The Contemporary Jewish Museum Announces Reopening

Museum will Open to Public April 17 with Timed Tickets and Reduced Capacity

Wednesday, March 3, 2021 (San Francisco, CA) – The Contemporary Jewish Museum (The CJM) announced today that it will reopen to the public on April 17. The Museum most recently closed on November 29 as San Francisco entered the purple tier due to widespread COVID-19 transmission. The Museum will continue to follow and respond to safety guidelines issued by the city regarding re-opening protocols and timelines.

Upon reopening, visitors will be able to view Levi Strauss: A History of American Style, Threads of Jewish Life: Ritual and Other Textiles from the San Francisco Bay Area, and Predicting the Past: Zohar Studios, The Lost Years. The CJM will also continue to offer virtual versions of the exhibition for those who prefer to remain at home, and will host all programming online to ensure the safety of The Museum staff and visitors. Members of The CJM will be given priority access to The Museum on April 15 and 16.

“We are looking forward to inviting Members and guests to return to The Contemporary Jewish Museum in person as San Francisco enters a safer zone,” said Kerry King, Interim Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer at The CJM. “After a successful re-opening last fall, we feel confident in the safety protocols that we have in place, and we’re grateful to be able to bring in-person art experiences back to the public. We have new exhibitions planned for this year and see this re-opening as a milestone in realizing our 2021 exhibition and programming plans. As the spring unfolds, I am particularly excited to welcome both in-person and virtual guests to see an exciting new exhibition series by contemporary artist Julie Weitz that will be free to the public, both in person and online.” 

This month, The CJM will open GOLEM: A Call to Action, a digital exhibition in three parts by Los Angeles–based artist Julie Weitz. The first component of the exhibition, Golem v. Golem, will premiere on The CJM’s Instagram account timed to Passover (March 28–April 4, 2021). Golem v. Golem is an eight-episode social media engagement produced by Asylum Arts for the program Dwelling in a Time of Plagues supported by CANVAS. Each day of Passover, a new video will debut, presenting an unfolding narrative inspired by the Passover story’s struggle between tyranny and freedom. The two other artworks included in the series, My Golem as a Wildland Firefighter and A Prayer for Burnt Forests, will open on thecjm.org on April 22, Earth Day, and June 21, the summer solstice, respectively. Both My Golem as a Wildland Firefighter and A Prayer for Burnt Forests will also open in person at The CJM on June 24 in a newly dedicated black box gallery that will be free to the public.

The health and safety of visitors and staff is The CJM’s highest priority, and established COVID-19 protocols will continue to be followed to ensure a safe experience for all. The Museum has enacted safety measures that are in strict compliance with the City of San Francisco and the State of California guidelines to ensure the highest possible level of safety for visitors and staff. The Museum will re-open at a reduced capacity in alignment with State and City guidelines to accommodate physical distancing throughout the building, and visitors are strongly encouraged to book timed tickets online in advance for contactless admission. Member tickets will remain free, but Members are also strongly encouraged to reserve a timed ticket online in advance to ensure availability and limit person-to-person contact. Visitors will be asked to maintain physical distancing of at least six feet between individuals (unless in a stable group or family), and all visitors and Museum staff will be required to wear face coverings. In addition, The Museum provides regular cleaning of high-touch surfaces throughout the building and has touch-free hand sanitizing stations installed at main entrances, elevator landings, and other frequent points of contact throughout the building. The Museum’s HVAC and air filtration systems were updated this fall to increase visitor safety as well.

To reduce high-capacity gatherings and person-to-person contact, The CJM will continue to host programming online only. This includes the extremely popular visual lecture series, Sunday Stories, on Facebook and IGTV, as well as an exciting array of virtual programs, including exclusive virtual programs for Members and donors. In addition, The Museum’s education department will continue offering live virtual tours for school groups, which served over 2,000 teachers and students this school year.

To accommodate proper sanitation procedures, The CJM will reopen on a reduced schedule of Thursday–Sunday from 11am–5pm. Wise Sons will be open seven days a week from 8am–2pm for pickup and delivery. 

About The Contemporary Jewish Museum

For over thirty years, The Contemporary Jewish Museum has engaged audiences and artists in exploring contemporary perspectives on Jewish culture, history, art, and ideas. In 2008 The Museum opened a new building designed by internationally-renowned architect Daniel Libeskind, providing a lively center where people of all ages and backgrounds can gather to experience art, share diverse perspectives, and engage in hands-on activities. Inspired by the Hebrew phrase L’Chaim (“To Life”), the building is a physical embodiment of The CJM’s mission to bring together tradition and innovation in an exploration of the Jewish experience in the twenty-first century.

Major support for The Contemporary Jewish Museum is generously provided by Bank of America; The Covenant Foundation; Suzanne and Elliott Felson; Gaia Fund; Grants for the Arts; Walter & Elise Haas Fund; Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund; Jim Joseph Foundation; Maribelle and Stephen Leavitt; 706 Mission Co LLC; The Bernard Osher Foundation; Lisa Stone Pritzker Family Foundation; John Pritzker Family Fund; Dorothy R. Saxe; Seiger Family Foundation; Taube Foundation for Jewish Life & Culture; United States Department of Homeland Security; and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.

Major support for The Contemporary Jewish Museum’s Helen Diller Institute is generously provided by The Helen Diller Family Foundation.