ourcovid19story

In the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the VHRP partnered with two professional photographers who were compelled to document the impact the virus was having on their communities.

Andy Duback started photographing families in his hometown of Williston after Governor Phil Scott issued a “Stay Home, Stay Safe” executive order to all Vermonters on March 24, 2020. Mr. Duback shared his #FamiliesOfWilliston digital portraits on social media and on his website. Families filled out questionnaires, which are preserved in the VHRP’s digital repository alongside the portraits.

At the same time, Carmen George started taking photographs of her New North End neighbors in Burlington, inspired by Chicago photographer Jackie Bravo Vicere’s Front Porch Project. VHRP staff selected a few portraits from each session to add to the digital repository.

Project background

#ourcovid19story is a global initiative of Preservica, the company behind VT Re•tain, the State of Vermont’s digital preservation system and digital state archives. Preservica generously offered free storage space to users who wished to capture, document, and preserve the unfolding story of the pandemic for future generations, and the VHRP is using this opportunity to connect with Vermonters who are capturing the impact of COVID-19 in our state.

This citizen-led documentary project, portraying the statewide response and effects of the pandemic, goes beyond the scope of what the Vermont State Archives and Records Administration (VSARA) is able to capture and preserve through Vermont public records – yet is so critical to understanding the impact of government decisions, such as the COVID-19 “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order, on individuals, communities, businesses, organizations, and state government. Citizen-produced documentary evidence is a valuable complement to the public records concerning Vermont’s response and recovery efforts that are already scheduled to be preserved in VT Re•tain.