COVID-19 Culture

A typist wearing her influenza mask in 1918 New York.

How the 1918 Pandemic Got Meme-ified in Jokes, Songs and Poems

In newspapers across the country, the public dealt with the heartache of the moment by turning to humor

93-year-old Vera recreates Adele's 21 album cover.

Nursing Home Residents Recreate Iconic Album Covers During Lockdown

Seniors in the U.K. staged photoshoots inspired by Elvis Presley, Madonna, David Bowie and other musicians

Artifacts and artworks from around the Smithsonian model the Institution's mandatory mask requirement (see below for key to their identities and locations).

What Does the Smithsonian Look Like in the Post-COVID Era?

Key personnel from across the Institution weigh in on the long road back to normal(ish) operations

In Herefordshire, a resident encountered this pair of post-medieval snake-shaped belt or strap hooks.

See Archaeological Treasures Unearthed by U.K. Residents During Lockdown

Finds include a Neolithic arrowhead, a snake-shaped belt hook and shards of Roman pottery

The view from WindowSwap user Simone's window in Villongo, Italy

This Website Highlights Views Outside Windows Across the World

The WindowSwap project provides a virtual travel opportunity for those sheltering in place amid the COVID-19 pandemic

The Anacostia Community Museum wants to know not just how you’re surviving this moment, but how you’re being resilient.

In This Historical Moment, Here’s How to Collect Your Thoughts

The Anacostia Community Museum wants your story for its new archive #Moments of Resilience

When I felt strong enough to go out for a walk, out of desperation from being locked up in the flat, I would walk along the Thames on the large promenade that borders the river. It was a cool night in April, and the sun had left a searing purple and pink horizon line on the city. It is rare to see such colors linger at dusk and I had with me my Polaroid camera. I took a few shots and remember how silent and eerie the city felt. A ghost town is truly what it was. This image was taken home and washed with water, sprayed with a foamy bleach and then doused with liquid hand sanitizer in the patches of foam.

Start With a Polaroid, Then Add Disinfectant. Here's the Result

A quarantined photographer makes the most of the harsh materials at hand to create a fragile portrait of life in a pandemic

Archaeologist Ben Edwards and his daughter Bella recreated the Bryn Celli Ddu landscape in the computer game "Minecraft."

Explore a 5,000-Year-Old Welsh Tomb Recreated in Minecraft

The virtual world now boasts a cube-based recreation of Bryn Celli Ddu in its heyday

A virtual version of Mount Vesuvius looms over the exhibition.

Paris Exhibition Recreates Pompeii's Final Hours

Those unable to visit the show in person can access a trove of online resources related to the immersive experience

The so-called "Letter From Heaven" was marketed as a message from Jesus himself, conveying instructions and conferring protection on those who sent them to others.

Before Chain Letters Swept the Internet, They Raised Funds for Orphans and Sent Messages From God

Recipe exchanges, poetry chains, photo challenges and other ostensibly comforting prompts are enjoying a resurgence amid the COVID-19 pandemic

The Smithsonian 2020 Folklife Festival is online (above: Reconstructing Hope: Black Religions in the Age of Black Lives Matter, June 29).

Smithsonian’s Folklife Festival Moves into Your Living Room

This year, experience the familiar smells, sights and sounds, while streaming the events online

Following the Monday performance, the Barcelona opera house donated its 2,292 houseplants to local health care workers.

Audience of Plants Roots for Barcelona Opera House on Opening Night

The leafy crowd enjoyed a string quartet's performance of Puccini's "Crisantemi"

Summer solstice sunrise over Stonehenge

How to Livestream Stonehenge's Summer Solstice Celebrations

Annual event at the Neolithic monument will be broadcast virtually in place of an in-person gathering

John Everett Millais, The Bridesmaid, 1851

U.K. Museum Reimagines Classic Art With Face Masks

The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge has released greeting cards of six paintings adapted for this "most unusual year"

Google's Wing drones can carry packages weighing up to three pounds.

Virginia School District Will Use Drones to Deliver Summer Reading

Montgomery County has partnered with Google's Wing service to distribute library books

A 15-foot-tall sculpture of a laughing kookaburra in Brisbane, Australia

A Sculptor Made This 15-Foot-Tall Laughing Kookaburra in Lockdown

Farvardin Daliri in Brisbane, Australia crafted the giant sculpture, which opens its beak and cackles with laughter

A view of the modified seating arrangement at the Berliner Ensemble

How a Berlin Theater Will Enforce Social Distancing

The venue removed more than half of its seats to keep audience members safely separated

A pandemic from a century ago doesn’t necessarily chart the course of the pandemic happening now.

Compare the Flu Pandemic of 1918 and COVID-19 With Caution

The past is not prediction

On May 6, South Korea returned somewhat to normal, with businesses, museums and libraries reopening with social distancing measures in place. However, with a spike for more than 70 new cases in Seoul, museums have closed until June 14.

Seoul Closes Public Institutions After South Korea Sees 79 New COVID-19 Cases

Museums, churches, and art galleries are shut down until June 14 in Seoul, home to half of the country’s population

The author is quick to point out that The Ickabog is separate from the Harry Potter series.

Read J.K. Rowling's New Children's Book Online for Free

The "Harry Potter" author is also asking young readers to submit illustrations of "The Ickabog"

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