The Smithsonian Institution’s museums may be closed, but you can spend a virtual day with some of them this Friday. The arts institution announced that 10 of its museums and cultural centers will come together for a day-long program on Dec. 11 called “24 Hours in a Time of Change.”
The program will convene a “national conversation about what life has been like for Americans during this moment in history,” according to a press release. Virtual programs throughout the day — both live and recorded — will be centered on some of the most pressing issues of the moment, from the coronavirus pandemic to racial injustice.
Participating institutions include the Hirshhorn Museum, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Portrait Gallery, and others. The Anacostia Community Museum will have a discussion about the history of Black Power in D.C., while the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center will screen an open mic recorded over the summer that features music, poetry, and more from young queer Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in quarantine.
Smithsonian Music will also host a roundtable talk about how 2020 has impact the way music is made and experienced, featuring musicians, educators, industry professionals, and curators. The program is free and a full schedule is available online. All live events will be held via Zoom; participants can find links to each event or recording on Friday on the program’s website.
The Smithsonian is also inviting the public share their responses to a various prompts on the program’s website. Participants can answer questions like, “What stories, traditions, or celebrations, have you and your family started, continued, or reflected on this year?” and “How are communities supporting each other on a day-to-day basis in this time of adversity?”
Select answers will be featured on the site throughout the day, and will be archived to help curators “build collections related to this moment in history,” per the release.
The Smithsonian again closed its facilities to the public temporarily last month, as COVID-19 cases rise throughout the region.
“The Institution’s top priority is to protect the health and safety of its visitors and staff,” the institution said in a press release at the time. “We will use this time to reassess, monitor, and explore additional risk-mitigation measures. We are closely monitoring guidance from local governments, public health officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”
The closures impacted seven museums that had reopened to the public beginning in the summer, as well as the National Zoo. None have set reopening dates.
Other institutions quickly followed suit, like Ford’s Theatre and its museum, which temporarily shuttered on Nov. 23, and Potomac, Maryland’s Glenstone Museum, which closed until further notice on Nov. 25.
