After spending the first half of 2020 in Covid-19 imposed hibernation, the state of Maine is slowly emerging into the "new normal" of social distancing, face masks, and hand sanitizer. Saltwater Artists Gallery on Pemaquid Point in New Harbor put into place state approved safety protocols and officially opened full time on Fathers' Day weekend. Members who sit the gallery wear masks and sanitize all surfaces that might be touched - door knobs, pens, counters, bathroom fixtures, key pads, etc. We are now allowed to have 5-7 customers in the gallery, and they must wear face coverings and sanitize their hands upon entry. Adherence to the state guidelines will hopefully allow us to continue to maintain the relatively low infection rate that we have had so far in Maine. |
The process of getting the gallery ready for opening presented its own new challenges. Once we were given approval from the state to open, we had to then determine if and when the 25 members artists would feel comfortable opening up and sitting the gallery. The next step was to schedule time for each artist to set up their display area so there wouldn't be more than a few people in the gallery at a time. We also decided that would not be having the two open house events that had originally been on our calendar for the 2020 season. We opened the gallery for the first two weekends in June in oder to test out our safety protocols before opening full time on June 19th. Things have gone fairly smoothly so far, and we have been happy to have lots of "Maine-ahs" on "staycation" stopping by who are out enjoying the myriad of offerings of midcoast Maine.
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorCynthia Smith, Maine artist, originally from Connecticut. Taught art at secondary level for 35 years, retired in 2004. Sculpts in bronze, wood, stone, clay & plaster. Her work can be seen at several mid-coast Maine galleries and shows. Archives
June 2023
|