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On Tuesday, an earthquake rocked Puerto Rico, resulting in at least one death and leaving the majority of the island without power. Amid the fallout from the quake, which measured 6.4 on the Richter scale, one of Puerto Rico’s most important museums has closed.
The Museo de Arte de Ponce said on Instagram that it was forced to shutter “until further notice.” In a statement posted to Facebook, the museum said that it had conducted an investigation and found that none of its collection had been damaged by the quake and that there were “no signs of any apparent structural damages to the building.” “Nevertheless,” the museum said, “the institution will remain closed until further notice due to non-structural elements that need to be repaired.”
Elsewhere on the island, in Guayanilla, the Church of the Immaculate Conception collapsed. The church had been erected in the 19th century and had been considered an important historical site.
According to the New York Times, around two-thirds of Puerto Rico has been left without power by the quake. For some, the earthquake was a reminder of the damage wrought by another recent natural disaster, Hurricane Maria, which also significantly affected Puerto Rico and its local art spaces. Many have also been left without running water by the earthquake.
The quake primarily affected the southwestern portion of Puerto Rico, which means that some art museums in San Juan were spared. At least one has already reopened: the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, which closed its administrative offices on Tuesday (a day that the museum typically does not welcome visitors) and maintained its regularly scheduled programming on Wednesday.
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