On Tuesday, Gov. Roy Cooper enacted Executive Order 163, which moved North Carolina into Phase 2.5 of reopening, lifting some restrictions that have been in place to slow the spread of COVID-19.

As of Friday, museums, including art museums, were allowed open at 50% capacity, and fitness facilities, including dance studios, allowed to open at 30% capacity.

Mass-gathering limits were increased to 25 people indoors and 50 people outside.

The Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art will welcome visitors back to its grounds and galleries starting Sept. 16 with increased health and safety procedures, including required cloth masks.

“Our exhibitions, facilities and grounds provide both excitement and respite, a chance to see the world differently and to recharge our supplies of wonder and hope,” said William Carpenter, executive director at SECCA. “Visitors will find a safe, clean and welcoming space as we follow all state safety guidelines.”

SECCA will resume normal operating hours Wednesdays through Sundays. To encourage social distancing in SECCA’s 6,000-plus-square foot galleries and facilities, capacity will be limited to 50 guests per half hour.

Visitors are encouraged to follow the “Three Ws” of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services: Wear a cloth mask over nose and mouth, wait in line at least six feet away from others, and wash hands frequently or use hand sanitizer. Visitors are asked to postpone their visits, if they experiencing symptoms of illness.

The re-opening of SECCA’s facilities also marks the in-person opening of “DRAWN: Concept & Craft” in the Main and Potter galleries. Inspired by the discovery of sketchbooks by the late LeRoy Neiman, “DRAWN” brings together works by more than 60 international artists. The exhibition looks at the creative process and artists’ unique relationship with the art of drawing.

The Arboreal Gallery and the Sawtooth Center for Visual Art, both in the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts, reopened in July and August at limited capacity for an exhibition, “Form/Texture/Light/Shadow,” and classes.

Reynolda House Museum of American Art closed on March 14, but Reynolda’s formal and greater gardens remained open to the public. 

“We’ve seen triple the visitors in the gardens and woodland trails,” said Allison Perkins, executive director. “It’s been an extraordinary benefit for people to discover new spaces.” 

The historic house and museum will reopen to the public on Oct. 6, but before that, Reynolda will present a “weekend of gratitude” and the opening of “Tiffany Glass: Painting with Color and Light” for its members and volunteers, first responders and Wake Forest faculty, staff and students.

“Tiffany Glass” will be on view in the Mary and Charlie Babcock Wing Gallery through Nov. 29. Reservation links will be on the website, and all visitors will be required to sign up in advance for a timed admission ticket to control capacities.

“We trained people to buy timed tickets during the Georgia O’Keeffe exhibition (2017),” Perkins said. “It gives visitors the confidence of knowing that we will not be jam-packed with people. It’s a way to have the best of Reynolda and the beauty of Tiffany all to yourself. It’s an exquisite experience not to have to navigate crowds.”

Increased sanitation efforts will be in place, including plexiglass at the front desk, and gloves and masks for visitors. 

“I think right now, people are very concerned about going out and managing their own safety,” Perkins said. “Art museums are no-touch environments, and the few high-touch areas, such as handrails and doorknobs, will be cleaned regularly. 

“We’re excited. We’re ready. We’re doing some additional training for our front-line people.”

Despite the inconveniences and deprivations caused by the temporary closure, Perkins said that the Reynolda House staff has responded creatively.

“By migrating programs to online platforms, new people have able to discover our exhibitions,” she said. “I think museums nationwide are experiencing this. We need to think about our virtual visitors. I think we’ll have them for a long time.

“I’ve thought about this COVID time as an accelerator for entrepreneurial thinking in museums. In six months, we’ve developed a range of new products and new content for our Reynolda Revealed app.”

At first, they were all kind of stunned by the sudden closing. “Then we said, we’ve got to energize. Let’s get going,” Perkins said.

Jamie Lawson, artistic director of Winston-Salem Theatre Alliance, had a similar reaction to Perkins’. After three months of inactivity following the initial shutdown in March, Theatre Alliance opened its first outdoor production June 3 with “Disenchanted!”

Until this week, they have been allowed to sell only about 18 tickets per show to keep the gathering down to 25. With Phase 2.5, their capacity has increased to 50, so they will be allowed to sell more tickets to their next musical, “The Doyle and Debbie Show,” which opens Friday.

N.C. Black Rep issued a statement last week saying that it expects to hold the next National Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem on schedule — Aug. 2-7 — and that hotels are accepting reservations. Theatrical offerings will include “Maya Angelou: Phenomenal Woman,” a world premiere by Nambi E. Kelley, commissioned by N.C. Black Rep.

Officials at Old Salem Museums and Gardens said they will soon launch new on-site programs, such as Salem Pathways, and on-site research appointments, but buildings will remain closed to traditional in-person visitation. They will continue online programming to support teachers, students, families, and lifelong learners. 

Later in the fall, they will start offering virtual field trips, and they will continue to support the community in nontraditional ways. Since mid-March, they have donated more than 5,500 loaves of fresh bread and more than 2,500 pounds of produce from their gardens to area food banks.