The San Diego Museum of Us, formerly the Museum of Man, reopened this week with its more inclusive name and with modifications to keep guests safe from the novel coronavirus.
The museum welcomed guests Wednesday with a limited capacity to comply with state regulations that allowed museums in San Diego County to reopen with 25% of its usual capacity.
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Guests will be required to wear a face covering throughout their entire visit while taking in exhibits that focus on craft beer in ancient societies (Beerology), the study of ancient Egyptian cultures (Ancient Egypt and Adventure Kids in Egypt), how humans and animals coexist (Living With Animals), and many more.
Most of the museum exhibits are hands off, but it is providing hand-sanitizing stations throughout the building to ensure cleanliness. Click here to learn more about the museum's COVID-19 protocols.
The Balboa Park-based anthropology museum made an abrupt announcement on Facebook and changed its profile picture to reflect its new name. In its new avatar, the word "man" is crossed out with "us" replacing it.
"We are extremely excited to have a name that reflects our commitment to being a place that truth-tells and challenges but does so from a place of love," CEO Micha Parzen said in a statement.
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In its announcement, the museum said it was "time we step into a new identity that better reflects our values of equity, inclusion and decolonization."
The idea to change the name to be more inclusive first came up in 1991. In 2017, the museum's board of trustees thought it was time to reconsider a name change. The effort took more than two years to get the new name finalized and announced. The museum's board of trustees adopted the name on June 24.
The Museum of US, which has been in operation for more than 40 years, is open Wednesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tickets cost $13 for adults and $10 for seniors, military service members, students and youth. Children under 5 years of age are admitted for free. Guests are encouraged to purchase tickets online to minimize contact with staff.
The Museum of Us is one of several Balboa Park museums reopening after Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a new tiered reopening plan. To see what else is open, visit here.
