Saratoga County History Center preparing #518RainbowHunt exhibit

BALLSTON SPA, N.Y. » Families participating in the #518RainbowHunt are being sought by the Saratoga County History Center for inclusion in an online exhibit (and later a physical exhibit at the Brookside Museum).

The online exhibit, which has been live since May, features pictures of the rainbows and stories of families impacted by the global pandemic.

Originated by Kristen Dayter of Schenectady County, the #518RainbowHunt involves families and businesses putting handmade rainbows in their windows as symbols of hope and solidarity.

Area children then “hunt” for the rainbows as an activity, reminding them that even in times of trouble and crisis, people care about each other. Through social media, the effort became international and multigenerational.

Recognizing the significance of these rainbows as a cultural phenomenon closely connected to the unprecedented public health crisis and shut-down, the Saratoga County History Center is working diligently to collect, catalog, and preserve images and the stories associated with them.

The growing exhibit may be accessed for viewing at https://brooksidemuseum.org/exhibit/518rainbowhunt/),

Families are encouraged to contact the History Center to relate their experiences during the economic shutdown and donate rainbows for the exhibit. They may do so by emailing brooksidemuseumdirector@gmail.com.

Contributors will be supplied with a template on which to relate their experiences and how they coped with isolation and school and business closures. The submission is to include a copy of their rainbows and permission for the SCHC to use their stories and artwork.

Written submissions are subject to editing and may be as long as several paragraphs or as short as a haiku. Sponsors willing to underwrite the upcoming exhibits may contact the Historical Society at Brookside Museum.

“By placing rainbows in home or business windows,” Michael Landis, chair of the History Center’s effort, noted, “people are expressing community solidarity and empathy. It is absolutely critical that we collect and preserve such cultural phenomena.”