Items

• 
  2020-07-17

  Post on Covid-19 and Interactives

  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!"
• 
  2020-07-09

  Jon Mitchell Tweets about arts and culture institutions reopening

  Mayor Jon Mitchell of New Bedford joins arts and culture institutions from across New Bedford at the New Bedford Whaling Museum to announce that museums, arts and culture organizations will reopen on July 9 as part of Phase 3.
• 
  2020-06-30

  WBUR Town Hall: The Post Pandemic Society

  What will the post-pandemic world look like? Will many of us never return to the office to work? Will our children be in classrooms with only ten other students some days and learning from home the others? Will restaurants be able to survive with half the tables and no bars? Will our athletes play and our musicians perform in front of empty seats? Will we be a kinder, more equitable and less polluted society? Radio Boston host Tiziana Dearing leads the conversation with Dr. Helen Boucher, chief of the Division of Geographic Medicine and Infectious Diseases at Tufts Medical Center; Dr. Lynn Perry Wooten, president of Simmons College; and Matthew Teitelbaum, Ann and Graham Gund director of the Museum of Fine Arts.
• 
  2020-03-13

  New Bedford Whaling Museum Announces Closure in Response to Coronavirus Concern

  The New Bedford Whaling Museum announces closure due to COVID19 pandemic.
• 
  2020-06-30

  Welcome Back!

  The New Bedford Whaling Museum announces reopening for summer 2020, during the the COVID19 pandemic. The announcement shares details about new hours, opening dates, museum rules, online ticketing and timed admissions, and what visitors should expect during their visit.
• 
  2020-07-08

  HMSC Connects

  Harvard Museums of Science and Culture offers HMSC Connects, programming built to "acknowledge the trauma of the times." The programming includes virtual programming, a podcast, online resources, coloring pages, and family activities.
• 
  2020-06-12

  Racism and coronavirus add stress to already vulnerable communities

  This is the third episode of the Boston Children's Museum's podcast, Big & Little, a podcast for adults about kids and families. "In this episode, Carole [Charnow} talks with Manny Lopes, the CEO of the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center and a leader in community health care, about the ways in which Boston's vulnerable communities are coping during this challenging time and how today's uncertainty offers room for positive change to come."
• 2020-07-08

  Museum Reopening Updates

  Boston Children's Museum has posted updates regarding reopening in July 2020. Their June 24, 2020 announcement discusses BCM's commitment to their community and the safety measures BCM will be taking. "As we begin summer, I wanted to bring you up to date with our work to re-open the Museum. But first, I wanted to acknowledge your patience and support over the last three months. As parents and caregivers of young children, you have no doubt been challenged with schools and day care services being closed, work and employment disruptions, navigating through health challenges, and most recently the social upheaval in our country resulting from the death of George Floyd. More than ever, our children need our love and support. Their routines, friendships, and opportunities for play and learning have all been upended. It has been a trying time, with much anxiety and uncertainty testing us all."
• 
  2020-06-10

  #MOSatHome

  Boston's Museum of Science has developed a wide range of virtual activities for virtual visitors: daily live streams, virtual exhibits, family STEM activities, podcasts, and other museum resources. This page gathers these online activities and puts them in one place.
• 
  2020-05-11

  Museum@Home

  In celebration of Museum Week 2020, Revolutionary Spaces built an interactive activity/lesson plan to teach people about the collections, exhibits, and gallery talks at their two historic sites. The activities also invite kids and families to create their own museum at home. The activities were also posted on Revolutionary Spaces' website.
• 
  2020-04-28

  Poetry in the Time of Corona with Charles Coe

  Revolutionary Spaces board member and poet/writer/performer Charles Coe reads two original poems: "Love in the Time of Corona" and "Something in the Wind." Part of Revolutionary Spaces' virtual event series during COVID19.
• 
  2020-05-26

  How to Care for Your Home Library

  Nicole McAllister, Special Collections Librarian at Revolutionary Spaces, shares tips and best practices for caring for home libraries. Published on Revolutionary Spaces' website during COVID19.
• 
  2020-06-10

  Historian at Home Video Series

  The USS Constitution Museum presents a weekly video series with Public Historian Carl Herzog. Carl uses the Museum’s collections, archives, and online content to explore the lesser known corners of “Old Ironsides’” history for a virtual audience.
• 
  2020-05-06

  Coronavirus Pandemic's Effect on Kids

  This is the first episode of the Boston Children's Museum's podcast Big & Little. "Boston Children's Museum CEO and President, Carole Charnow, talks with Dr. Michael Yogman, a practicing pediatrician in Cambridge, Massachusetts, about the many challenges the Coronavirus presents for parents, families, and children."
• 
  2020-05-29

  Dr. Nancy Rappaport discusses strategies for parenting during the pandemic

  This is the second episode of the Boston Children's Museum's podcast, Big & Little, podcast for adults about kids and families. In this episode, BCM CEO "Carole [Chernow] chats with psychologist Dr. Nancy Rappaport about the challenges the pandemic presents for parents and children. Dr. Rappaport, an Associate Professor of Psychology at Harvard University Medical School, sheds light on some of the positive effects families can take away from this historic time."
• 
  2020-06-10

  The Museum Will Suspend all Planned Programming and Re-Opening Until Risk to Public Has Declined

  Boston Children's Museum's announcement about closing due to COVID-19.
• 
  2020-03-23

  USS Constitution Museum Goes Virtual

  USS Constitution Museum announcement that the Museum has "launched a robust outreach initiative where it is turning the Museum 'inside-out' and creating digital opportunities for visitor engagement." Part of the Museum's work to address social distancing during COVID19.
• 
  2020-06-10

  The virtual USS Constitution Museum is open

  The USS Constitution Museum website has pivoted to encourage online engagement with the museum. The new home page offers online games, live tours, and various "at home" activities for museum visitors to explore during social distancing due to COVID19.
• 
  2020-03-21

  Fully stretch out your arm. When you are about six feet * away from someone, their face fits into your hand roughly like this:**

  An informational drawing made to help with social distancing, the drawing shows what a person's face would look like if the viewer were standing six feet away, holding their arm out, and looking at the persons face through their thumb and forefinger. From the artist, Mona Chalabi: "I know this is a bit dumb but I was speaking to my friend in France last night and when I said that the advice here is to stand 6 feet apart, she asked 'how much is that in meters?' so I came up with this. I also wanted to make an image that’s informative but not scary (right now, it feels like it’s hard to separate out those two). Finally, I wanted to figure out if people in the line at the supermarket really are standing too close to me. They are."
• 
  2020-03-22

  Talking to a friend

  Photograph taken as I talked to my friend through her window. I was on a walk and saw the open window as I passed her apartment. I called up to her and we spoke for a little while. She has been self quarantining because a family member (who she saw last week) has Coronavirus. So far, she has not shown any symptoms.
• 
  2020-02-22

  Sorry I have to cancel our plans tonight. Something came up.

  Drawing of two fish in a fish bowl. One of them is cancelling plans with the other. Commentary on social distancing and quarantine during COVID19.
• 
  2020-03-21

  Standing 6ft apart at Trader Joes

  This photo shows the chalk linea being drawn outside of the Trader Joes on Newbury Street in Boston, MA to keep customers 6ft apart while waiting in line. #HIST5241
• 
  2020-03-13

  Bellesa Vibrator Giveaway

  Bellesa partnered with @womanizerglobal to give away Womanizer and Bellesa vibrators during the quarantine period for COVID-19. The company, which is geared toward women, is also giving away $30 off coupons and offering a 20% discount on all of their vibrators. #HIST5241
• 
  2020-03-26

  Rechaco Crisis Response

  Instagram announcement from Chaco Footwear: In response to the pandemic crisis at hand, Chaco is retrofitting our ReChaco factory operations to aid in the prototyping and production of protective masks. #HIST5241
• 
  2020-03-14

  #CoronaVirusUpdates

  This tweet went viral. It is humorous and it ties together conversations surrounding precautions taken regarding COVID19 and preexisting narratives regarding New York public transit. In 2019 and 2020 New York's MTA began a campaign to stop train fair avoidance that became largely unpopular in the city and was subject to much critique on social media. #HIST5241
• 
  03/29/2020

  Wash Your Lyrics

  This website allows users to pair the National Health Service (NHS), cleanyourhands® campaign posters with their favorite song lyrics. Users choose a song and generate a poster for the website. The format became a popular meme format. As it became more popular, the meme went beyond song lyrics to include Shakespeare, famous movie dialogue, etc. #HIST5241
• 
  2020-03-26

  Empty Shelves at Target

  This is a photograph taken at a Target store in the Fenway neighborhood in Boston, MA. The toilet paper shelves, stretching a whole wall of the store, are empty. #HIST5241
• 
  2020-03-21

  Drawing of an Orange Instagram Story

  This image is a screenshot of an instagram story trend that became popular at the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak in the US. People drew a picture of an orange, then posted it on their temporary instagram story and tagged their friends, friends then reposted the story with their own drawing of an orange - similar trends went around with drawings of carrots and strawberries. The instagram fits with a larger social media trend, developed during COVID19, of various story posts and reposts, used as a tactic to "kill time" while people are social distancing.