(MORRISTOWN, NJ) -- The Morris Museum wants to hear from you. The Morris Museum’s COVID-19 History Project is an easy, informal outlet for teachers, students, “essential” personnel, journalists and community members to share their short reflections and stories about the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. 

The Museum has dedicated two phone lines, one with English instructions (973.971.3727) and one with Spanish instructions (973.971.3735), for calling in these stories, which can be up to five minutes in length. These oral histories will be left as voicemails, which the Museum will later download, catalog, and archive.  Talk to them. The Museum wants to hear how their remarkable and resilient friends and neighbors are dealing with the health emergency.  They want to hear from adults and children. The Museum retains all rights to these submitted voicemails and their contents. They ask that, before calling,  you visit the What's Your Story? Web Page for guidance, suggestions and prompts. For English instructions click here.  For Spanish instructions click here.

“We want to give our museum community a simple means for sharing, documenting, and preserving their experiences during this crisis period,” said Dr. Cleveland Johnson, Executive Director of the Morris Museum. “What could be easier than leaving a voicemail?” “We hope this outlet can be a small relief from the isolation many people may feel. Our stories knit us together as a community”

Although the Museum will accept anonymous submissions, the material will have more historical value if callers provide their names and some brief information about themselves. Specific anecdotes and stories are welcome, as are more general musings about life during this period and thoughts for the future. 

The Museum has a web page dedicated to this project, which suggests some specific themes or questions to prompt one’s thinking before calling. There are also some specific prompts given for child participants to consider. The Museum is also happy to accept written submissions via email. Files may be attached, but the Museum retains all rights to all submitted emails and attached materials.

About The Museum

Founded in 1913, the Morris Museum is an award-winning, multifaceted arts and cultural institution serving the public through its exhibitions and performances which strive to interpret the past and discover the future through art, sound, and motion. The Museum is home to the historic and internationally-significant Murtogh D. Guinness Collection of Mechanical Musical Instruments and Automata. Changing exhibits of contemporary content augment exhibitions from its permanent collections. The Museum’s Bickford Theatre is a 312-seat performing-arts facility, offering unique programming in film, jazz, and live performance through its innovative series, Live Arts at the Morris Museum. The Morris Museum has a proud tradition of meaningful educational programs and family events. New Jersey’s only Smithsonian Affiliate Museum, Morris Museum is also the first museum in New Jersey to be accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, it has been designated a Major Arts Institution and has received the New Jersey State Council on the Arts’ Citation of Excellence, among other awards.

The Morris Museum is a Blue Star Museum, offering free admission to active duty military personnel and their families, from Memorial Day to Labor Day.