About Us

This virtual exhibition was the culminating project for the Spring 2020 semester course Museums, Activism and Social Issues in the M.A. in Museum Professions program at Seton Hall University. This class explored the intersection between societal issues and the role of museums. In the past, museums were considered neutral sites, but it is increasingly apparent that they are not. Many in the museum field now argue for museums to take an activist stance and address the social issues present in their communities and society at large.

Initially, this project was designed as a pop-up exhibition on the Seton Hall University campus. We were interested in issues involving human rights, with ideas of diverse sub-themes such as incarceration, immigration, and gender issues. Everything changed, however, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck. Suddenly, our thoughts turned to how we could help our community with the topic at the forefront of everyone’s mind–the unique stresses that this virus has caused. As classes moved online and our exhibition became virtual, this webpage was developed to be a resource to viewers. We hope that “Stress in the Time of COVID-19”  can provide information and a source of comfort in these trying times.