ALWAYS ADAPTING
The Bernalillo Community Museum moved online before even opening its doors
During the pandemic, Emily Stovel was forced to pivot. As the director of the Bernalillo Community Museum, this meant moving programming to a digital platform.
The Bernalillo Community Museum was projected to open its doors this year, but couldn’t because of the pandemic.
The museum was launched in July 2019 and its mission is to leverage the power of local history and traditions to build local capacity, invest in the area’s multivocality, and energize civic engagement.
Staff and volunteers worked to get the digital platforms up and a community group worked to get the first exhibit installed in local parks.
The museum is currently working on The Community Voices Project.
This effort will link Bernalillo neighbors to each other and the deeply historic place where they live — all from the comfort of their home computer.
“This is the kind of thing a museum can do in times of crisis,” Stovel says. “(To) remind people of their remarkable home and connect them to their ancestors.”
Stovel has already begun talking with neighbors online as the first step to the project.
“Our diverse area has lots of great stories to tell,” she says. “And our museum group can’t wait to create a public space online and in-person so everyone can hear them!”
Visitors can share their stories by emailing museum@ townofbernalillo.org.
The museum recently was awarded $15,000 from the National Endowment for the Humanities CARES Act funding and the New Mexico Humanities Council for a project that will help the museum place their public programs online.
Stovel says a local team is currently crafting videos and family activity packets about local stories, traditions and food. The videos will be posted on the museum’s YouTube page and families can follow along with activity packets.
This project will also hold contests so families can submit their own ideas and answers to activity packet questions. Contest results will appear on the museum’s Facebook page.