COVID-19 Reopening Plan

The public will be able to view exhibitions at Finch Lane Gallery by making an appointment online. These appointments are for a 45 minute window. Each appointment is for one group, consisting of 1-5 people (an individual can reserve the space for themselves, or bring up to four other people with them. These individuals are considered an “individual household group” as defined in state documents.).

Prior to your appointment at Finch Lane Gallery, please check yourself and everyone in your group for symptoms such as: fever, cough, shortness of breath, loss of taste or smell, etc. If you are exhibiting any of these symptoms or others, please do not come to the gallery. You may reschedule your appointment for a later date, or cancel your appointment. If you are unable to make your appointment, please send an email to  so that we may open the appointment to another group.

For both your safety and for our staff, we strongly encourage visitors to wear a mask at all times in the gallery, and to social distance from staff when possible (6ft distance between individuals). Please see the June 26, 2020 Salt Lake County public health order regarding mandatory face coverings:

“Any individual within Salt Lake County who is age two and over and able to medically or psychologically tolerate a face covering shall be required to wear a face covering that completely covers the nose and mouth in public areas where consistent social distancing of at least six feet is not possible, reasonable, or prudent. Additional guidance can be found at https://slco.org/health/COVID-19/business/.”

Staff at the Salt Lake City Arts Council are committed to the health and safety of our community. Staff will wear masks at all times while visitors are in the gallery, and will check themselves for symptoms before entering the gallery. Between each appointment, staff will disinfect high-touch areas of the gallery. If you are a high-risk individual, please let us know ahead of time so that we can work to accommodate additional health and safety requests.

To make an appointment, please click HERE and select the date and time that you would like to visit the gallery. Please include your email address in your reservation so that we can contact you to confirm your appointment and send updates as needed. We look forward to welcoming you into the gallery, and thank you for accommodating these adjustments to our regular in-person gallery visits.

*See the “Staff Health and Safety” and “Cleaning and Disinfecting” sections below for details on staff and gallery protocol.

Phase 1:

Finch Lane Gallery is open by appointment only. Appointments can be made online at https://saltlakearts.org/program/finch-lane-galleries/. Each appointment is for a 45 minute time-slot. This will allow staff 15 minutes to disinfect the gallery and take care of any personal business if needed. Each appointment is for one group, consisting of 1-5 people (an individual can reserve the space for themselves, or bring up to four other people with them. These individuals are considered an “individual household group” as defined in state documents.).

Appointments will be booked online, and will include gallery protocol for visitors. Staff will leave the front door locked and greet visitors once they hear someone at the door. Staff must work near the front door so that they can hear the door and quickly respond. The gallery restroom will be available to visitors, but will remain closed to the public.

After letting visitors into the gallery, ask visitors if they have any questions about the artwork. Once they are comfortable in the space, return to the main office desk to avoid prolonged contact. Leave the office door open and be available for questions.

Phase 2:

Phase 2 will likely be informed by upcoming data from city, state, and national recommendations. This phase will likely have regular business hours at the gallery 8am-5pm, with a maximum capacity for the gallery of 10-20 individuals. If the gallery exceeds the capacity, individuals will be asked to wait outside of the gallery while social distancing until the gallery can accommodate them. This phase could include reserved hours for at-risk populations to make appointments so that they are not exposed to additional risk. This phase still does not allow for large group events (ex: in-person opening receptions).

Phase 3:

Phase 3 will likely look like the gallery returning to regular gallery hours, with a higher capacity of individuals in the gallery. This phase could also include reserved hours for at-risk populations to make appointments. This phase could potentially allow for large group events (ex: in-person opening receptions).

Staff Health and Safety:

It is of the uppermost importance that staff feel safe doing gallery appointments, both their personal health and their physical safety. As staff will be scheduled for a solo shift at the gallery, situations may arise that cause concern. Staff may request another staff member to be present during the appointment windows. In this situation, staff members will remain on different levels of the Arts Council building to prevent extended exposure. If staff feel unsafe, they may ask visitors to leave at any time and close the gallery. If a situation escalates, an emergency button is located on the upper left corner, under the counter, of the main desk in the office. This button signals Peak Alarm, who notify the police and request dispatch to be sent to the gallery. Remember that staff safety and well-being is the highest priority, so staff should remove themselves from a dangerous situation if needed. For more information and resources on preparedness, visit https://www.slc.gov/em/.

General Health Tips:

• Before every shift, check yourself for symptoms before entering the gallery. Notify the Visual Arts Manager if you are experiencing symptoms. Another staff member will be asked to cover the shift, or the appointments will be rescheduled for a later date;
• Wear mask at all times while people are in gallery;
• Avoid physical contact with visitors when possible (ex: handshake);
• Keep 6 feet between yourself and visitors in the gallery whenever possible;
• Cover coughs and sneezes;
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth;
• Wash reusable face masks often.

Washing Hands:

• Regularly wash your hands for at least 20 seconds throughout the day with warm water and soap. If soap and water are not available, use hand sanitizer of at least 60% rubbing alcohol;
• Upon entering the building;
• After blowing one’s nose, coughing, or sneezing;
• After using the restroom;
• Before eating or preparing food;
• After contact with animals or pets;
• Before and after providing routine care for another person who needs assistance (e.g., a child).

Facemask protocol: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/how-to-wear-cloth-face-coverings.html

The Arts Council will attempt to provide staff with PPE while in the building (although staff are able to bring their own if they prefer), and supplies for disinfecting the building. At the end of every shift, please check PPE and disinfecting supplies and notify the Office Facilitator if supplies are low. Inventory quantities will be tracked and re-ordered, but cannot be guaranteed.

Cleaning and Disinfecting Protocol:

After a group has left the gallery, complete the following steps before allowing the next group into the gallery:

• Clean high-touch surface areas with disinfectant wipes: main door handles (inside and outside), banister leading into the East Gallery, entryway counter-space with postcards, restroom door handles, restroom light switch, restroom sink and soap dispenser, toilet handle.
• Disinfect your work area and any surfaces touched when leaving the building. Windows and doors in the galleries may be left open as long as entry to the galleries is stanchioned off. Fresh air dilutes the concentration of virus particles in the air, which reduces risk of contracting the virus, so open windows/doors is allowable unless they impact the temperature of the gallery or are letting in an excess of bugs. Gallery temperature should be between 65-75 degrees F (with best between 70-72) to protect the artwork.

Before leaving and locking the gallery for the day:

• Complete the disinfecting steps above;
• Clean all light switches that were used during the day;
• Clean doorknob and desk/chair surfaces in main office if this space was used by staff;
• Clean any writing utensils and other office supplies that were used;
• Clean the alarm keypad, side door handles and keypad;
• Clean surfaces in the kitchen that were used (refrigerator, sink, cabinets, etc).

Disinfectant wipes should be used to wipe down hard surfaces. Hand sanitizer can be used on hands when soap and water is not available. Please contact the Office Facilitator if cleaning supplies are running low.