Longmont Museum staff target Oct. 17 opening for DreamLab and Frida Kahlo exhibit
A Museum Advisory Board report points to an Oct. 17 target for the expanded Longmont Museum’s DreamLab children’s gallery and a Frida Kahlo photography exhibit, though full building occupancy is still pending and proposed 2027 membership changes have not been formally approved.
Longmont Museum staff told the city’s advisory board this week they are targeting Saturday, Oct. 17, for the opening of the expanded museum’s new DreamLab children’s gallery and a temporary Frida Kahlo photography exhibit, according to the Museum Advisory Board packet for the June 17 meeting. But the museum has not yet completed full building occupancy, and the city’s public-facing museum page still describes the reopening more broadly as coming in fall 2026.
Museum Director Erik Mason’s report in the board packet says the Oct. 17 date would mark the opening of both DreamLab and the temporary Frida Kahlo show. The packet does not show a formal board vote setting that date; the opening appears in the director’s report rather than as a separate action item.
The same report says the museum has received only a temporary certificate of occupancy for the front entrance and lobby, with full occupancy for the building expected “in a few weeks.” The city’s museum webpage still says the galleries are closed for construction until fall 2026 and that general open hours will resume once the gallery expansion is complete.
Staff also outlined work still underway inside DreamLab. Mason’s written report says the Mushroom Forest stage had been assembled and kitchen counters installed. Next steps listed in the packet include a toddler-area grass wall, ADA soft flooring and final castle-wall adjustments before concrete finishing. Mason also said two full-time exhibitions staff members were expected to start the following week to help build out DreamLab and other galleries.
The board also discussed proposed membership-rate changes that would take effect Jan. 1, 2027, according to the board packet. Under the proposal, student and senior memberships would be folded into the Individual category, several tiers would rise in price, and the museum would add a $15 Museums for All membership for SNAP/EBT cardholders. The packet says board members expressed general support, but it does not show a formal vote approving the new rates.
That leaves the pricing changes as a staff proposal rather than a finalized public decision. The Museum Advisory Board is advisory to City Council, and the city says most council-appointed boards make recommendations while council retains final decision-making authority.
The staffing question is similarly unresolved. Mason’s report says the museum has already submitted its 2027 budget request, including a request for additional staff to maintain and operate DreamLab. The city’s 2026 proposed budget document shows museum staffing runs through the annual budget process, suggesting any permanent added DreamLab positions would depend on City Council’s 2027 budget adoption later this year.
For now, the clearest near-term development is that museum staff have attached a specific target date to the expanded museum’s reopening, even as construction punch-list work and final occupancy steps remain unfinished.