Museum Windsor creates local COVID-19 archive ahead of reopening

Windsor, Ont. -

Museum Windsor is opening the doors to the public for the first time in 20 months this Tuesday.

Both the Chimczuk Museum and The François Baby House have been closed since March 2020 and are ready to reopen on Nov. 2.

“We are super pumped to be open to the public again,” says Curator Madelyn Della Valle. “At one point in the worst part of the pandemic, you just get the feeling like oh my gosh every day seems like the next and we’re stuck in a bunch of molasses and you can’t get out. Now I feel like wow I’m wriggling my way free and we’re going to do something fun!”

Della Valle says museum staff have been compiling a local COVID-19 archive, printing off various news articles, while keeping records and journals.

“We have been busy documenting the pandemic that we’re stuck in the middle of,” Della Valle explains. “It’s not that fun to be part of a big historical incident, but we figure that’s part of our job right now.”

Windsor-Essex residents are encouraged to share their COVID- related items or thoughts, if they haven’t done so already.

Museum Windsor has created a local COVID-19 archive in Windsor, Ont. on Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021. (Chris Campbell/CTV Windsor)

“They’re welcome to send us their COVID pictures, their COVID thoughts, their COVID journals,” Della Valle adds. “I’ve got my eye on the future! I’m talking 50 years 100 years, so w’ve been printing them off and we are keeping them.”

Della Valle tells CTV News all visitors must wear a mask while in the museum, maintain physical distancing of two metres, and complete a COVID-19 health screening before accessing either museum.

“We’ve been working on collections we’ve been working on virtual programs we’ve been working on people bringing in stuff like you know people had time during the pandemic to clean out their basements and their attics, guess where a lot of that stuff got offered to,” Della Valle says.

In addition to exhibitions, the Chimczuk Museum and François Baby House continue to offer family-friendly activities like scavenger hunts and craft packages, but due to pandemic restrictions, some of the interactive features found in the permanent exhibition and Children’s Gallery have been temporarily removed.

The Chimczuk Museum is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The François Baby House is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.