The coronavirus, or COVID-19, is a global pandemic that unexpectedly impacted our communities. With the closures of non-essential businesses, schools, and universities, almost every state in the union has issued a “stay-at-home” order instructing residents to shelter in place and self-quarantine. While in isolation, the Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science staff diligently worked to strengthen our online presence by creating virtual exhibitions, offering videos on various subjects related to the museum’s mission, and virtual campaigns.

Regarding the virtual campaigns, “Object of the Day,”was the most popular virtual interactive for the Art
Department. Having reached thousands of viewers,“Object of the Day” was a daily post in which a piece from our permanent collection was showcased and interpreted across all social media platforms. The pictures were compiled by the museum’s Collection Manager and Marketing Associate.

The summer exhibition planned for the Old Gallery was cancelled due to logistical problems during the quarantine. As a substitute, our Executive Director proposed we host a physical exhibition to highlight the most popular works during the “Object of the Day” campaign.

With the impetus of the exhibition in mind, it was a privilege as The Virginia G. Schroder Curator of Art to assemble the pieces for the exhibition. Generally, when I create exhibitions, there is a “so what” or idea in mind before selecting physical objects to tell the story. With the objects preselected and using social media analytics to determine the most popular works, this has been one of the most creative, collaborative, and gratifying opportunities. With a variety of artistic mediums ondisplay, we hope you enjoy seeing the “fan favorites”and objects in person.

Tory Schendel Cox
Virginia G. Schroeder Curator of Art