By Delaney Dill
WHEN TODAY BECOMES HISTORY: THE CORONAVIRUS CAPSULE Writer / Andrew Toy Photography Provided
At what point does history become historic? When present day clashes with history, when is it appropriate to observe such recent events through the lens of history? These are just a couple of questions the staff members at the Frazier History Museum were faced with during the downtime caused by the coronavirus scare earlier this year.
forward in a post-pandemic world. But just how does a history museum plan to move forward when so much of its operation is focused on looking back? The folks at Frazier weren’t deterred. They put their downtime to good use, and immediately began collecting items for a time capsule to be observed by future generations in order to preserve this unprecedented time in history. The call for submissions didn’t go unheeded. By midJune, Frazier had already received 500 pieces of artwork, poems, and videos all dedicated to memorializing these strange times. The pieces that will not end up on display, physically or virtually, will be donated to the special collections and archives section of the University of Louisville, with which Frazier is in partnership.
Just like other major cities such as Paris and New York, Louisville felt the impact of the pandemic, with its mom-and-pop shops closing by the dozens, thousands of its citizens having to file for unemployment, and students of every grade unable to take part in the most memorable parts of their educational and extracurricular experiences. Though the staff at Frazier wants to remain sensitive regarding when to display With virtually the entire city closed down, the Coronavirus Capsule exhibit, they major and beloved landmarks were forced had to contact everyone they could for to rethink their business approaches moving submissions while the topic remains timely. 10 / NOVEMBER 2020
Through the exhibit, patrons will “see how pop culture has responded, what students, adults and companies have had to do, and how we pulled together,” explains Tish Boyer, the collections manager at Frazier, as she laughingly holds up her favorite item, a T-shirt that says, “Y’all can’t be doing that” - a testament to how well Louisville has fared during the pandemic compared to neighboring states. Among the physical submissions in Frazier’s storage room are pictures drawn by the daughters of museum President Andy Treinen, as well as a jug provided by a distillery and filled with hand sanitizer. Some submissions aren’t so humorous or lighthearted. Much of the artwork provided by children comes across as haunting and somewhat disturbing, as it is a reflection of how kids envision the invisible coronavirus. The images often take on the physical form of a monster, or fire, or spiky, red, chocolate
