Beyond Window Rainbows: Collecting Children’s Culture in the COVID Crisis

Monica Eileen Patterson,Rebecca Friend

doi:10.1177/1550190620980836

Monica Eileen Patterson, Rebecca Friend

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1177/1550190620980836

Copy DOI

Abstract

As COVID-19 dramatically alters the museum sector, museums and archives are implementing collection initiatives that will have tremendous influence over how the pandemic is understood and remembered. As collections experts, museums are leading the charge to document, collect, and interpret our current circumstances as they unfold in real time, relying more than ever on public participation and crowd-sourcing. A key development in such rapid-response collecting has been the interest in and solicitation of contributions that document the current crisis. Yet, initiatives that target young people remain few and far between, and often reproduce romanticized and reified understandings of children and childhood that reflect a longer history of excluding children’s voices from museum collections and society at large. This paper will explore museums’ collection of children’s culture in various forms with attention to the epistemological and ethical challenges that such initiatives entail. We argue that children are crucial citizens whose knowledge, perspectives, and experiences must be collected and preserved during this historic moment and beyond, in ways that attend to the particular circumstances they face as multiply marginalized museum constituents and members of society.

Highlights

It has become cliché to note that current times are unprecedented
Museums have created platforms and activities for public engagement, community building, education, personal development, and entertainment. They are leading the charge to document, collect, and reflect on our current circumstances as they unfold in real time, relying more than ever on public participation and crowd-sourcing
We argue that children’s culture must be collected and preserved during this historic moment and beyond, in ways that attend to the particular circumstances children face as multiply marginalized museum constituents and members of society

Summary

Introduction

It has become cliché to note that current times are unprecedented. Across the world, people are facing serious challenges to their health, happiness, and well-being as a result of the COVID-19 virus and the measures taken to stop its spread. We argue that children’s culture must be collected and preserved during this historic moment and beyond, in ways that attend to the particular circumstances children face as multiply marginalized museum constituents and members of society.

Results

Conclusion