One of the nicest things since the museum reopened in August has been seeing feedback coming in every time we send out surveys to folks who have reserved tickets and checked in. Not only does that feedback allow us to address issues quickly when they occur, but your overwhelmingly positive reactions to what we’ve been doing provide us with fuel to keep going. Here’s just a little of what you’ve had to say over the past six months:
“Everything looked great and all was clean from top to bottom. The motion detector sanitizers and museum shop doorbell are so cool. I look forward to seeing art on the hall walls and case again.” [It’s out there! There’s art on the walls and in the wall cases once more.]
“Re-opening job was well-orchestrated. Automatic dispensers for hand sanitizer were ideal. I felt very safe being at the GMOA.”
“good job with safety and promotion. It was a truly lovely break for my family and a Tiffany show was stunning and very elegantly installed.”
“It was so nice to get to see some art this weekend. I really miss having art in my life since the pandemic. Thank you again. Please stay safe and healthy.”
“One of the staff there was incredibly informative of the works displayed and was friendly enough to tell us about them! Loved him!”
“Will be coming back next weekend with my brother, because I saw how controlled the environment was and am happy I have a safe area to take him to see that isn’t just staying home.”
“I love this institution, this working museum, I’ve been here so many times and I am so proud to be able to go again. I am an amateur student of art history and being able to visit your museum is a huge part of my education. I thank you ever so much.”
“Thanks for being open and safe during the pandemic. It was so nice to have a reason to leave the house!”
“Thanks for opening again, the museum is a refuge.”
“The exhibits were terrific and overall the experience was very satisfying. The fact that I had an appointment meant that I stopped what I was doing to go to the museum. No excuses for not going. Brilliant!”
“The entire staff, especially Christy, went above and beyond, to help us out with our class project (Art Walking Tour). From allowing us to park below the museum to using a room to do our research in and having the files available when we arrived.”
“We’ll be back next Sunday to see more exhibitions. Thanks so much for giving us this opportunity for a safe activity. We used to visit the museum regularly and therefore (unfortunately) rather took it for granted. We had been away far too long, and we missed it!”
“We so appreciate the effort y’all are going to to make visiting the galleries as ‘normal’ as possible while keeping patrons safe. It can’t be easy. We are so very, very grateful to the entire GMOA staff.”
“This was our second visit this month. It is so nice to wander the uncrowded galleries! Free inspiration is not just a slogan. We love it.”
“That the GMOA is a community treasure and we’re so fortunate it is in Athens.”
“Thank you for all of the creative ways in which you are engaging museum goers and supporters during a very challenging time. I appreciate the on-line tours of varying kinds, the DIY kits afforded to museum guests to enhance their experience with the collections, and more. Kudos to all of you!”
“This was such a lovely solo activity during the pandemic and I appreciated that other guests were following safety guidance and had on masks properly and were remaining socially distanced. The ticketing system also helped me feel secure in that I wouldn’t show up with some enormous group following me around.” [Great point. One of the advantages of the ticketing system is that you can see how many other people have reservations for the same time slot.]
“Museum reopened with timed tickets and social distancing precautions. We basically had the exhibits to ourselves! Took a last look at the Tiffany collection, closing today, then our 6-year-old daughter led us straight to her favorite painting from the permanent collection and asked for a photo. We meandered through each room, viewing every single exhibit, and ended our excursion with a walk through the sculpture garden. The kids were glad to be back!”
“I pretty much saw everything while I was there for 2.5 hours. I LOVED the Passion & Piety exhibit and how it was in English/Spanish. Incredible works to be in our town! I also enjoyed the Japanese ceramics exhibit and wish it had been larger – bring more ceramic exhibits in the future :)” [You’re in luck! We have another Japanese ceramics exhibition from the same collection opening in May.]
“The entire experience was flawless and felt completely safe. From the front desk to security guards to the museum shop, it was safe and professional. We missed the museum. So good to be safely back.”
Authored by:
Hillary Brown
