About this Project

This facemask was made by an employee at Colonial Williamsburg, where my partner works as a Senior Preparator. This is the mask I use most frequently.

Drawing has always been an important way for me to process my thoughts and emotions. At the start of the pandemic, I found myself unable to draw because I felt overwhelmed by what was happening in the world and the changes it brought to my daily routine. Several weeks into the pandemic, I finally took an interest in drawing again when I began sketching the facemasks in our house. Through these drawings, I finally began to process my feelings about what was happening.

After drawing my masks, I decided to invite other people over social media to submit their own masks for me to draw. I also asked them to include any thoughts they had about their masks, whether as a poem, short story, description, or another form.

I decided to create this online exhibit as a means of engaging the ways in which the pandemic has affected how we share material and ideas with one another. Prior to beginning my Ph.D., I was an art museum curator, and I have been especially interested in seeing how museums have reconfigured their collections through online exhibits. While I am currently not working in a museum environment, I wanted to use my previous experiences as a museum professional to explore new ways of sharing.

Through this project, I hope to create a space where people can share their thoughts and feelings about the pandemic.