The COVID-19 pandemic, for all the sickness and death it has brought, has also caused our society to make changes for the better.
Necessity is the mother of invention, as the popular saying goes.
One example: the Missouri State Museum.
Located inside the Missouri Capitol, the museum offers new virtual features because the pandemic prevents school groups and some others from visiting the museum physically.
As we recently reported, Tiffany Patterson, director of the Missouri State Museum and Jefferson Landing State Historic Site, said no Capitol tours are being given this time. The museum is still open to the public, however.
The museum recently started offering virtual Capitol tour videos, a series to introduce visitors to the history and artwork of the Capitol. The videos are available at mostateparks.com/page/85051/educational-resources and on YouTube through the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.
Topics covered include the state capital’s move from St. Charles to Jefferson City, the state seal, the half-round paintings in the Capitol’s hallways — called lunettes — the art of Thomas Hart Benton in the Capitol, the art of the House of Representatives’ chamber, and the history of the State Museum itself.
Schools and other organizations that want to learn more can schedule virtual question and answer sessions with a museum educator. For more information, email [email protected] or call 573-522-9019.
Patterson said the new virtual options were created with no extra money from the museum’s budget. The museum also plans to produce more virtual content.
What the museum has done is just one of many examples of innovation that will have positive lasting effects long after the pandemic.
News Tribune