RICHMOND, Va. - Virginia This Morning continues its week-long series of virtual visits. On Tuesday, we highlighted a spot in Richmond that’s full of history.
The Virginia Museum of History & Culture on Arthur Ashe Boulevard is closed to visitors to help battle the coronavirus pandemic, but that hasn’t slowed the museum’s commitment to telling the rich history of the commonwealth.
“Our team, at a distance, has been busy over the past few days compiling a remarkable collection of digital assets to bring our stories to your home,” said VMHC president and CEO Jamie Bosket.
Bosket says, as the ‘keepers of content’ in the commonwealth, it’s crucial for them to find new ways to share the nine million artifacts in their possession.
“It is important to us that we keep these things as accessible as possible, for as long as possible, for as long as we have to be apart,” he said.
On a special “Virginia History At Home” section on its website, the museum provides lectures ready to be consumed, virtual tours you can take with a click of a mouse and a list of upcoming webinars for students and adults to enjoy.
Bosket says these resources have been accessed by thousands of virtual visitors from all around the world.
“I think it’s a reminder of a couple of things: one, we’re all in this together, and two, history matters, perhaps now more than ever,” said Bosket. “When you look at history, it gives us a sense of purpose. It gives us a sense of understanding of the trials of the past, and I think it’ll give us some perspective for the trial we’re collectively in today.”
History is unfolding before our eyes as we face the COVID-19 pandemic in the commonwealth and across the globe.
VMHC has launched a new collecting initiative to help document it all and preserve the details of this momentous health crisis.
“We are reaching out and asking our community to be thinking about stories, about images, about artifacts, about ways in which we can document what’s happening in our lives right now — the single greatest dimension that’s shaping our daily life,” said Bosket. “And how we can gather those materials here at the state history museum to add to our extensive collection so that future generations can look back and know what is happening right now.”
To share your story with the team at VMHC or read about the effort, click here.
Click here to learn more about the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.
