Visitor Guidelines

Masks are OPTIONAL for vaccinated guests.

The Arts Center continues to maintain the highest standards of cleanliness during the COVID-19 pandemic. Masks are optional for fully vaccinated adults. Masks are required for anyone 10 years of age or older who are not FULLY vaccinated. If you need a mask, we can provide one for you. The Arts Center facilities staff conduct hourly sanitation sweeps and each department has been equipped with hand sanitizer.

Experiencing any of these symptoms?

✔ Fever? ✔ Cough? ✔ Chills? ✔ Muscle aches?

✔Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing? ✔ Sore throat?

✔ New loss of taste or smell?

We hope you feel better soon. Please plan to visit us another time!

From the Pueblo Health Department, please follow these standard guidelines:

✔ Wash your hands often for at least 20 seconds with soap and water.

✔ If the opportunity for hand washing is not available, use hand sanitizers.

✔ Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.

✔ Cover your coughs and sneezes.

✔ Avoid handshakes or hugs.

✔ And if you are feeling unwell, please plan to visit us another time!

The Sangre de Cristo Arts Center reserves the right to set capacity limits for all events.

We look forward to welcoming you to our campus!

Service dogs and service dogs-in-training are welcome to visit. The dog must always be under physical or voice control of the handler and all other policies of the museum apply.

Emotional support, comfort, therapy, and companionship are not qualified as service tasks for a person with a disability and therefore are not allowed in the museum.

Pets are allowed on the grounds of the museum so long as they are always leashed and under the control of the handler. Please help keep our grounds clean by picking up after your pets.

Please do not leave any pets in your vehicle during your visit to the Arts Center. For the protection of our four-legged friends, we may contact law enforcement if an animal is left in a vehicle and appears to be in distress.

The Arts Center strives to provide a safe, family-friendly experience for all visitors. Therefore, overly revealing clothing or clothing with graphic depictions are prohibited on museum grounds, and all visitors must wear appropriate footwear while in the museum.

Visitors may not wear costumes, hoods, or full-face paint in the museum.

For the safety of all visitors and to protect the collection, all bags are subject to inspection at each entrance as well as anytime in the museum. We ask all visitors to review the prohibited items list before arriving to avoid delays.

Backpacks larger than a standard “school-type” backpack, such as those used for hiking or travel, should be checked at Guest Services. 

To protect the collection, all backpacks must be worn on the front or carried in hand by your side. Nothing may be carried on the back, or over or atop the shoulders in the museum.

All packages and parcels should be delivered to the Member and Guest Services in the Helen Thatcher White Building. 

The staff at the Arts Center cannot provide appraisals of works of art. Please visit the following websites for referrals to appropriate resources. In providing this list, the Arts Center in no way makes any kind of recommendation or endorsement of the companies listed.

• The Appraisers Association of America(opens in new window)
• Sotheby’s (opens in new window)
• Christie’s(opens in new window)
• American Society of Appraisers(opens in new window)
• International Society of Appraisers(opens in new window)

If you are considering a gift of artwork to the Arts Center, please contact the Visual Arts Department by calling 719-295-7200.

Personal

Personal cameras and candid photography are allowed throughout the museum unless indicated on a specific piece of art or at the entrance to an exhibition. Please turn flashes off while in the galleries and leave any additional photography equipment including tripods, monopods, selfie sticks, and the like outside the galleries.

Professional

Professional photography inside the museum is only permitted for groups who have reserved the museum for an event. The Facilities and Conference Services Department will help coordinate the times and locations when professional photography is allowed for each event.

Professional posed photography is not permitted in the museum. This includes, but is not limited to, family photos, advertising photography, wedding photos, engagement photos, graduation photos, and fashion shoots.

Professional photography is permitted on the grounds of the museum. Photography may not disrupt the operation or programming of the museum. Drones may not be flown over the museum or its grounds at any time.

Commercial

Commercial photo shoots may be arranged through the Facilities and Conference Services Department and must take place outside of public hours. Rental fees and security costs will apply.

Editorial

Editorial photo shoots may be arranged through the Marketing & Development Department by calling (719)-295-7211. There may be a cost required based on the scope and if staff assistance is deemed necessary by the Arts Center.

For your safety and comfort, and to protect the collection, we ask that the following items be left at home or in your vehicle:

• Outside beverages – personal water bottles may be brought into the museum empty
• Flashlights, laser pointers, and other things that emit light
• External speakers or sound amplification devices
• Anything designed for or capable of flight
• Photography equipment, other than a handheld camera. This includes tripods, monopods, selfie sticks, lighting, or cabling
• Art supplies other than graphite pencils and kneaded erasers

The Arts Center reserves the right to prohibit additional items with or without advance notice.

To help ensure the best experience for our visitors, unsanctioned tours or activities must defer to the Arts Center Member and Guest Services team.  Tours and activities and may not disrupt museum operations or activities. All museum guidelines apply.

The Sangre de Cristo Arts Center has one of the largest, most significant art collections in southern Colorado. If you are coming to see a specific piece, we encourage you to check out our Galleries to be sure it is on display.

The Sangre de Cristo Arts Center cannot guarantee access to all or any gallery, space, or object during your visit.

Visitors are encouraged to find personal meaning in our vast collection, but please respect and adhere to these guidelines while doing so:

• Do not touch the artwork, frames, cases, mounts, or platforms
• Do not sit, stand, lean, or place any object on cases, sculptures, barriers, platforms, or walls, or pedestals.
• Remain at least 18 inches away from all artwork. Please do not gesture within 18 inches of the artwork.
• Do not cross stanchions, barriers, or platforms.

Failure to observe the above guidelines may result in removal from the museum.

• Strollers and wagons are welcome in the museum and permanent galleries. Some special exhibitions may restrict the use of strollers or wagons. Please call 719-295-7200 for more information.
• New mothers are welcome to breastfeed anywhere in the museum. A private room with a power supply, changing table, and diaper disposal is located on the second floor of the Buell Children’s Museum if you would prefer privacy. Bottle feeding should be conducted outside of the galleries as bottled liquids are not allowed in the galleries.
• Changing stations are available in all multi-stall public restrooms.
• Child carriers are allowed but the child must be positioned on the front. Children may not be carried on the back or shoulders.
• All children under the age of 15 need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian over the age of 21.
• Walk, do not run, while inside the museum. Running, horseplay, and the use of wheeled shoes are permitted on the outside grounds, but not inside the Arts Center.

Water stations are available throughout the Arts Center, but please do not consume beverages, food, gum, or candy inside the galleries.

For a quick sip of water, drinking fountains are available throughout the museum near the restrooms.

Food, beverages, chewing gum, and candy are not allowed in the galleries.

Multi-stall restrooms are located on each floor of the museum. Pick up a visitor map or ask a staff member to find the nearest restroom.

• Skateboards and roller skates must stay in contact with the ground — no grinding, jumping, or disruptive behavior is allowed on Arts Center property.
• Animals must always be on a leash and under the control of the handler. Leashes may not be tied or attached to anything on Arts Center property. All pet waste must be cleaned up by the handler.
• Smoking is prohibited within 25 feet of all doors and entrances. Please discard smoking waste in designated waste containers.
• Please do not climb or play on tables, sculptures, walls, landscaping beds, fixtures, or the building.
• Visitors are encouraged to enjoy the grounds of the museum any time of day. Please keep all activities on the grass and do not enter gravel areas or landscaping beds.

Please do not approach the exterior windows of the museum at any time. This includes animals.

The principles of diversity, inclusion and equal access apply to all aspects of the Arts Center’s operations and across all categories of individuals. Verbally abusive, harassing, discriminatory, or threatening language, statements, or behavior toward Arts Center staff, volunteers, or other visitors are prohibited.

Additionally, the following behavior is not permitted:

• Do not touch art or introduce any harmful foreign substance to the museum.
• Do not enter any restricted areas, such as stepping beyond barriers or entering non-public spaces.
• No smoking or vaping inside the museum. Smoking and vaping must be done outside and at least 25 feet from any door.
• Do not consume chewing tobacco inside the museum.
• Do not engage in any activity that disrupts the experience for other visitors or the operation of the museum, including but not limited to:
  • • Unauthorized performances or tours
    • Solicitation
    • Demonstration
    • Loud conversation, including in-person or the use of speakerphone
• Do not sit or stand on or lean over ledges or rails surrounding open-air balconies.
• Please be mindful of others by always keeping doorways and hallways accessible.

Visitors are expected to always follow instructions of Arts Center staff. Failure to follow these guidelines may result in removal from Arts Center grounds.

Did you forget something? Not to worry, we may have it in our lost and found. Please call 719-295-7200 to see if we picked up your item. We hang on to most items for six months.

The Arts Center is committed to keeping you safe during your visit. If you need help, locate the nearest employee or Museum Security Officer.

Anyone can report suspicious or hazardous situations to the Arts Center’s Member and Guest Services by calling (719) 295-7200 Please do not call this number for information about an emergency.

Evacuations

While rare, there are circumstances under which the Arts Center may need to be evacuated. You may hear or see the fire alarm or receive instruction from Arts Center staff. Please follow instructions and leave the building as quickly and safely as possible through marked exits.

Shelter-In-Place and Lockdown

The Arts Center’s Facilities Department may issue a lockdown or shelter-in-place order when a threat exists outside of the museum. When this occurs, staff will move visitors away from exterior doors and windows. Please follow instructions from Arts Center staff or first responders.

You are welcome to sketch and draw in the galleries with graphite pencils and kneaded erasers. Pens, colored or lead pencils, paints, rubber erasers, and other art supplies are not permitted.

If you are coming to sketch on your own, please bring a clipboard or lapboard as floors, walls, or pedestals cannot be used for writing, sketching, or drawing. Oversized portfolios are not permitted.

No large bags or backpacks are permitted in the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center campus buildings. This includes the Jackson Conference Center, the Buell Children's Museum, and the Helen T. White Galleries. 

Allowed:

• Small purses/handheld clutches (no larger than 12" x 5" x 12")
• Clear plastic bags (no larger than 12" x 5" x 12")
• Medically necessary items that have been inspected by security.
• Small diaper bags.

Please leave at home:

• Large bags and purses
• Outside food/beverages
• Water bottles
• Backpacks
• Camera bags
• Weapons (Please see Weapons Policy)

Guests are prohibited from bringing any weapons on the premises/grounds. Weapons include, but are not limited to firearms, explosives, tasers, handcuffs, brass knuckles, sticks, clubs, batons, pepper spray, tear gas, and knives. Guests with concealed carry weapons permits are prohibited from bringing weapons to the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center campus.