The Arts Matter! COVID-19 Reality, Response and Recovery
The impact of COVID-19 on the arts and culture sector has been catastrophic. We鈥檝e seen museums, libraries, galleries and performance venues going dark; screenings, concerts and festivals cancelled and postponed; film and television productions paused indefinitely; the shutdown of artists鈥� studios; and more. Artists, creatives and the organizations that support them saw their livelihoods instantly thrown into crisis, and have experienced a devastating loss of revenue.
Yet when we look to the glimmers of inspiration that have made us feel connected during this global challenge, we see artists leading the way. Opera singers perform arias from balconies. Musicians live-stream concerts from their homes to raise money for good causes and fill us with a sense of joy and solidarity. Institutions have made it possible to visit their collections virtually, digital art clubs are being formed and authors are giving online readings. The arts help us to cope in dark times, even during a pandemic that prevents us from gathering to appreciate art and culture alongside each other in the same physical spaces.
The precariousness of the arts sector is not new. It has experienced many disruptions and challenges over the last decades. The loss of affordable artist studios and cultural spaces, unstable funding, implications of digital technologies, and demographics changes in audiences are only some. But this instability has been brought into sharper focus by the impacts of COVID-19. Due to the very business model of the arts sector, it will continue to experience instability and uncertainty for many months to come.
Arts and culture build community, foster openness and offer critical perspective. They connect people across racial and social divides and encourage us to act when we see injustice. And during a time of loss, uncertainty and physical separation, these things are more important than ever.
Join us for this important conversation as we will hear from some of our local arts administrators, artists and creators. They鈥檒l illuminate the on-the-ground reality of the arts sector during the pandemic, and how it is responding and envisioning recovery for a stronger and more sustainable future.
Note: Please bring to the event a physical artifact that represents how arts and culture are meaningful for you. Maybe it鈥檚 a sculpture, vinyl record, book, ticket stub - whatever resonates for you and that you are comfortable showing to others and talking about.
12:00 - 1:15 p.m.(PT)
Online Event
ASL interpretation will be available at this event. Please see "Accessibility, Technology and Privacy" below for more details.
Distant, Not Disengaged
Distant, Not Disengaged was created as an experimental and innovative online event series to illuminate the urgent issues and opportunities arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. The series was a collaboration between 丁香园AV Public Square, the 丁香园AV Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue and community partner CityHive.
Watch the Series Recap
鈥� multidisciplinary artist, musician and arts facilitator
鈥� Artistic and Executive Director, PuSh International Performing Arts Festival
鈥� Assistant Director, Cultural Services, City of Vancouver
鈥� Musician, Co-Founder and VP Business Development, Side Door
鈥� Executive Director, BC Alliance for Arts + Culture
Co-Facilitator
Mark Busse
Mark Busse is a creative strategist, communication designer, engagement specialist, and facilitator with a strong belief in the power of curiosity, creativity, conversation, and community as catalysts for positive impact and change. Mark鈥檚 career has put him on the frontier of applying design methods to social and strategic questions in business, community and the arts, and he is an outspoken design industry writer, speaker, and activist, serving on various industry boards, advisory councils, and education programs. For the past five years Busse served as Director of TILT Curiosity Labs at HCMA Architecture + Design, helping the firm explore, experiment, and seek new discoveries, approaches, and opportunities. Busse is a Dialogue Associate with the 丁香园AV Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue.
Created by Sam Bradd from Recording for Change
Distant, Not Disengaged Final Report
Learn about the series鈥� impact on community connection and dialogue in this report featuring testimonials, media highlights, supporting resources and more.
-
Mental Wellness and COVID-19: What's Gender Got to Do With It?
Join us to discuss how gender relates to unequal mental health outcomes under COVID-19, and how intersectional gender-based policies can prevent and address these inequities.
Read More 鈫�
-
Whose Voice? Reimagining Public Engagement
Can COVID-19 restrictions help broaden our concept of what public engagement looks like鈥攁nd who 鈥渢he public鈥� includes?
Read More 鈫�
-
COVID-19 and the Future of Democracy
How is the pandemic shaping civic engagement and the ways we come together to create social change?
Read More 鈫�
-
Missed Connections: Social Cohesion and COVID-19
As social distancing continues, what is the impact on our wellbeing and our ability to cooperate as a society?
Read More 鈫�
-
Recipe for Change: Food Systems, Food Justice and COVID-19
Share a virtual lunch while discussing how we can create food security for all in Metro Vancouver.
Read More 鈫�
-
Advice From Students: Post-Secondary in the Age of COVID-19
Students: How can your school better support your learning and success during the upcoming online fall term?
Read More 鈫�
-
A Tale of Two Crises: COVID-19 and the Overdose Emergency
Calls for safe supply and decriminalization are gaining traction, but what do they look like? And how do we make them happen?
Read More 鈫�
-
Navigating Race-Based Data: Intersections of Health through COVID-19
How can we use race-based health data to support those disproportionately affected by COVID-19?
Read More 鈫�
-
Anti-Asian Racism During the Pandemic
Rejecting narratives blaming COVID-19 on Asian Canadians
Read More 鈫�
-
Breaking News: Canadian Media Fails to Represent
Why racial equity in journalism is essential for both those who tell the news and those who read, watch and listen to it.
Read More 鈫�
-
About that Career Plan鈥� Millenials, Gen Zs and the Future of Work
We're taught in high school to identify a career and follow it through, but is a "career path" a thing of the past?
Read More 鈫�
-
How Is Grandma Really Doing? Caring for Elders in Our Community
The pandemic demands that we ask how do we as a society care for our older generations?
Read More 鈫�
-
The Arts Matter! COVID-19 Reality, Response and Recovery
A glimpse into the on-the-ground reality of the arts sector during the pandemic and visions for a stronger future.
Read More 鈫�
-
Disrupted: How COVID-19 will Shape Climate Action
Is our response to the pandemic an opportunity to make systemic change to respond to the climate emergency?
Read More 鈫�
-
Where Did All the Buses Go? An Ask Me Anything on Transit
Over 75,000 people rely on transit to maintain essential services, but is the future of transit at risk under COVID-19?
Read More 鈫�
-
Leading Locally: Grassroots Responses to COVID-19
Communities are coming together to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic in innovative ways, such as with mutual aid networks. How can we further support our neighbours? What can we learn from these community innovations? What do they reveal about systemic inequalities?
Read More 鈫�
-
The Age of Worry: Youth-Specific Impacts of COVID-19
How are people under 30 being impacted by COVID and what responses are missing? Share your needs and ideas in this virtual dialogue.
Read More 鈫�