Jaclyn Nash/National Museum of American History/Smithsonian Institution (Anthea M. Hartig)
Which objects best represent 2020? It’s Anthea M. Hartig’s job to decide. As director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., Hartig is leading an effort to document the events of this year—including the Covid-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter protests. We spoke with her about her team’s effort to collect key
Q: What types of objects are you looking for?
A: Masks are a universal symbol [of 2020], as are handmade protest signs. Personal protective equipment from medical workers, public health notices, even fake medicines that say they can cure the coronavirus are on our list.
Q: How do you find these types of items?
A: Our
Q: Why is this work important?
A: As the nation’s history museum, this is one of our highest callings. Such objects provide us with a time capsule in a way that letters, photos, diaries, and Zoom recordings often cannot. My hope is that our collecting will help people in the future see that [in 2020] we had the