The New Westminster Museum and Archives is hoping to hear from folks who may be interested in sharing their thoughts on something that will surely go down in the history books – COVID-19.
While the museum and archives are currently closed, their programs and documentation continues. This month, the museum is inviting the public to get involved virtually and to help build the historical record of our times.
“We will need this information, but what might be unique about New Westminster’s experience that will differentiate our collections?” said museum manager Rob McCullough. “Is it perhaps that we have a regional hospital, that our high school is one of the largest in the province, and that we are so central in the Lower Mainland?”
Staff from the museum have been photographing scenes of the pandemic in New Westminster and reaching out to community members to collect both physical objects and digital documentation – and thus document history as it happens.
Museum curator Oana Capota is inviting residents to email her with suggestions for what they would like to see. The museum isn’t currently able to safely accept donations, but Capota will work with potential donors to write profiles of the objects and what they mean, and the donors can bring the items to the museum at a future date.
“This information will be very useful in the future; no one wrote down the firsthand experiences of the smallpox epidemics or the 1918 flu as they affected this area,” she said in a news release. “Getting involved in documenting history can give people a sense of purpose and make a powerful contribution to history, especially as the voices of everyday people from different walks of life will ensure that history books in the future include more experiences.”
The New Westminster Museum is also encouraging citizens to keep diaries of this time and/or to contribute to a community diary, using the hashtag #nwcovidlife. In addition to documenting this time in history, the museum staff notes that keeping a journal has positive benefits for mental health during this time of social isolation.
The museum is also looking to make audio and video recordings of people’s experiences during COVID-19.
“People from a broad base of different backgrounds are invited to come together and share their experiences through a recorded video conference interview,” said a city press release. “The interviews could either be one-on-one with a museum staff member or as part of a community program.”
Anyone who has a story to share about their COVID experience in New Westminster can contact the museum at 604-527-4640 or email Capota at [email protected]. More information about the project is on the museum’s website (www.nwmuseumarchives.ca) under Covid-19 Historical Documentation.
The museum, located in Anvil Centre, is currently closed because of COVID-19, but it has two programs scheduled in June, with more programs being developed for July.
*Virtual Story Gathering – Monday, June 22 from 6 to 7 p.m. People from a broad base of different backgrounds will be invited to come together and share their experiences of the pandemic through a recorded video conference interview. Participants will listen to stories and then tell their own story, in this process of collective reflection and building community in isolation. Register by emailing [email protected].
*Curator Talk: The History of Plants in New Westminster – Thursday, June 25 from 6 to 6:45 p.m. Part of a series of three online evening talks, this short talk will be followed by a question-and-answer period. With many people taking up gardening and enjoying walks around their neighbourhoods during this period of social isolation, this talk will provide people with more information on plant life in New West and this aspect of our city’s human heritage. Register by emailing [email protected].
