History Made Today: Collecting Covid-19

Noe’ Bennett works on a mural dedicated to medical staff on Pino Avenue Northeast. Offered gift of Roland Penttila

History Made Today

Collecting Covid-19 for Future Generations

HISTORY IS BEING MADE EVERY DAY. At the Albuquerque Museum, we collect items that might be of particular interest to future generations. When future researchers wonder how we coped and what life was like during the pandemic of 2020, our collections might provide an answer.

In April 2020, the Albuquerque Museum launched an initiative in conjunction with other collecting institutions around the nation to collect Covid-19 pandemic-related items from the community. The Museum asked community members to share artifacts that illustrate how they are living in New Mexico during this time. By collecting images, items, and artwork right now, the Museum hopes to tell a more full and inclusive history of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The initiative allows the Museum to collect history as it happens. It allows us, as a community going through an unpredictable yet shared experience, to have an outlet for our stories, hoping they will be told, and our voices heard, in the future.

There is no deadline for the end of this collecting initiative. In the months following the announcement, community members have donated several hundred images from Albuquerque, the East Mountains, and the Pueblos. Images

THE ALBUQUERQUE MUSEUM COVID COLLECTION is part of a national movement spearheaded by the Smithsonian Institution, History Made by Us. Hundreds of history and civic organizations have come together to use history to inspire, inform, and empower specifically young changemakers. The social and digital media campaign invites people to voice their hopes and dreams for the United States, as the country approaches its 250th anniversary. Anyone can participate by going to MyWishforUs.org and posting a wish. Made By Us is also hosting a series of free workshops. This summer, it focused on three tools: Ecosystem Mapping; Vote by Design; and Backcasting, that connect young people to each other to discover ways to navigate the unknown and unprecedented times we’re living in. To join the movement, login on to historymadebyus.org