Galleries and art centres across Canberra can open their doors from Saturday, but they say it will be several weeks yet before local artists will exhibit.
For the first time since March, Watson Arts Centre was a hub of activity on Tuesday as staff returned to the workplace that had a semblance of normality.
"There is an air of excitement around the place today," chief executive Richard Thomas said.
The gallery and pottery centre will recommence pottery classes next month, with class numbers halved to accommodate physical distancing.
As the ACT moves into stage two easing of restrictions on Saturday, the centre's art gallery is allowed to reopen with up to 20 people in a designated session, but Mr Thomas said it would be several weeks before there would be anything to show.
"You can't have a gallery sitting there with a show ready," he said.
A local artist scheduled to exhibit their work prior to the pandemic, had been forced to cancel due to the uncertainty of the situation.
"It's a lot of work and expense for the artist to hire a gallery space, put on an opening and exhibit their work.
"If they feel they're not going to get the people through the door to make that worthwhile, it's a commitment a lot of them aren't willing to make."
Mr Thomas said the gallery's annual student/teacher ceramics exhibition was the perfect way to reopen the gallery, as it didn't rely on outside artists hiring the space.
"We're luckier than most, we do have some of that work on tap," he said.
For Tuggeranong Arts Centre chief executive Rauny Worm, reopening isn't reliant on the changed restrictions.
"It's contingent on whether we can actually afford to open our doors," she said.
The centre is waiting on ACT Government funding for the arts, announced two weeks ago, aimed to assist galleries that had been forced to close.
Ms Worm said the centre's eligibility for the funds would be known in June, and opening an exhibition before then wouldn't be feasible.
"To open the arts centre we have to put additional staff on. Many of them are casuals. I have to be able to offer a program. I have to be able to pay artists to put their artwork in the centre," she said.
Ms Worm said opening the gallery wouldn't be viable unless the centre's main source of revenue, the Fresh Funk dance program, could also ahead.
"We need to make sure we can do it in a financially viable way. We don't have anything to give at the moment, we need to go a little bit above break even."
Ms Worm said the centre had worked with the ACT Government on a photography project documenting the pandemic.
"As soon as we can open the doors we can invite the community in for a bit of reflection around what has happened over the last three months."
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National Archives of Australia Director-General David Fricker said the Archives was "look forward to working with the ACT Government and other institutions to implement the changes in coming weeks."
The National Archives of Australia plans to reopen its research centre in mid-June, and to reopen for visitors in mid-July.
A spokesperson from the National Gallery of Australia said the NGA "is awaiting detailed guidelines from the ACT Government so we can assess plans for our reopening."
Federal Minister for the Arts Paul Fletcher MP announced that national collecting institutions are able to reopen to the public from May 30, encouraging state and territories to follow suit.
"After a challenging period, the reopening of the nation's premier cultural institutions is an important step in the re-emergence of Australia's cultural and creative economy," Minister Fletcher said.
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