FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MOCA Toronto Reopens to the Public on July 16 with Acclaimed Exhibitions by Canadian and International Artists 

All current exhibitions have been extended beyond their original closing dates 

MOCA welcomes members, donors, frontline healthcare workers and members of the arts community with early access and free admission from July 9 ‒12 on a first-requested, first-served basis

Toronto, July 7, 2020 – The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) Toronto will reopen to the general public on July 16, 2020 with required advance timed ticketing and new health, procedural and cleaning protocols. Tickets are now available for purchase here. MOCA members receive free admission but are invited to reserve timed tickets before their visit. With the reopening, MOCA introduces new days of operation: Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday 11 am to 6 pm and Friday 11 am to 9 pm with the first hour reserved for seniors and those at a greater health risk.

MOCA reopens with its current series of highly acclaimed, site-specific exhibitions by Carlos Bunga, Shelagh Keeley, Megan Rooney and Sarah Sze, which will extend through the summer. Public programmes, such as conversations, lectures, virtual tours and other events, will continue to be offered on MOCA’s online platforms, with additional new media art content every week on Shift Key — a rotating platform of moving-image artworks by Canadian and other international artists.

MOCA's new Executive Director and CEO, Kathleen Bartels who arrived in Toronto in April shortly after the Museum closed its doors in March, said, “We are so grateful to everyone who helped realize this moment, including the artists whose work is on view. During the Museum’s physical closure, I have been working with the MOCA team on expanding digital offerings, exhibition programmes, our fundraising structures, as well as the reopening in alignment with our future goals and ambitions. A major step in this journey is reopening MOCA as a safe and inspiring environment where we can once again come together, at a social distance, to engage, discuss and appreciate the importance that art plays in all our lives. We look forward to welcoming our visitors and members back to experience work by four influential artists that was garnering critical acclaim before the shutdown.”

Enhanced safety measures based on best practices and guidance regarding COVID-19 from health authorities and government agencies are in place. Museum staff worked with local design company Whitman Emorson to create new wayfinding graphics and distancing guidelines to ensure calm, crowd-free pathways. Additional measures include hand-sanitizing stations throughout the facility, increased cleaning of public and employee areas, timed ticketing and face coverings mandated for staff and visitors at all times. Health and safety protocols are outlined on MOCA’s website. Visitors are encouraged to purchase advance tickets in order to guarantee entry. More information about ticketing is available here.

The revised schedule for current exhibitions is as follows:

Carlos Bunga: A Sudden Beginning – Floor 1 on view through summer 2020

Carlos Bunga: A Sudden Beginning – Floor 2 on view through October 4, 2020

Dornith Doherty: Archiving Eden: Exchange – Floor 1 on view through August 16, 2020

Shelagh Keeley: An Embodied Haptic Space – on view through September 27, 2020

Megan Rooney: HUSH SKY MURMUR HOLE – on view through September 13, 2020

Sarah Sze: Images in Debris – on view through October 4, 2020

The café at MOCA by Forno Cultura will open later in July. The Art Metropole project shop Clouds & Horizon remains closed until further notice; please visit artmetropole.com to shop online. 

The Museum’s reopening plan is subject to change based on government guidance and in response to altered circumstances. Next steps will be announced at a future date online at MOCA.ca  and on MOCA’s social media channels.

About MOCA Toronto

MOCA Toronto is motivated by the principle that museums and their programmes are culturally and socially beneficial to the diversity of communities they serve. MOCA supports and promotes forward-thinking artistic experimentation and provides a community space for enrichment, discourse, collaboration and creativity. Working across all contemporary art forms, MOCA’s programmes empower local artists and engage the Toronto art scene while contributing to the international art community and scholarship. 

MOCA is a not-for-profit charitable organization. The evolution of the Museum is made possible through a unique alliance with Castlepoint Greybrook Sterling Inc., public sector funders, private donors, members, sponsors and a network of cross-sectoral partners.

2020 Support

Special thanks to the generous patronage of exhibition Lead Supporters, the Jack Weinbaum Family Foundation and the Lindy Green Family Foundation. Thanks also to other Tomorrow of Contemporary Art campaign donors who help make possible MOCA Toronto’s 2020 programming.

Carlos Bunga: A Sudden Beginning

Contributing Supporters: Barry and Debra Campbell, and Elisa Nuyten and David Dime

With additional support from: Barbara and Dougal Macdonald

Megan Rooney: HUSH SKY MURMUR HOLE

In-kind Supporter: Farrow & Ball

Annual Corporate Supporters

Signature Partners: BMO

Presenting Partner: TD Bank

Lead Sponsor, Public Programmes: Scotiabank

Supporting Partner: Torys LLP

Foundation Supporters

Hal Jackman Foundation

Government

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