Northampton Museum and Art Gallery is asking local residents to collect objects that they feel are synonymous with lockdown, to create an exhibit. The museum a looking to display photos, videos, objects and more, once it is safe to do so. Northampton Museum and Art Gallery was set to open this June, following a £6.7 million redevelopment, although this date has been postponed.
The museum plans to host the exhibition on the global pandemic, and how it has changed Northamptonshire. Northampton Borough Council are looking to collect stories, photo and video diaries about key workers, their experiences and how local people have shown their appreciation. The exhibition is aiming to provide guests with a broader sense of what lockdown and the pandemic has been like locally.
The exhibition will also acknowledge those who have lost their lives from the COVID-19 pandemic, along with how local businesses are coping. Councillor Anna King, cabinet member for community engagement and safety, said: “As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the way we interact, operate, socialise, work, live and grieve has completely changed. We are now living in a period of historic significance and we would like the public to share items with us that mark this time.”
The council are urging anyone taking part in gathering materials and artefacts for the exhibit, to do so while following the government guidelines on social distancing. Digital artefacts can be sent to museums@northampton.gov.uk. Images and videos should be sent with details such as name, address, email and phone number, as well as the location of the content, to ensure people are accredited correctly.
Following the redevelopment, the museum has doubled in size. A nine-metre high glazed atrium has created space for two new galleries, a schools activity space, a café and a south-facing outdoor terrace. Northampton Borough Council leader Jonathan Nunn said: “This much-anticipated development, in the heart of our expanding Cultural Quarter, has been five years in the making and represents a significant addition to Northampton’s cultural life.”
