Max Hollein: This is Max Hollein, Director of the Metropolitan Museum.
Dan Weiss: Hi I’m Dan Weiss, the President of the Museum.
Max: April 13 is our big birthday, and obviously we planned to celebrate that in a major way,
it's our 150th anniversary. It's a very important moment in a long history of this seminal institution.
So, we had a lot of different plans for that. Obviously, these changed in the current environment,
in our current situation, in a situation that the city’s in, the situation, that the world
is in. I think today we think first and foremost
about all the people who suffer and all the people who are also helping to get us through
this crisis.
The Met is an institution that participates, it participates in the community, in our current
environment, it shares, whatever it can share, it also shows how we can support the people
around us. We had staff from our textile conservation
lab produce masks for health workers. We looked at all the equipment that we have here on-site,
in our different labs and made that available around New York City.
It is important to think what situation we are in now. But actually also, it's important
that art can help you get through this crisis. And we want to share as much as we can about
that.
Dan: The museum was founded in 18 70 by citizens in New York, who were hoping to accomplish
in the creation of this museum, the establishment of a major cultural center that would help
New York become a formidable cultural center in the world. And what's remarkable about
their vision was, of course, at the time, they had no building, and they had no art.
They had ambition, they had vision, but they didn't have any collection.
Our collections grew, and along with that, our service to the public became increasingly
a vital part of the life of New York City and beyond that, around the nation and around
the world.
And in times of difficulty, and in times of crisis museum, has always been there for people.
We have always opened our doors to provide access to people for comfort and inspiration,
and a chance for reflection.
Of course, in this crisis, our challenge is a very different one because we have to close
our doors in order to protect the public health and safety.
But through our virtual offerings, we're providing opportunities for people to connect with the
museum in myriad ways.
Max: The Met always had a very strong digital program, and we have very developed, I would
say, digital platforms and tools, as well as social media channels. What we have been
doing the last couple of weeks, was to basically further enhance these, expand these.
In general, I think, an art museum, a museum of our kind, is really a museum about the
world, for the world and a museum that is in the world, that's really sharing with as
many people as possible.
Maybe it you want to see joy, you want to understand the world better, you want to find
works that you can relate to, stories, narratives that you feel are relevant at this current
moment, with your own emotional feeling. Maybe with the sorrows that you have right now,
with the worries that are here, with the uncertainty that’s around us.
All of that has been captured through, throughout the ages.
Dan: It’s both a privilege and a source of some sadness to have an opportunity to
walk through the museum in the middle of the day with the sun shining through the windows
and there’s no one there but me. But as I look at these works of art and I reflect
on their history it reminds me that these objects have been through a lot through the
course of history and it reminds me that we will get through this and they will be there
on the wall and for everyone to appreciate when we re-open. And once we re-open, of course,
we will once again restore a whole host of programming in some celebrations for the 150th.
Max: We will have some great exhibitions waiting for audiences, especially the important exhibition
that's called Making the Met, which is really an exhibition about the whole history of the
Met, the last 150 years.
Dan: If our history has taught us nothing else, we are an enduring institution.
And we will be here for people when we re-open, just as we have been through challenges in
the past. So we look forward to that, and we know that better days are ahead.
But at this moment, as we celebrate our anniversary, we want to express our profound thanks to
all of you.
And we look forward to seeing you again very soon.