History in the Moment: Museums Begin Chronicling Coronavirus Pandemic

New York has been hit tremendously by the Covid-19 pandemic. However, historians are looking for ways to document the situation during the crisis so that it can be remembered in future years. The New York Historical Society, Museum of the City of New York and New York State Museum, have started to document different events and are working into collecting items that can symbolize the difficulties the city is going through and to exhibit them in the future.

Other states are starting to adopt this idea, such as the Atlanta History Center. However, this job leads to many challenges. First, everything has to be done now, currently, otherwise the evidence is lost. Second, efficiency is difficult due to the quarantine measures imposed by different states for everyone’s safety. Three, you can be at risk of contracting the virus while doing this job. In New York, Louise Mirrer, president and CEO of the New York Historical society emphasizes the importance of taking action now.  If the important moments that shows the greatest suffering, are not captured instantly, everything is lost.

Some ways they are trying to record history is through videos, pictures, but also by collecting signs from different stores or shops that show social distancing instructions, equipment, homemade face masks or any items related to covid-19. In addition, in the future, they want to collect and exhibit a respirator, due the importance of this live saving equipment during the pandemic.

I chose this article because I believe that this is an interesting idea. Although the idea of exhibiting in the future requires museums to do the job right now so that the evidence is not lost, this will have a target market in the future that can be historians, history majors, or anyone related in the catastrophic events fields. It also relates to the external market environment, the social cultural aspect will allow that in the future this catastrophic time will be remembered.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/history-in-the-moment-museums-begin-chronicling-coronavirus-pandemic-11586210478