Since March 2020 the Covid-19 pandemic has affected how we engage with our audiences and work with our partners to deliver our exhibitions and events programmes. This session outlined what this has meant for National Museums NI, the advantages and disadvantages, how we adapted and what we have been able to achieve through online engagement and in our work behind the scenes. With reference to specific examples including the Following the Footsteps of the Disappeared programme developed in partnership with Conflict Textiles and the Pandemics Past and Present display co-curated with EastSide Partnership and a community group from East Belfast, the session explored the processes and outcomes of our digital exhibitions and engagement during lockdown.
With Karen Logan, Senior Curator of History, National Museums Northern Ireland
Using the cases studies listed above and other examples of online engagement as a basis, the session considered issue around inclusivity, using technology to provide greater access to our collections and engaging with audiences in new ways. The session included consideration of the longer-term implications these changes will have for future engagement, the extent to which the pandemic accelerated our digital capabilities and whether that will continue now that our museums have re-opened.