Here at WAM, we’re doing a lot of thinking about baggage, because of the exhibition Baggage Claims. It’s still here until May 12, so you’ve got some time, but not too much, to explore the things we carry with us.

Baggage Claims is all about baggage: psychological, metaphorical, and literal. It’s about immigration, break-ups, emergencies–in short, baggage, broadly.

Songs mean something to us, and can bring us back to a particular time or place. They have baggage, because when we hear them, they bring a little something extra to the table. They might bring us back to a particular time, place, or person. A song might make you feel any of a million ways–nostalgic, sad, joyous, melancholic …

Because of the exhibition, we’re launching a new participatory project, and we need your help. We want to share stories of baggage around songs, to maybe lighten your own load, and maybe to lighten someone else’s. We are not alone, and we can help each other with the things that we carry with us.

We’re asking that you share your Songs with Baggage here. Then, if you’re okay with it, we’ll share your song and your story on social media and in a compilation playlist.

Thank you for being a part of your museum.

Featured image: A still of Avery Lawrence’s Arranging Suitcases.