It’s that time once again for the editors we have come to know and love to hand over the reins to upcoming editors. Congratulations to you all on your graduation! We as new editors will do our best to uphold the standards you have set …
We hope that our readers are staying healthy and safe at home! With that in mind, there is a virtual town hall that NEMA has organized through Zoom for museum studies students and recent graduates on May 11 at 2pm. Presenting will be MaryKate Smolenski …
The title is not meant to be flippant. COVID-19 and the current restrictions placed on the Tufts’ community and at large should be taken seriously. The editors are hoping everyone is safe and healthy. The goal today is to give a glimpse at what those of us self-quarantining can do to entertain ourselves. Mental health is just as important as physical health and being cooped up for most of the day can be depressing. Fortunately, there are a few ways to keep our imaginations occupied in this turbulent time.
First, here is a link back to the museum-studies related podcasts post from last year. The extra time for spring break and not attending a physical class could be used to enrich your knowledge of the museum community with these listens.
Next, there are online museum tours and collections you can visit. Mental Floss’ website provided an article for inspiration. The Louvre has virtual tours about Egyptian antiquities and the remains of the Louvre’s moat. The Guggenheim provides a look at its art collection with a searchable database. The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History has virtual tours for permanent, present, and past exhibits. The Mental Floss article linked above provides more examples of museums you can visit virtually.
Then, there is the opportunity to flex your social engagement muscles online. Museums have been reaching out to their email subscribers as they have closed in order to reassure visitors during the fight against the virus. While visiting museums will be missed, there is a strong museum community presence on social media. Museum professionals and museums have been posting their favorite collection items on social media stories. On Instagram, the Social Distance Gallery account is hosting BFA and MFA thesis shows because people are stopped from seeing them in person. There is the hashtag on Twitter, #MuseumFromHome, where museum professionals are discussing favorite museum artifacts. Maybe you all can provide your favorite object with that hashtag.
Finally, I come to streaming platforms, like Netflix or Hulu. They have plenty of documentaries to offer about subject matter found in museums. For example, there are National Geographic docs on Disney+ about nature, science, and cultures. On Netflix, they have a doc called Fake or Fortune? that is about art forgeries in museums. Or you can have fun watching National Treasure or Indiana Jones and enjoy the protagonists’ cooperation with museums.
Please let us know if the links are not accessible. Remember, you should not feel pressured to be extra productive in this trying time. Most of us are navigating new terrain with working solely from home, and we should not be pressuring ourselves with unrealistic goals. The stress of the unknown can hopefully be lightened with these activities. I would love to hear about what our readers are reading/watching/etc. to keep them entertained, so please leave suggestions in the comments.
In the past few weeks, the coronavirus (COVID-19) has been dominating international news with its rapid spread. Everyone has a part in keeping themselves and their community as healthy as possible, and that includes museums. So, what is happening with museums? Most places are responding rapidly with …
If you don’t yet have Galentine’s Day plans (or Palentine’s Day, gender aside), the Drinking About Museums: Boston group will gather at the Well-B Innovation Center for a tour of their exhibit space and then go for dinner and drinks this Thursday, February 13. What: …
With the Lunar New Year ringing in just yesterday, it is a tragedy that the Museum of Chinese in America in Manhattan lost most of its collection in a fire the day before what should have been a celebration. The archive caught fire not far from the actual museum, and the 85,000-piece collection was likely completely destroyed, whether from fire or water damage. Any pieces that did survive are inaccessible at this time due to building damage. There was one man critically injured and several firefighters with minor injuries, but no deaths reported. There is no criminal activity linked to the fire, and the case is being investigated.
The building itself is historic, having once been used as a public school for immigrant children. The collection included donated items like family albums, clothing, newspapers and other artifacts owned by immigrants. Their loss in the fire is irreparable. The good news is that 35,000 documents had been digitized prior to the fire, and some of the collection is safe because it is on display at the museum.
This museum and its community are mourning the loss of the precious collection. They did have some digital copies of documents, and storage was separate from the museum; however, the damage is done to the collection and to the trust of those who lent their property to the museum.
To prevent such catastrophes, museums should start with the basics: having an emergency/disaster-preparedness plan. Museums and archives alike should assess their collection and its housing for risks to human and collection safety. Also, for collections housed in historic buildings, there needs to be a balance between preservation needs of the structure and mitigating risk to people and the collection. Sometimes that balance calls into question the use of an automated fire suppression system. Hopefully, as more news about this horrific event is revealed, the museum will stay transparent about its prevention measures and how it will be able to improve in the future.