JAHA at Home: Pop-Up Exhibit Challenge

Posted: April 15, 2020 4:38 pm

by Andrew Lang, JAHA curator

During this quarantine, there are many things that I miss. One is seeing people visit the Johnstown Flood Museum or the Heritage Discovery Center to see the exhibits we have. Luckily, we will be sharing content with you over the next several weeks that explores Johnstown history.

However, while we are cooped up at home and looking to fight boredom, what if we could create and share our own exhibit experience? Something brand new? That is the challenge I am proposing to you: make your own pop-up exhibit from something in your home. Whether a personal collection or everyday items, whether something historical or something that reflects your experience in the quarantine, try and make your own exhibit. Here is what to do:

1. Choose 3-5 objects or photographs that say something about you, your family, what you like to collect.
2. Take a picture of these items.
3. Write a label that talks about what these pieces are.
4. Email your content to alang@jaha.org, or share them on social media with the hashtag #JAHAatHome, and we’ll share them on our website or social media.

While we cannot visit our local museums, we can still create our own museum exhibit experience. I would like to see how many exhibits we can create and how many experiences we can share.

Below is my attempt at creating an exhibit centered on an everyday item I have in my apartment: mugs. More than just a utensil, the mugs I have are all from significant places in my life. Whenever I see them or use them, I am immediately reminded of these different times in my life. It goes to show that even the most everyday items can have significant meanings for us.