2020 Museum T-Shirt

Laurel Lamb, Faculty

The artifact I want to share is this U of A Museum t-shirt! It was designed and produced in February 2020. The story behind its creation and what it represents prodded me to share it.

I am a Curator here at the Museum. A big part of my job is increasing community awareness and engagement at the Museum. Last January, as part of those efforts, we invited members of the U of A community to join a new group, the Museum Advisory Council (MAC). Open to all, MAC is a way for staff to get to know the community better, hear input, and provide opportunities to get involved. The new group includes freshman and Ph.D. candidates alike, as well as a huge variety of disciplines – from history to biological sciences to journalism. The initial response was amazing – so many interested individuals reached out. And I have the privilege to work with all of them!

One of the first things MAC discussed and voted on was this t-shirt. That is actually what I love most about it – it is a product of the community. Two weeks after the shirts arrived though, COVID-19 changed everything. Various plans in the works for MAC were cancelled or modified. Since April of last spring, all meetings and discussions have occurred virtually. (Sound familiar?) Despite abrupt plan changes just as MAC was getting started, I am impressed and appreciative of all that this group has still been able to accomplish – from increasing accessibility to our collections through interesting website contributions to voting on a brand-new Mission Statement for the Museum to putting together a fun Trivia Night.

While COVID-19 has left a dark cloud hanging over us, there have been many inspiring stories of resilience and hope to come from it. This shirt is a personal reminder for me of our own little community here at the Museum that has continued to make a difference despite difficult circumstances.