What have the world‘s museums been up to during the pandemic?

If you have watched Night at the Museum, you are no stranger to the idea that museums are living creatures. During this pandemic, a lot of activity has been going on behind their locked-down doors. Only this time, it isn’t an ancient Egyptian curse that’s bringing items and artefacts to life, but the passion and commitment of essential workers, including curators, cleaners, art handlers and security guards.

Take the Louvre, for example. Since the pandemic began, several renovations have been taking place. Teams of artisans and conservators have relentlessly been working on refurbishing various collections, such as the Persian collection, overseen by curator Julien Cuny. Although Julien is painfully aware of the drop in attendance (and revenue) for the museum during the past year, he also admits that the extra time at his disposal has given him the opportunity to rethink certain aspects of the collection and to better prepare it for its reopening. At the end of the day, the artworks “were made to be seen,“ he reminds us. Until then, he and his team can try and make the most of this experience to ensure that the public enjoys the display, once that becomes possible.

curator at London’s Natural History Museum, talks about how privileged he feels to have had the majestic space of the museum all to himself during lockdown. He’s been cycling to work two days a week to check on the ‘wet collections’ – preserved in alcohol and formalin – making sure that there were no water live beetles living in the museum.

But apart from preserving already existing specimens, which is no easy feat itself, what is striking is that new collections have actually been born as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Natasha McEnroe, a historian working at the Science Museum in London, is currently collecting items related to the pandemic as part of a new project. The aim is to capture this undeniably historical moment as it happens, although Natasha admits that „this is the collecting project we never wanted to happen.“ She has already secured the vial and will stand as testament, she says, to “human ingenuity in the face of adversity.“ In a way, that is also the story of our pandemic-stricken museums, which have demonstrated resilience and adaptability throughout this crisis. We can see this in the practical choices regarding new ventilation systems in museums across the US, as well as the wide range of digital initiatives that have been launched, from online exhibitions to virtual activities for children (our very own Leeds Museum is part of this trend, with exquisite exhibitions such as Fast x Slow Fashion.) Finally, it is also visible in decisions that were made as a result of the social and racial turmoil of 2020, such as the New Orleans Museum of Art closing its Greenwood Parlour, which had been criticised for seemingly glorifying slavery. With renovations, creativity, new projects and initiatives, museums are coping with these exceptional circumstances, as we are. But then again, museums are living beings, just like all as a storytelling tool for present and future generations. At the same time, the passion and curiosity of their visitors and the commitment of their key workers keeps them alive. There is no ancient curse in that. Only a blessing.

Giulio Bajona