Toward Being Together Again (English)

Toronto History Museums Artifact Collection

Installation Images

mRNA COVID-19 adult vaccine vial, 2021, 4.7 cm x 4.7 cm

Pfizer BioNtech COVID-19 child vaccine vial, 2021, 3.1 cm x 3.1 cm

Vaccination sticker, 2021, 5.5 cm x 5.5 cm

Spirit of York Distillery hand sanitizer, 2020, 5.5 cm x 3.5 cm, 140 ml

• A bottle of hand sanitizer, a small and medium sized vaccine vial, and a vaccination sticker.
• Two small glass vials with grey metal lids and labels. The vial on the left is about the size of a bottle cork. The vial is covered in a white label with red and black text that reads in part, “Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine …Intramuscular use…Multiple-dose vial.” The vial on the right, about the size of a paper clip, is covered with a white label with orange and black text that reads in part, “Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine…Age 5y to < 12y..For use under Emergency Use Authorization.” A small amount of liquid remains in the vial.
• A round sticker, a little smaller than a soda can, still on its wax paper backing. The sticker is white with a pink rim, a large pink bandage in the middle, and pink text that reads, “I got my Covid-19 Vaccine” in all capitals.
• A square plastic bottle of light blue hand sanitizer about the size of a large smartphone. A large label, written in English and French, covers the entire bottle with lists of the ingredients, uses, and directions for use. At the bottom of the label is the address for the Spirit of York Distillery CO. located in Toronto.

Installation Details

These artifacts highlight the community engagement generated in response to the pandemic. From the vaccine sticker to the hand sanitizer, communities came together to encourage one another. The vaccine sticker operates in much the same way as the “I Voted” sticker. The hand sanitizer, from Spirit of York Distillery, tells a story from the height of the pandemic, when their facilities were repurposed to produce Health Canada-approved hand sanitizer and offered free of charge to those in need as well as people over the age of 65. The vaccine vials themselves speak volumes; note the difference in size when comparing an adult dose to a child dose.

All objects from the Toronto History Museums Artifact Collection.