Abstract
The impact of the COVID‐19 Crisis on museums and galleries has been paramount, with the sector taking on long‐term recovery plans. This paper examines this crisis in the context of temporary exhibition programmes of UK museums, studying online content for 21 museums with exhibitions due to open between March and June 2020. Analysis was conducted, noting how COVID was considered, how content was presented, and discussing the emerging themes of access, embodiment, and human connection. In considering these results in the context of wider digital heritage literature, several questions are raised in terms of how digital content is conceptualised, presented, and valued. At a crucial turning point in the sector, these aspects will need to be considered as museums and galleries continue to adapt in light of a post‐COVID world where practices, both digital and physical, will undoubtedly shift.
Highlights
When the COVID-19 pandemic forced 90% of museums and galleries worldwide to close their doors in March 2020 (UNESCO, 2020), cultural and heritage institutions were left in a difficult predicament
With the majority of exhibition programming due to open in March, it can be seen that there are 26 direct museum closures and that online content was provided for 12 exhibitions
COVID-19 closures disrupted UK museum temporary exhibition programmes extensively, and institutions responded in a variety of ways, as evidenced by the 88 exhibitions that were due to open between March and June 2020
Summary
When the COVID-19 pandemic forced 90% of museums and galleries worldwide to close their doors in March 2020 (UNESCO, 2020), cultural and heritage institutions were left in a difficult predicament. Despite the immediate loss of up to 80% of income (NEMO, 2020) and the fear of more long-term economic disruption, museums and galleries saw themselves as community leaders, bringing people together and, according to John McMahon (2020) of Arts Council England, ‘providing hope – a means of processing uncertainty and trauma and an outlet for grief for families kept apart.’ In practical terms, this meant moving resources and services online, and UNESCO have identified over 800 individual actions by museums and galleries in response to the pandemic (UNESCO, 2020). Professional and scientific activities organised in the context of lockdown
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