Collecting Covid-19

We are seeking donations of items that will help us document this defining moment of our time.

Museums collect objects and stories that help people learn from and connect with the past. Niagara Falls is a beloved hometown and an international destination connecting with people both near and far. We want to hear from our friends at home and around the world with stories of the pandemic that relate to our City.

Some examples of things we might collect:

Photographs, drawings, paintings, signs, posters, scrapbooks, videos, poems, music, journals & letters postcards, flyers etc. You tell us what matters. Items can be digital or analogue.

Not sure how to start? We’ll go first… 

 

The Niagara Falls History Museum began “lockdown” on March 14 and by March 18th we (museum staff) learned we’d be working from home – beginning that very day! We made a plan to tie up loose ends making sure the museum buildings and collections would be taken care of and nothing was left to go mouldy in the fridge. Meeting (at a distance) one last time to make sure everyone was accounted for, we hauled our work totes to our cars. It felt like a moment for hugs, not knowing when we’d see each other again, but we could not. The last in-person words from our manager were helpful hints on where toilet paper might still be found to purchase (we’re not telling). An initial task that carried through this transition was engaging local photographer Jason Haywood to capture the sudden changes about our beloved city. Here are some of those images from March 15, 2020.

 

If you would like to us to consider your contribution please contact the Museum by emailing us at: [email protected]