Every New Year, I make a promise to myself to try my hand at a new skill. In 2020 I was eager to learn how to embroider. Of course, only a few months into this year, we were slammed with the reality of Covid-19. Many of us felt depressed and isolated. I know that I was feeling especially guilty about all the extra time I had at home but felt no motivation to try and achieve goals that I had set earlier in the year. One day in April I was scrolling Reddit and came across an embroidery group. Suddenly it dawned on me that I had not even attempted to try my hand at embroidery! Lucky for me, I already had the supplies. I sat there a while wondering what to stich. Then the image, we all know so well by now, of the Coronavirus molecule popped up on the Nightly News. I knew that would be my pattern for my first ever attempt at needlepoint. It quickly became a small project that I am very proud of and it is my little souvenir from this crazy year.

The reason this photo is so important to me, and could be meaningful to others, is because this was when my mental health began to recover. Many people like myself struggled with mental health issues throughout the pandemic, and this picture was a massive turning point for my well-being.

In Cambridge, MA, we depend on small businesses, whether they’re corner stores, beauty parlors, restaurants, or specialized outlets. This picture is the lattermost, a music store called Cheapo Records, which I visited often before quarantine. Places like this are extremely important for both conserving history and discovering new music (without algorithms). COVID-19 has only exacerbated the danger Cheapo and others are facing due to rising rents. This picture I took before they reopened spoke to me because it shows how the hiatus wasn’t expected to be this long; the merchandise is left outside, behind an iron curtain, in uncertain indefinance.

As the Covid-19 pandemic began to spread in Boston, museum interpreters at the Paul Revere house looked to the archives to learn more about how Boston has responded to wide-spread illness in the past. This blog post from The Revere Express blog explains how the smallpox epidemic effected the Revere Family and ways that 18th century medicine responded to the illness.

A blog post from the Massachusetts Historical Society blog The Beehive, this post studies how Abigail Adams responded to the 1776 smallpox epidemic. Looking through primary sources in Adams' own words, the author studies how Abigail Adams responded to an epidemic in her own time period.

This webpage invites audiences to include their perspectives of the Covid-19 pandemic. Individuals can write a few sentences about their experiences and help build a database of responses. Functioning as a digital journal, the Massachusetts Historical Society collects how Boston residents respond to certain prompts pertaining to the Covid-19 pandemic.

This memo was released in the beginning of the stay at home orders in Massachusetts (April 2020). As a response to the state-wide quarantine, MASSCreative released this statement explaining ways they will continue to support the cultural communities. This message is important as it is from the start of the Covid-19 responses in the state.

An initiative that started in 2014, Create the Vote is a nonpartisan public education campaign that encourages voters and lawmakers to support art and culture. The Create the Vote Campaign 2020 serves to encourage citizens to support arts and culture with their vote to encourage creativity in Massachusetts

Supporters of artists and cultural institutions, MASSCreative asks their Twitter audience to write to their federal lawmakers and urge them to remember the creative community when creating pandemic relief. This tweet specifically discusses the Heroes Act and the Heals Act

Governor Charles Baker issued this executive order making 14-day quarantines for out-of-state travelers mandatory on July 24, 2020, in a departure from the advisory "order" declared in March asking travelers to either quarantine or avoid the commonwealth all together. This order exempts seven Northeastern states whose COVID levels had been deemed "low-risk," but required all out-of-state travelers from the remaining 43 states, and returning residents, to self-isolate or obtain a negative test result 72 hours prior to arrival. Failure to meet these guidelines carried with it a penalty of a $500/day fine; a feature that was absent from the earlier travel advisory guidelines. With Massachusetts having seen improvement from the springtime surge that left tens of thousands of residents infected and over 8,000 dead, the Commonwealth sought to stay ahead of the virus curve and squelch an expected resurgence, as tens of thousands of returning students from across the country prepared to descend upon greater Boston colleges and universities in the fall.

This executive order from mid-June of 2020 allows for restaurants and "close contact personal services" to reopen their "brick-and-mortar premises" and resume indoor table service.

On July 2, 2020, Governor Charles Baker revised COVID-19 Order No. 38 to exclude businesses designated as "a Phase I, Phase II, or Phase III enterprise" that is allowed to open its environs to workers and the public from gathering restrictions, provided that said businesses are following the state's COVID-19 safety rules.

On July 10, 2020, the Massachusetts public health commissioner rescinded the order requiring COVID-19 mitigation and exposure reduction strategies in grocery stores.

As Massachusetts began its slow, phased reopening following the end of its lockdown, Governor Charles Baker issued this order extending the prohibition of gatherings of 10 or more people "in any confined indoor or outdoor space." This mandate reflects the abundance of caution taken by the state, as opposed to states that hurried their reopening in an effort to re-start their economy.

Engaging with audiences during the Covid-19 pandemic, MASS Creative shares regular company policy updates and encourages audiences to educate themselves about legislation passed during the Covid-19 pandemic.

This page explains the basic education opportunities offered by the Paul Revere Memorial Association. The page mentions ways to contact staff to craft virtual learning experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic.

This advertises a virtual event held by the Massachusetts Historical Society. This webinar discusses the history of collections about Salem, MA within the Massachusetts Historical Society. This webinar covers the history of Salem from its founding up until the present.

Photos of The Paradise Rock Club, a music venue in Boston, Massachusetts, in May 2020. The marquee of the venue, which closed in the middle of March as part of the state's precautions against COVID-19, reads "We Got This" and "Thank U Doctors Nurses First Responders." The Paradise opened in 1977 and is located near Boston University campus and the neighborhood of Allston.

Photo taken in Kenmore Square in the afternoon on Tuesday, May 12, 2020. Kenmore is usually one of the busier areas of Boston, especially in the spring, given its proximity to Fenway Park. On this afternoon the sidewalks and streets were empty, aside from a few pedestrians in masks. The Citgo sign, a Boston landmark, can be seen in the background.

Although the museum usually hosts youth educational programs in the summer, they've made the programs available online. For children interested in learning about the USS Constitution, they can view videos like this one and watch museum educators teach about the ship and its history. This video also includes USS Constitution crew members.

This is an example of the types of virtual programs held by the New England Historic Genealogical Society. Based on the primary sources held at this institution, the society invited audiences to engage with the material virtually.

This screenshot explains a virtual event hosted by American Ancestors and the New England Historic Genealogical Society. This event is an example of how researchers are adapting to the pandemic. With the building closed, the New England Historic Genealogical Society is hosting a program to encourage researchers to access digitized material and continue researching during the pandemic

This webpage explains to audiences how they can experience the John F. Kennedy Library and learn about the legacy of President Kennedy from home. By following the museum via the suggested social media platforms, audiences can see the highlights of the museum holdings. The library email digest, including museum opening updates and events, is also advertised on this page.

Although it existed before the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the JFKLibrary Twitter account introduced the next season of the JFK35 podcast as a discussion about how President Kennedy's legacy is being carried out in the face of the pandemic. This Tweet not only includes the name and logo of a museum podcast, but also the a ways that podcast, and the the mission of the museum, stay relevant during the pandemic.

The JFK Library engaged audiences by sharing a virtual tour of the Columbia Point Museum via a Tweet on Twitter. Individuals on Twitter can explore the exterior of the museum, beginning with President Kennedy's yacht, "Victura," sitting on the museum's lawn. Although museum-goers can't visit the museum in the conventional sense, individuals can still see what the museum looks like on its point in Dorchester, MA

These virtual backgrounds are used as a way to engage audiences of the John F. Kennedy Library during the COVID-19 pandemic.

From Emma Rocha, Curatorial Assistant at the New Bedford Whaling Museum: "I’m currently taking Introduction to Museum Studies at Harvard Extension School as the first of two classes I need to take before I can apply to their museum studies graduate program. I chose this program because it is almost entirely online and I can take one class a semester which enables me to keep working full time – I wouldn’t be able to pay for the classes otherwise. I am very lucky that I chose an online program because it has not been disrupted by Covid-19. One of my closest friends recently got accepted into law school (I’m so proud of her!) and she is still waiting to find out if she will be starting fall semester on campus or online, which is quite stressful for her. The class I am taking has a few participation elements, which are attending and participating in the optional online sections via Zoom (optional because they know some students are in different time zones) and posting on the classes social media platform, called YellowDig. I posted this on YellowDig because it fits in with the variety of posts we can make: comments or questions on readings, articles about happenings in the museum field, and thoughts on museums we work at or have visited. I really enjoy reading what my classmates are thinking about, because they have so many varied perspectives on museums and it is all fascinating!"

The Executive Office for Immigration Review shutdown in-person hearings during the height of the pandemic. Some courts reopened for detained immigrants in the middle of the summer, but hearings in non-detained cases at courts without an announced date are postponed through, and including, August 7, 2020. ICE, however, has not stopped detaining more immigrants during the pandemic. So as numbers in detention centers grew, these new detainees couldn't challenge the courts.

The Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition collected a series of helpful documents for immigrants and refugees in Massachusetts about the COVID-19 pandemic. At the start, they created an agenda on how the federal and local governemnts should react to the pandemic in relation to immigrant communities. Part of the agenda calls on Trump to release detainees that cannot be kept safe, but as the news as shown, ICE continues to detain immigrants and some have died in detention centers of the virus.

Christina Lefebvre interviews an essential healthcare worker about the COVID-19 pandemic.

Curator Note: Interviewer, Christina Lefebvre, and narrator, Kerri Palamara McGrath, discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic within healthcare and in the Boston area.

Oral History project from Northeastern University. Christina Lefebvre interviews Alberto Puig. Alberto Puig teaches at Mass General and at Harvard Medical School. At Mass General, he directs a clinical teaching service for the Department of Medicine, where a group of physicians work closely with medical students and residents during their clinical inpatient education in the inpatient medicine services in the hospital at the Department of Medicine and Mass General. The team takes care of patients in the context of being clinical teachers. Alberto talks about his experiences, opinions and hopes concerning COVID-19 and his hopes for continued medical and social understandings.

Christina Lefebrve conducts an Oral History with Dr. Anna Vouros, a doctor as Massachusetts General.

Theodora Christopher interviews Robert Graham whose background is in pediatric ICU respiratory treatment. He discusses COVID-19 and its effect on children and adults and the difference in number of cases in different locations. He also discusses the effect COVID has had on facilitating clinical trial, etc.

Everyday Boston video featuring advice from Black community members in Boston, giving advice and motivation to recent graduates during the pandemic Video caption: Our love/strength letter to Black graduates of BPS and beyond, featuring congrats and life advice from older members of the Black community in Boston.

As part of Everyday Boston's Essential People Project on YouTube, Aunnesha Bhowmick interviews Abner Bonilla, a Roslindale mail carrier. Abner describes what it's like to deliver mail to more than 1,000 people during a pandemic, including his concerns about the lack of social distancing; his worry for his elderly customers; and the outpouring of gratitude he and other mail carriers have gotten.

As part of Everyday Boston's Essential People project, Jamarri Young interviews Scott Rogers. Scott is a grocery worker, and he describes what it's like to stock the shelves during a pandemic, including the early days of panic buying, his appreciation for his coworkers, and how he misses interacting with his customers

As part of Everyday Boston's Essential People Project, Kamal Oliver interviews Cedric Masengere. Cedric is a manufacturing associate at Moderna, and the interview explores his journey from an 8-year-old playing with chemicals in his bedroom to the floor of the pharmaceutical company working to produce a vaccine during the pandemic.

As part of Everyday Boston's Essential People Project, program coordinator Armand Coleman interviews EJ Labb. EJ is the director of an assisted living facility for people with dementia, and the interview features her talking about the "new abnormal" inside her community; the evolution of her own fear; her concerns for her staff; the challenges of communication with residents; and the importance of joy- especially during a pandemic

This is an Oral History interview with Dr. Richard Wamai by interviewer Christina Lefebvre from June 29, 2020. Dr. Wamai speaks about the epidemiology of COVID and the global response to it versus other epidemic, as well response comparisons between Africa and the United States.

Interview with Lynn Brown , Educational Coordinator of the Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center by interviewer Alex Bice. Lynn speaks about the importance of group and physical interaction learning. She also shares her thoughts on how the pandemic has altered educational practices for students and teachers during a time of distance learning.

Christina Lefebvre interviews an anonymous general internist at Massachusetts General Hospital about their experience with COVID-19 and the global impact of the virus.

Christina Lefebvre interviews a physician from New York City about the city's response to COVID-19 and the impacts of the virus on the medical field.

An interview with a practicing physician in a hospital, discussing changes in protocols and practices due to the Covid 19 Pandemic.

Video produced by WGBY discussing museums throughout Massachusetts as they transition to a digital environment. The video highlights commemorations of Dr. Seuss, including programs at the Springfield Museum, as well as other programming at the Eric Carle Museum and the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston. The video highlights the thoughts of museum staff as they transition to an online environment, and shows some of the approaches that different cultural heritage sites are undertaking to continue engaging with their audiences.

Online Question and Answers session done with the School and Family Programs Manager at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston. The piece reflects on the Virtual Quilt Project, as well as the experiences of being an arts and cultural heritage professional during the CoVid-19 pandemic. This object highlights how museums have been forced to change their practices in response to the pandemic, and the unexpected benefits from some of those changes at the Institute of Contemporary Art.

Eventbrite webpage for the virtual exhibit opening of Learned from Our Neighbors: Lessons from the Elizabeth Peabody House, which is housed at the West End Museum in Boston. The page lists what the event will include and how the exhibition was created. This object highlights how museums are attempting to engage with their audiences during social distancing, including community cultural heritage institutions.

Twitter post from the Boston Public Library that highlights a new, socially distanced printing service that they are offering to the community. Social distancing and new cleaning requirements have limited people's abilities to access printers if they do not own one themselves. This object emphasizes how libraries and other cultural heritage institutions are altering their services to fit the current moment.

Video produced by the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate, informing the public of how to be involved in their Seat at the Table exhibit even as the Institute remains closed due to CoVid-19. The changes that forced cultural heritage institutions to transition to virtual communication and exhibitions, especially impact exhibits that focus on community interaction and engagement. This object highlights how museums have taken those exhibitions, and personalized them so that their audience can still participate in a socially distanced setting.

Video created by the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston as part of the activities for their Play Date events, which are tailored to families and young children. The video is aimed at younger viewers and models for them how to look at a piece of art, and includes some questions for the audience to ask themselves. As museums have transitioned more to digital spaces, they have had to create programming that can appeal to all parts of their audience. This video highlights how museums are continuing to engage with children during the pandemic, and how they are using their collections in an educational environment even at a distance.