SAN FRANCISCO — Jay Xu, director and CEO of the Asian Art Museum, sent the following announcement to members and supporters on Friday.
“Last Friday you received an email about the efforts we have been undertaking to prevent the spread of coronavirus, and earlier this week we announced plans for the opening of our expansion in early May.
“Unfortunately, in response to the rapidly evolving COVID-19 crisis, the Asian Art Museum, along with SFMOMA and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (the de Young and the Legion of Honor), have jointly decided to close our museums temporarily to the public beginning Saturday, March 14.
“We plan to maintain the closure until March 27, but will monitor the situation on a daily basis and will let you know if we need to extend the closure. We believe this will reinforce local efforts to mitigate the spread of the virus and to keep it at levels that our healthcare system can support.
“We are very grateful for your patience and support during this uncertain time. We want to offer you online alternatives to engaging with our world-class art collection while we are closed. We encourage you to find comfort and inspiration through art on our YouTube channel, Instagram, Facebook page, online collection, and educational resources portal.
“Please note that any tickets purchased for these closure dates will be refunded in full. Should you have any questions, please visit our FAQs page or email us at pr@asianart.org. We will make every effort to respond to your inquiries in a timely fashion. We look forward to welcoming you back to the museum soon.”