Visitor FAQs – social distancing and safety precautions
When will you be open during the week?
Our revised opening times until the end of August will be Wednesday to Sunday, 10.00am to 5.00pm, closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. We will also be open on the Bank Holiday Monday 31 August.
What can I see at Towner this summer?
Alan Davie & David Hockney: Early Works is a major exhibition of works by these two major figures of post-war British painting, tracing the parallel paths of these key figures, and revealing shared preoccupations with passion, love, sex and poetry as their work oscillated between figuration and abstraction.
BRINK: Caroline Lucas curates the Towner Collection – An exhibition curated by Caroline Lucas MP, selecting from the 5000 works in Towner’s permanent Collection. Caroline’s selection reflects her passions and interests, from her environmental work, issues of climate change and effects on our landscape, to her love of living in Sussex.
This whole time there were no landmines by Turner Prize-winning artist Lawrence Abu Hamdan, is an eight-monitor installation with sound, that uses collected cell-phone-video footage from 2011 to document a ‘shouting valley’ that lies in the contested area of the Golan Heights, Syria.
The Ravilious Gallery will also be open with its exhibition of works by Eric Ravilious. At present, there is no access to the books in the Collection Library, which shares the same space.
Lothar Götz’s large-scale mural, Dance Diagonal, spans the entire outside of the gallery and is available to enjoy 24 hours a day, every day.
How can I buy exhibition tickets?
The only ticketed exhibition currently showing at Towner is Alan Davie & David Hockney: Early Works. We are advising visitors to purchase tickets online in order to receive priority access in the event of queues forming. Tickets can also be purchased at the Welcome Desk while in the building. We are currently not accepting cash payments, so please be prepared to pay by card.
We are also pleased to offer free priority admission for NHS and care staff, plus one guest, to our ticketed exhibition, Alan Davie & David Hockney: Early Works (please bring your NHS card or evidence of your workplace).
Will there be toilets available?
Our toilets will be open with enhanced cleaning and reduced capacity. Our taps and soap dispensers are touch-free. Please wash hands thoroughly as per guidelines.
What measures will I need to take when on-site and what will Towner be doing to keep me safe?
We will be following government guidelines throughout our reopening. Here are some of the precautions that we are taking to ensure the safety of our visitors and team members:
- All visitors into the building will be asked to use the hand sanitisation station on entry to the building and further sanitisation points will be available throughout the building.
- Visitors are required by government guidelines to wear masks to enter the gallery.
- Hygiene screens have been installed at the Welcome Desk and at the café counter
- We are not currently accepting cash payments, so please be prepared to pay by card in our shop and takeaway café. Contactless payments are preferred where possible.
- To allow social distancing, we will be limiting the number of visitors allowed into each exhibition space, as well as into the building itself. You may be asked to wait for short periods during busy times. You may wish to consider visiting at start and end of days when the gallery will likely be quieter.
- Throughout your visit, please maintain a safe distance from other visitors and staff and refrain from touching surfaces. Floor markings will be in place to support this.
- Enhanced cleaning will be in place throughout the building.
- Staff will be on hand throughout your visit to ensure you have a safe and enjoyable visit.
Is it safe for elderly people and children to visit the gallery?
We will be following government guidelines to ensure the safety of our visitors. If you have any concerns, you may wish to consider visiting at start and end of days when the gallery is more likely to be quiet. If you are shielding or at risk, please check government guidelines before visiting us.
Will the Towner Café be open?
Our bright and airy top floor café will be open from 10am to 4.30 serving a light menu drinks and sweet and savoury snacks, using disposable (fully compostable) serveware. Our capacity has been reduced to allow for social distancing and there is also seating on our balcony in good weather. To avoid any congestion at our counter, visitors should find a vacant table and a member of the café team will come and take your order and payment. We are currently not accepting cash payments, so please come prepared to pay by card.
Will the Towner Cinema be open?
We aim to reopen the Towner Cinema in the autumn. In the meantime, we are sharing a programme of carefully curated online film content for cinema fans via Towner’s website and social media channels. You can also sign up to the mailing list to receive our monthly Towner Cinema newsletter.
Will the Collection Library be open?
We await government guidelines for the reopening of libraries. In the meantime, visitors are able to access the room, which shares its space with the Ravilious Gallery, but browsing the books is not possible. This will be reviewed once guidelines are announced.
My membership has expired during Towner’s closure. What should I do?
We will accept all expired cards dated between March and June 2020, up to and including 31 July, whether or not you renewed online or by direct debit. If you have renewed your membership during the lockdown, thank you. We will be sending your new cards by the end of July. If you haven’t yet renewed your membership, we will be in touch shortly.
We are awaiting further guidance from the Government relating to the NHS Test and Trace service and how this might work in the context of a free-entry gallery. We will update our website and these FAQs when more details are known.