As the community continues to self-quarantine amidst the COVID-19 crisis, several businesses and organizations are turning to virtual experiences to offer entertainment, information, and education safely during this time. From museums to theater productions, here are some of our favorite ways to pass the time, for free, online:
- The National Hellenic Museum in Chicago (NHM) offers a free digital museum archive that features a rich repository of 20,000+ Greek American artifacts, photos, historic newspapers, books and more than 450 recorded oral histories to explore. This is the largest collection of its kind in the entire world. Dedicated to preserving and protecting the Greek American experience and Hellenic Legacy, the portal allows access to the Museum’s catalog online from anywhere in the world via digitized artifacts and archival materials. The portal can be found here: https://collections.nationalhellenicmuseum.org/
- Paper Source invites us all to do something creative every day, and especially during this time. Their team will be inviting children to join them for “Craft Recess” daily — hosted on their Instagram page, @papersource. With projects in fun and unique themes, the crafting experts will showcase projects that can be made with common household items.
- Marriott Theatre, located at 10 Marriott Drive Lincolnshire, IL, is streaming videos from their cast of “Kiss Me, Kate” to create a “video scrapbook” during this period of isolation and quarantine. Fans have the opportunity to connect with their favorite artists, and can be viewed daily on Marriott Theatre’s YouTube channel by clicking here.
- Caledonia Senior Living & Memory Care, 2800 Des Plaines Ave, North Riverside, IL, has announced the implementation of a new online portal for residents and their loved ones to stay connected throughout the current COVID-19 pandemic. With precautions in place to keep residents and staff safe, Caledonia has introduced this program in order to continue their tradition of providing compassionate care and a true sense of home to those that live there.
- For those looking to do a little online shopping at home, Amdur Productions’ e-commerce site, ArtZipper.com, features up-and-coming artists selling unique, handcrafted pieces directly to consumers. From paintings to sculpture, hand-blown glass and fine jewelry, ArtZipper.com features expertly curated works in every medium you can imagine, and ships internationally. Additionally, Amdur Productions will hold live-streamed virtual seminars sharing tips on how to prepare to exhibit at an art festival this coming summer.
