• You will be asked to line up in a social distance compliant queue via all accessible visitor entrances. We encourage you to dress for the weather as you may be waiting outside for a few minutes.
• The museum will require all employees and guests to have a touchless temperature screening before entering the facility. Anyone with a temperature of 100.4 or higher will be asked to reschedule their visit.
• You will be greeted outside by a staff member and waved through the lobby when space allows.
• You will be asked to show your registration using your smartphone or printout.
• If you have additional questions or wish to join/renew your membership, staff will be present. Join or donate online.
• In a continuation of previous policies, all bags larger than a small purse will need to be inspected. We ask that you simply open it to show the contents. Very large bags will not be permitted and must be left at home or safely secured in your car. Coat rooms and lockers are not currently available.
• Limited wheelchairs are available upon request and will be sanitized in between uses.
• Strollers are not currently available. We encourage families to bring their own.
• Water fountains are located throughout the building and sanitized throughout the day.
• Security and desk staff will be behind plexiglass barriers as extra protection.
• Some areas in the building are small and tight, so please leave space for others to pass or take turns, particularly in restrooms and elevators or smaller corridors. Some restrooms and elevators may only accommodate one party at a time.
• Please continue to take precautions to stay healthy and safe. We encourage everyone to refer to the Ohio Department of Health recommendations about best practices.

Why is the Cincinnati Art Museum open?

The museum has been closed since March 14, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. An allowable opening date for museum and other entertainment venues was announced by Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton and Governor Mike DeWine when they issued new guidance for re-opening Ohio museums and attractions on June 4, 2020.

The mission of the Cincinnati Art Museum remains strong. We are here to inspire people, connect communities and contribute to the vibrancy of our city. We are continuing to serve in-person and virtually.

What are you doing to the clean the museum?

Restrooms and high-traffic areas are cleaned multiple times a day using electrostatic machines and highly effective traditional methods. Custodians also survey the museum throughout the day to respond to immediate concerns. Surfaces are sanitized with a more rigorous cleaning after-hours.

Museum staff and visitors are encouraged to wash their hands frequently and utilize hand-sanitizer stations found throughout the facility.

Additionally, by ways of the museum’s hospital-grade UV air filtration system, we are able to kill most mold, viruses, bacteria and fungus as well as eliminate most allergens, static electricity, smoke and odors.

What is open during museum hours?

• Most permanent collection galleries are open with the exception of small spaces.
• Special exhibitions
• Art Climb–you do not need to register to visit. Please practice social distancing at all times.
• Alice Bimel Courtyard
• The Museum Shop will be open during museum operating hours with a recommended foot traffic route, limited capacity and social distancing requirements.
• The Terrace Café hours can be found here. 
• The Mary R. Schiff Library & Archives will open by appointment only. Please call (513) 639-2978 or write to [email protected] to make an appointment.
• CAM Coffee Bar–limited to-go offerings (water, sparkling water, juice box and packages snacks, etc.)

Do I have to touch anything?

Your visit can be almost entirely hands-free, particularly if you choose to download a map in advance. Free timed tickets are available here. When you arrive, you will be asked to show your registration using your smartphone or printout.

Why timed entry?

While our building is large and capacity can be generous, we want to provide as much space as possible to allow for healthy and safe social distancing.

Are there special hours for vulnerable populations?

The Cincinnati Art Museum strives for a safe experience for all by limiting our hours, reducing capacity, cleaning regularly, and providing the opportunity for a touchless experience. Please remember to visit another time if you are feeling sick. 

Will there be Summer Camp?

Six weeks of Cincinnati Art Museum’s Summer Camp will take place in 2020. Parents have been instructed about the changes and safety measures in place. Contact [email protected] with any questions.

Additional FAQs

• Download our Visitor Guidelines & Policies
• Free Wi-Fi is available in select locations at the Cincinnati Art Museum.
• Download our handy Museum Manners guide to get you started! (English | Español)
• For the safety of children and the art, large-framed child carriers are not permitted in the galleries. Small baby slings and less bulky child carriers are allowed, but we ask parents to be mindful of their surroundings while walking in the Art Museum.
• Family Restrooms are available on the Ground and First Floors of the art museum. Diaper-changing stations are available in all restrooms that are wheelchair accessible.
• Stroller Entrance is available via our Front and DeWitt Entrance.
• Sketching inside the museum is currently not available.

• Accessibility programs are currently not available. Download one of our custom guides for visiting the museum: Social Narrative: Entering the Museum | Social Narrative: Getting Around the Museum | Sensory Friendly Guide
• Accessible Parking is available. Wheelchair and stroller entry is available via our Front and DeWitt Entrances. For more information on Directions and Parking please click here
• Elevators are located on the First Floor (beyond the Great Hall providing access to the Ground and Second Floors) and First Floor (near the Terrace Café providing access to the Second and Third Floors).
• Wheelchair Accessible Restrooms are available on the First Floor (in the Great Hall), on the Second Floor (in Gallery 213), on the Ground Floor (next to the Fath Auditorium).
• Service Animals are welcome in the Art Museum. Please check in with the security guard in the front lobby or at the DeWitt entrance upon arrival.

Nonflash still photography and video are permitted only on mobile phones or small cameras and recording devices.

Photographs are often being taken at the museum in order to update our photo stock. Your image may be featured on the CAM website or future publication materials. Our photographer will be wearing a staff badge and have a camera with a red tag. If you prefer not to be photographed, please notify our photographer as you see her in the galleries.

• Photography must not disrupt other museum visitors or staff.
• Photography must not limit accessibility to galleries, exhibitions, entrances/exits, doorways, and high traffic areas.
• Photographers and subjects must always stand at least three feet away from artwork at all times. Do not touch artwork.
• Flash photography is not permitted in any area of the museum.
• Camera bags, selfie sticks, stabilization devices such as tripods and monopods, and other large or specialty photographic equipment are prohibited in the galleries (unless approved and accompanied by museum staff).
• Visitor photography is permitted for personal, noncommercial use only.
• Professional photography for portraits require that advance arrangements (at least two weeks in advance) be made with our Special Events Staff by emailing [email protected].In addition, there is a $250 location fee for professional photography.
• Photographs may not be published, sold, reproduced, distributed, or otherwise commercially exploited in any manner unless approved by the museum in writing. For all requests to reproduce or publish images including artwork or the museum building in any way, please email [email protected].

Advanced registration allows the museum to track visitation and share information if requested by Ohio Health officials. We do not disclose, sell, trade or rent any information obtained in this way to outside parties.

By reserving tickets, you agree to our visitation guidelines listed above. The Cincinnati Art Museum reserves the right to ask anyone to leave if they do not follow the safety guidelines. By completing this form and visiting the museum, you are certifying that you understand and agree to the following terms and conditions:

• You agree to abide by all Cincinnati Art Museum policies and procedures, the guidelines listed above, and guidance from local, state, and federal public health officials.
• Before visiting the museum, you should know the symptoms of COVID-19 and should not visit if you feel unwell or have had exposure to someone who was diagnosed with COVID-19.
• If you begin feeling ill while visiting the museum, you will contact Visitor Services/Security or leave the museum immediately.
• You acknowledge and understand that COVID-19 is an extremely contagious virus that spreads easily to person-to-person contact and may cause severe illness, personal injury, permanent disability, and death.
• You acknowledge and understand that visiting the museum may place guests at an increased risk for exposure to or contracting COVID-19.
• You will not hold the museum accountable if you should contract COVID-19.

In consideration for visiting the museum, you knowingly and freely assume all such risks and agree to irrevocably and unconditionally indemnify, release, and hold harmless Cincinnati Art Museum, and it’s trustees, predecessors, successors, assigns, agents, directors, officers, employees, volunteers, representatives, insurers, and parents, divisions, subsidiaries, and affiliates (and agents, directors, officers, employees, representatives, and attorneys of such divisions, subsidiaries, and affiliates), and all persons acting by, through, under, or in concert with any of them, with respect to any and all claims, lawsuits, demands, controversies, causes of action, liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses (including but not limited to medical expenses, lost wages, attorneys’ fees and costs), either matured or unmatured, of whatever nature and whether or not presently known that exist as of the execution date of this release under federal, state, or local law, common law, or statue.