Notes from the executive director

Ryan Hunt

It’s amazing how quickly the world can change. Over the span of a few months, since we published our last issue of Roundup, every aspect of global society has been fundamentally transformed by the COVID-19 crisis. And I don’t use the word crisis lightly. Defined as a “time when a difficult or important decision must be made,” I can think of no better word to describe our current situation. Museums, galleries, and cultural organizations of every type are currently making dozens of extremely difficult decisions. Decisions about how to transition in-person programs to online engagement. Decisions about whether future plans need to be cancelled. And, sadly, deciding when staff must be laid off in order for organizations to survive.

While I don’t want to minimize the incredibly difficult choices organizations and museum professionals are facing, I do want to share some things that give me hope. I am inspired by the creativity and resilience of our sector. Large organizations, like the Royal BC Museum, have managed to quickly pivot their team to working remotely and have launched multiple weekly livestream events with content for parents, children, and educators. Smaller organizations, like the Fernie Museum, have launched new online series that share their collections with British Columbians. And other members, like Bulkley Valley Museum, have quickly developed compelling virtual exhibits that explore how past societies weathered global pandemics, in this case, INFLUENZA: The Spanish Flu in Smithers, 1918.

The road ahead is still unclear and there is no end in sight to the difficult decisions we all have to make. Nonetheless, what continues to give me hope is our sector’s passionate, caring and creative people who dedicate themselves to continue to build a better world for everyone in their communities.

If anyone needs to talk, or has ideas on how the BCMA can better support our sector, please reach out to me directly at executivedirector@museumsassn.bc.ca. The BCMA is here to help build the brightest possible future for our members and the people of B.C.