Western Development Museum opens virtual exhibit to document pandemic

Saskatchewan’s heritage museum wants to help document the effect of COVID-19 on peoples’ lives.

The Western Development Museum (WDM) has launched an online exhibit called Saskatchewan Views the Global Pandemic.

It’s an archive of photos showing how life has changed during the outbreak.

Anyone can submit one picture, as long as it’s related to life in the province.

Joan Kannigan, the CEO of WDM, joined The Brent Loucks Show on 650 CKOM to chat about the project.

With the museum’s physical locations shut down, she thinks it’s a good way to continue their work.

“We want to be able to document how people are coping with these unprecedented times we’re in. We’re kind of in history-in-the-making,” she explained.

She also believes it can bring peoples’ spirits up.

“By seeing photographs and sharing experiences, it’s one way we can continue to help people connect with what’s going on around us in the world.”

She sees immense historical value in the display.

“By documenting this history now, we will have it 50 years, 100 years from now, when we look back at what we did and how we survived and worked through this.”