Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

How The Pandemic Affects Museums And Heritage, Grace J. Bowling

Ideas: Exhibit Catalog for the Honors College Visiting Scholars Series

Heritage is a dynamic concept up to interpretation by individuals and communities. It is shaped by the culture we engage with. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, museums shifted to a much more virtual format and in-person attendance dropped. Virtual engagement with a museum bypasses any spatial and temporal restraints from physically going to a museum. This can both increase accessibility in heritage and remove vital context and importance from the object. The changes in how we engage with museums resulting from the pandemic fundamentally affect the way we engage with and interpret heritage.