at www.bauhaus-shop.de: link in bio! And, of course we will keep sharing here on Instagram, and will also show you the digital resources of #bauhausarchiv #berlin, which you can use 24/7 from wherever you are. #stayathome #museumfromhome #closedbutactive #bauhaus
A post shared by Bauhaus-Archiv, Berlin (@bauhaus_archiv) on Mar 18, 2020 at 2:20am PDT

Lessons from and for social media

Based on the previous question, we asked if the museums had modified or expanded their online and social media presence since the shutdown, and what the reactions had been like so far.

Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia: "The reactions warm our heart. In details, we have a media of 80% more coverage for Facebook accounts (the highest 128% for the education service account) and 87% for Twitter. People like our videos that we have on our YouTube channel the most. We have a very good feedback also for the newsletter (we publish short stories connecting all our museums collections to the town and everyday life in these hard times)."

Guggenheim Museum Bilbao: "Although temporarily closed to visitors in order to contain the spread of COVID-19, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao just launched #GuggenheimBilbaoLive, a digital initiative which will continuously offer through the museum’s website and social media new audiovisual content about the exhibitions and other, more unknown aspects of its operations."

SFMOMA: "The reaction has been very positive. Many people seem to be craving engagement with art."

The reaction has been very positive. Many people seem to be craving engagement with art." — SFMOMA

Art Institute of Chicago: "While the museum is closed, we have been developing and sharing content on our website and social media channels to continue to fulfill the museum’s mission to inspire and educate the public."

Bauhaus-Archiv: "Yes, we've for example transferred our bauhaus_lab into an online format and have increased our social media presence. There has been much more attention and interaction online than before."

A+D Museum: "Looking forward, we are starting to explore how we can use our curatorial tools in these new arenas, and how we can develop new ones for the given mediums. The public has been fantastic and supportive during this time and the outpouring of support is motivating. So many people are inquiring about our next steps, what new things we have up our sleeves and what we will do when the shutdown is all over."

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In support of city-wide efforts to minimize the exposure and risks associated with COVID-19, the A+D Museum will be closed through march. We will continue to update our community as we put the safety of all members of our community and city first. Please visit our webpage or follow our instagram to be up-to-date.
A post shared by A+D Museum (@aplusd_la) on Mar 13, 2020 at 5:28pm PDT

What's next?

In closing, we asked what the biggest challenges, but also opportunities, will be once the museum reopens again.

V&A: "We are still working through the implications of temporary closure."

Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia: "We need people coming back to Italy and to Venice, that is a special town. Social networks and virtual tours will remain something important, but an empty museum is even more sad than an empty town."

Art Institute of Chicago: "We look forward to ensuring staff and visitors confidence through the additional steps we are taking to feel secure in a public space after a period of such uncertainty."

We are still working through the implications of temporary closure." — V&A

Bauhaus-Archiv: "As construction work for our museum is scheduled to last until 2022, we will only reopen the temporary Bauhaus-Archiv. It will be difficult to reschedule all the events which have been suspended. But there's also the opportunity of having had the time to rethink some formats and approach matters with a fresh perspective and new insights gained from this experience."

Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago: "We are looking ahead and know that with reopening, the impact of the current situation will have lasting effects on our operations. We will continue to prioritize the care and safety of our staff and visitors and will build upon opportunities, like working within an expanded digital space to stay connected to our friends."

A+D Museum: "Questions of digital versus physical have been ones that have informed our practice over the years. [...] We will be the institution that learns lessons from this pandemic; finding the importance of space as stability in assembly, while taking the opportunity to shift the way we engage based on the strength we see in these virtual moments."

As the pandemic is expected to further intensify in most countries in the coming weeks, Archinect will be closely monitoring the situation and continuing our coverage.