2020 Burke Museum Annual Report

From the highest of highs—opening our beautiful new museum in October after a decade of planning, to the lowest of lows—closing the museum just five months later and navigating the challenges presented by twin pandemics of COVID-19 and racial injustice, the Burke has drawn on the strengths of its visitors, staff, and volunteers to find new and meaningful ways to go on, to adapt and grow. 

This resilience will serve the museum well as we tackle the complexities and uncertainties that lie ahead. We will continue to work together to acknowledge and address the Burke’s colonial legacy and the harm it has caused. We will amplify Indigenous voices and knowledge. We will celebrate science and the roadmap the past can lay out for the future. We will provide a safe and welcoming space for the community to learn, feel joy, and heal.

And we will do all of this with deep gratitude, for each other and the generosity—in every sense—of supporters that makes it possible.