The Ratner Museum in Bethesda, Md., is in the process of canceling all of its fall shows to make way for a “format change” on the museum’s first floor. About 150 artists who show their work on that floor will be affected.
Museum co-founder Phillip Ratner says “We’re changing the format of the museum in a very dramatic and wonderful way.” He declined to offer specifics, only saying that the museum is collaborating with an outside organization to overhaul the way art is displayed on the museum’s main floor, which houses rotating exhibits of works from local artists, among others. “We want it to be a surprise,” he says. The museum’s second floor will not be altered. Ratner expects to formally announce the change in August.
“For many, many years, we have hosted these shows with our pleasure, and never taken a penny for it,” Ratner says. “When we announce [the format change], you’ll say, ‘Oh, you guys are wonderful.'”