Dear Getty Colleagues,

I’ve just spent my second day back on site at the Getty Center. And I can report that spirit is high among visitors and staff alike. The volume of media attention we have received makes clear how much the community values our sites, and what it means to the greater Los Angeles area to have both the Villa and Center open after more than a year. I hope you saw the photo essay in the LA Times yesterday. It captures the buoyant spirit of our reopening day. Here’s a link to the video in case you missed it. 

I want to take this moment to thank everyone who worked tirelessly to get our sites—more recently the Getty Center, but also the Getty Villa—ready again welcome the public. It was a big and complicated task and it was accomplished with the highest degree of professionalism and generosity of spirit. Thank you one and all.

I hope you also look forward to returning to the workplace. As Steve Olsen wrote in his recent email, we will be expanding our onsite activity this summer, aiming to be fully operational in the coming months. To achieve this, we may require everyone to be vaccinated. This is important. Vaccinations are crucial to our defeating COVID-19. As I write, more than 130 million Americans are fully vaccinated. That’s 50% of the country’s adult population. Imagine if the number were 75% or higher? Remember what it was like this time last year? We are doing everything we can do to make the Getty as safe as possible. We must all do our part.

We are a community of colleagues dedicated to the advancement of our common good. This underscores everything we do, from our COVID-19 response to our ongoing commitment to DEAI work—everything we do is with the aim of improving our world for others. I thank you all for all that you’ve done and are doing to improve the Getty’s work environment, making it safer, and more equitable, accessible, and inclusive.  

As I write, it’s a beautiful day at the Center and more than 1,000 visitors have already taken advantage of the good work you have done to make their visits to our galleries and gardens safe, illuminating, and enjoyable. 

It’s a rewarding, uplifting time. I look forward to seeing you soon.

Sincerely,

Jim