Hesston Public Library

Digital Special Collections

Nelson Swartzendruber family "Porchtrait" 2020

Title

Nelson Swartzendruber family "Porchtrait" 2020

Subject

COVID-19

Coronavirus infections

Families

People

Description

Jacquelyn "Jackie" Nelson wrote, "The history of a people and community does not lie in the extraordinary events or the highlights of the well-connected, powerful or popular; the history and soul of a community is a compilation of small moments of ordinary people. Documenting these small moments allows future generations to see more than the front page news and get a candid sense of their heritage, history and the true heart of their community as we move through extraordinary times. We are ordinary people finding our way through extraordinary times with a mix of activities only the 21st century can provide - we cook, clean, Netflix and chill, mow the lawn, Zoom with family, stretch groceries, tell Alexa to order more toilet paper, go for walks in the evening and binge watch our favorite shows. We stay home to protect the lives of the ones we love and the lives of those in our community. We take precautions, because we love people who are at risk. We believe in the power of science, medicine and human decency and compassion."

In 2019-2020 a novel coronavirus mutated and spread around the world, causing a sometimes deadly disease in humans, commonly termed COVID-19. By early Spring 2020 it had arrived in Kansas, and Kansas Governor Laura Kelly closed school buildings March 17 for the remainder of the academic year, then issued a statewide "Stay Home order" to combat the spread of the disease. For about a month, Kansans were directed to stay at home unless performing a number of defined "essential activities." As custodians of Hesston history, the Hesston Public Library joined others in a project to document this unusual time, through informal portraits of families at home. Since part of the order named that outdoor activities with distance between households were still considered safe, many families posed on their front porches, and the mashup term "Porchtraits" was born.

Creator

Weaver, Pam

Publisher

Hesston Public Library, Hesston, Kansas

Date

2020-04-28

Contributor

Nelson, Jacquelyn

Swartzendruber, Scott

Rights

In Copyright In Copyright

All rights reserved. This image may not be used or reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publisher. For permission please contact the Hesston Public Library, hplnotifications@gmail.com.

Format

image/jpeg

Language

English

Type

Photographs

Identifier

HPL Covid Porchtraits-26.jpg

HPL Covid Porchtraits-27.jpg

HPL Covid Porchtraits-28.jpg

HPL Covid Porchtraits-29.jpg

Coverage

Hesston (Kan.)

Kansas

2020s


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Citation
Weaver, Pam, “Nelson Swartzendruber family "Porchtrait" 2020,” Hesston Public Library, accessed November 23, 2024, https://hesston.digitalsckls.info/item/1772.