Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to the first Silver Linings Town Hall digital meeting. As we said on the outset we don’t have the answers and are just as bewildered as everyone else how to respond, but figured there was solace to be found in connecting with each other. And we were correct!
It was somewhat cathartic to hear how other people are paving new ways forward. The sector tends to consist of slow moving organisations. For us to suddenly reinvent our programs and continue to connect with our communities, is a massive credit to us. There will be missteps matched with break throughs. I feel encouraged and enthusiastic about how this will impact and change museum education and programming in the future. Especially in regards to accessibility.
We received many requests from museum colleagues who couldn’t attend but wanted to join in later. There were lots of good ideas shared so below is the video of our first Silver Linings for your viewing pleasure. There were also some good tips in the side chat so you can also download the Silver Linings Chat Transcript.
In the next few days we will be announcing a second Silver Linings Town Hall. Please save the date Thursday, 7 May 2020 at 3.30pm.
Working from home over the last month has passed in a strange blur and I have frequently mixed up the days. I’m trying to create a bit of a routine to help with that so it is improving. I’m grateful to my colleagues both at my gallery and across the sector for their stabilising and reassuring presence, especially when I have struggled.
An achievement for me last week was to convert two of my face to face gallery programs Gallery Sketchers and Social Justice Art for Teens into videos and websites. I’m grateful to the artist educators I work with for their willingness to try something new and look forward to making more and improving with practice.
I have also found it difficult to stop myself searching the internet for more information and news, so my top tip to prevent this, is to put all my social media and news apps in a hidden folder called ‘unproductive’. This has stopped me mindlessly going through them and wasting time or getting tense.
Pets of the world are very pleased have a silver lining of their owners being at home with them. I found some relief in learning that my covid-companions also needed time to adjust. Oby and Little Donny have in fact gone crazy from having me at home – all the time. They have earned two nicknames, the Bonkers Bros, and Thunderbolt and Lightning (very, very frightening).
Let us know some of your coping strategies (or favourite memes) in the comments below or in the closed Facebook group.
keep well,
Christine Healey
ENVi president
amagaenvi.org 