Digital Responses of UK Museum Exhibitions to the COVID‐19 Crisis, March – June 2020

• Published in: Curator (New York, N.Y.) Vol. 64; no. 3; pp. 487 - 504
• Main Authors: King, Ellie, Smith, M. Paul, Wilson, Paul F., Williams, Mark A.
• Format: Journal Article Web Resource
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.07.2021; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Art galleries & museums; Content analysis; COVID-19; Cultural heritage; Digital curation; Digital technology; Electronic literature; Embodiment; Museum exhibits; Museum studies; United Kingdom > UK
• ISSN: 0011-3069; 2151-6952
• DOI: 10.1111/cura.12413

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.