Category: issues

The Pandemic’s Lasting Effects On The Arts?

If, as I gloomily expect, this pandemic mushrooms into a huge, epochal shift in the social, economical and political landscape of the United States, then history teaches us perfectly clearly that there will be mirroring changes in the arts. That’s why we have concepts like “post-war literature” or “Restoration theater” or “Socialist realism.” You can’t have an earthquake without artists noticing. – San Francisco Chronicle

How Artists And Arts Organizations In San Francisco Are Adapting

Some of these people have taken the opportunity to begin a radical rethinking of their operations. Others are doing their best to maintain a connection with their patrons and audiences that will be strong enough to tide them over the current and coming upheavals. Wherever you look, the cultural players are busily brainstorming solutions. – San Francisco Chronicle

How I Got Audiences To Pay More For Streamed Performances Than I Would Have Asked Them To

Kahlil Ashanti began his performing career as part of an elite U.S. Air Force unit that did shows for servicepeople at military bases and in battle zones all over the globe. One thing he heard over and over from audience members, both soldiers and civilians (in his post-Air Force life), was “I would have gladly paid more for that.” Here’s how he got them to actually do it. – Arts Professional

Kennedy Center Will Reopen Its Large Theaters Next January

Pandemic permitting, the Center and its resident companies, the National Symphony Orchestra and Washington National Opera, plan to present performances for full audiences n its three large venues early in the New Year, with a few socially distanced, small-scale or outdoor performances before then. The big Broadway touring shows won’t be back until May. – The Washington Post

Kick The Cars Off 7th Avenue And Turn It Into An Outdoor Arts Center, Says Carnegie Hall Chief

Clive Gillinson: “What would it mean to close Seventh Avenue from 47th to 57th streets to vehicular traffic, creating a pedestrian mall for the arts, anchored by Carnegie Hall to the north and the TKTS Broadway ticket booth to the South. This space could be lined with restaurants, sidewalk cafes, jazz clubs, art galleries and the like, serving as a central area for people to gather — not only those headed to performances in the theater district and concert venues such as Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall and Jazz at Lincoln Center, but city visitors staying in the many hotels close by.” – Gothamist

A Third Of U.S. Museum Directors Fear That COVID Could Shut Down Their Institutions For Good

“In a survey released Wednesday of 760 museum directors, 33% of them said there was either a ‘significant risk’ of closing permanently by next fall or that they didn’t know if their institutions would survive. … The institutions surveyed ranged from aquariums to botanical gardens to science centers. More than 40% of them were history museums, historic houses and historical societies, while art museums represented less than 25%.” – NPR

Needed: A New Deal For The Arts

This debilitating, isolating historical moment should make us rethink our attitudes, priorities and national policies with regard to our criminal justice system, health and education infrastructure and physical environment. Similarly, the American arts sphere shouldn’t merely hope to restore the “old normal” when it could instead be re-envisioned and rejuvenated. – Crosscut

Arts Center In Sydney Is Saved From Liquidation — But At The Expense Of Some Artists

“Carriageworks has a clear path towards recovery after creditors voted unopposed on Tuesday for a proposal to rescue the arts company with the support of philanthropists and the New South Wales government, but not everyone is happy with the deal.” The problem: many of those creditors are small arts organizations and individual artists, who may get only about a third of the fees owed them. – The Guardian