UES Museum To Reopen In August With Outdoor Exhibit

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — An Upper East Side museum that was forced to shut down in March due to the spread of the novel coronavirus announced this week that it plans to reopen in August as New York City progresses in its recovery from the deadly disease.

The Museum of the City of New York on Fifth Avenue and East 103rd Street will launch an outdoor exhibit called "New York Responds," a spokesperson for the museum told Patch. The exhibit will feature a selection of photos from more than 15,000 images submitted to the museum's open calls for photos capturing the city's coronavirus outbreak and protests following the death of George Floyd.

The exhibit, which will open to the public Aug. 1, will be displayed on the Museum of the City of New York's Fifth Avenue terrace. Museums are not cleared to reopen in New York City despite the city's advancement to the fourth and final phase of the state's economic recovery plan this month.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo amended the reopening phases to postpone the return of indoor activities such as in-person dining, gyms, event venues and museums citing fears that the activities would promote the spread of the coronavirus.

Museum officials say "New York Responds" is a precursor to an exhibit that will "tell the stories of 2020 and imagine what's next for our city."