After Four Challenging Months, Museums Reopen to a Different World

Kay Simpson says the top priority before reopening Springfield Museums was making sure both visitors and staff would be safe. “Kissing Through a Curtain” is an exhibit of 10 contemporary artists, dealing with communicating and translating across borders, how people interact, and the meaning behind words. It was hung at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) in March, a few days before the museum closed due to COVID-19 — and there it has hung, dormant, ever since.