Coronavirus & the Arts
Maybe it’s just the inner liberal arts trash in me, or maybe the confinement in my house with only a one person audience for my creative outlets is just getting to me, but I have one bone to pick with everyone (actually, I have two: the first being that people won’t follow social distancing, but that’s a very different conversation to have): It is upsetting, in times like these especially when so prominent, to watch people binge watch Netflix, watching film after film, or to see everyone miraculously becoming super artsy in their time at home. It’s upsetting to watch these same people turn their heads as arts programs are underfunded or defunded, to scoff at people in the field or passionate about it. People seem to want to support the arts only when convenient for them, disavowing those in the same industry as if they themselves don’t consume media every single day with blind hypocrisy.
I planned on coming home for spring break with one goal in mind: go to the art galleries at home, soak in all the art and beauty I could that Canton, NY couldn’t offer me, and use that feeling to inspire my own art in the form of writing, or at the very least, inspire me to finish the semester with full dedication. How silly of me. I can’t help that a virus came about, and the virus doesn’t care about who you are, nor is it feasible to “stick it to the virus” through acts of aggression, like hmmmm I don’t know, campus vandalism. Is it upsetting that things are closing and I cannot go out and be entranced by galleries? Yes. Is it even more upsetting there are a ton of people in the art field lost their jobs because of it? Of course. But people keep demanding new content at a rampant pace to feed their boredom at home.
If you asked someone what they wanted to do with their life and they listed something in the arts: theater (actors, tech, everyone involved), comedy, writers, dancer, artist, do not look down on them and proceed to tweet about your favorite part of The Tiger King from Netflix. And for those who may not look towards film and TV as inspiration or time-passing activity, it is so frustrating in these times to not be able to look at other arts that have had to cease, because as corny as it is, arts are what ultimately bring us together and allow us to communicate on seemingly equal levels (sometimes- I’m looking at you, you cute intersectional Etsy artists, you).
And now, we have places who provide the arts incentivizing donations, trying to keep themselves and their employees afloat for however long the virus lasts. The MET, local museums and galleries, local collectives in general, are all asking for support in these odd times. So many of these cultural institutions rely on governmental aid, grants, and other things that may not be able to support them before they reopen, or aid that may be taken away because of the closures out of their hands. So how will these institutions open back up after all this? Probably quite injured and in need of your attendance. And with enough love, they’ll be restored again.
But let’s flesh this out, shall we? Here are the actual statistics of what is going on here. As projected by NPR, the arts industry is planned on losing 3.2 billion dollars. The Senate just passed an emergency relief bill, which while needed and grateful to receive, is $75 million to be dispersed by the National Endowments for Arts & Humanities in the form of grants. With talks of relief checks possibly taking a long time to cash in, is this the same for these? Not to mention, $75 million isn’t that much when considering how much money we continue to pump into things like the military, how much money celebrities and millionaires donate in proportion to their wealth. I hope that with this relief act and donations to other art institutions, we won’t be gasping for air in the art community by the end of this, but it all seems to matter how long it lasts and who gets the bulk of that money? Trick question: what defines ‘art’?
And, yes, in terms of film and TV, the entertainment industry is bound to do poorly too, so binge what you can for now. Shows are halting (thanks to my little sister, I can tell you this is true of BOTH “Riverdale” and “Grey’s Anatomy”), and in a field that requires out-of-home interaction, we’re bound to not see new content for quite a while. Not to mention, film has been hit rough too- theater closings, films going straight to on demand- this industry needs the relief too, and if in house premieres of films becomes the norm, who knows what effects this pandemic will have on it and for how long.
What I’m trying to say is, you all want arts whether you acknowledge it or not, and that’s okay, they just need your support now more than every (yes, ideally something past 10-hour show binging). So yes, go continue to soothe yourself using art, make beautiful things and share them, but support your art friends too: if you can, buy small business art, buy Broadway tickets when they open back up, support art relief funds. Support the arts more than just when you need them, cause they’re usually always there for you when you do. Oh, and yeah: wash your goddamn hands. Stay inside. Do your part, and we’ll be out in no time, goin’ and lookin’ at art again.
Donate to the arts here, if you are able: https://broadwaycares.org/
https://www.artsactionfund.org/
Ask for Congress to guarantee federal relief funds for nonprofts: https://www.artsactionfund.org/action-center?vvsrc=%2fcampaigns
Virtual art museum tours to do from home:
Lourve: https://www.louvre.fr/en/visites-en-ligne#tabs
Guggenheim: https://www.guggenheim.org/collection-online
National Gallery of Arts: https://www.nga.gov/
The MET: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/online-features Van Gough Museum: https://vangoghmuseum.nl/en/whats-on/collection-highlights