Museums in Alberta are working to prepare for future exhibits that explains what the COVID-19 pandemic was like to live through.
The museums are inviting anyone who wish to submit letters for these exhibits.
Jenny Conway Fisher from the Glenbow Museum in Calgary says curators are collecting stories that tell about different experiences – including Indigenous voices.
“Glenbow holds so many objects and belongings and things that are important to our Indigenous partners that it’s important to pair those things with contemporary voices,” she said.
“Our job is to keep these stories accessible to people and allow someone else to create the meaning and make connections.”
At the Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton, Alison Parry, the director of cultural studies, says they also want to tell stories about the pandemic through artifacts.
“I hope at some point we can talk to some people about what we can do in a museum setting that might showcase some of these initiatives that are community grown,” says Parry.
Many Indigenous people took to social media to showcase traditional dance and music.
There are also groups like Breathe – an outlet for Indigenous artists to express their art through masks.
It’s working with galleries across Canada and the U.S. for future displays.
“I think it’s amazing what’s going on in terms of language revitalization, land based learning, some communities are taking their youth out on the land, using the language as their gathering,” says Parry. “To find those nuggets in these times, that’s what’s getting a lot of us through.”
Parry says the museum will connect with Indigenous nations at a less stressful time and when communities are no longer on lockdown.
Glenbow will be accepting submissions until July 31.
