Hertsmere museums are seeking to collect objects and first-hand experiences to reflect local people’s lives during the pandemic, to keep a record and ensure future generations will be able to learn about and understand this extraordinary period.
Bushey Museum and Art Gallery and Radlett and District Museum are among those taking part, along with Potters Bar Museum and Elstree and Borehamwood Museum.
The museums are keen for photographs, journals, letters and items to show life during the pandemic, tiers and lockdown, such as:
- How the physical spaces in Hertsmere have been transformed – from a bustling town centres to deserted streets, socially distanced gatherings, queues, empty shelves.
- The effects on key and home workers – clothing, stories and experiences, homemade facemasks, letters, cards, journals.
- How children and young people are reacting to and coping with the changes now that many schools are closed – examples of home learning, games played, posters and pictures, diaries, coloured pebbles, chalk drawings on pavements.
Councillor Caroline Clapper, portfolio holder for leisure and culture, said: “Hertsmere, like the rest of England, is in our second lockdown and we are all finding new ways to cope with the altered way of life the pandemic has imposed.
“During the first lockdown we created things quickly and for short-term use, which tend to be thrown away and rarely retained. The paper NHS rainbows put in windows may be a child’s drawing, but in a century, it could be an important record of a life-defining moment in time.
“This time we may have been more prepared with small office areas at home, online learning or new ways of keeping in touch with loved ones, but there is still a story to tell. We want to hear about how you are coping, what tools and techniques you are using to work and stay connected, how your home has adapted, as well as the ways you are protecting you and your families’ mental health.”
0 Comments