 |
  
|
Our Partners in the Field
The arts and cultural community is just as important as we were before the COVID-19 pandemic. This is being illustrated all across the world as creative projects take over living spaces by artists, children, and antsy adults.
We’re all asking the question that NY Times art critic A.O. Scott posed in his recent piece: What Happens When We Lose the Art That Brings Us Together? Well, for one, we get creative. And we’re not just singing from balconies like the Italians or over video like Berklee musicians, doodling during lunchtime with Mo Willems, or rolling up rugs to dance together. The creative community is employing every creative tactic to try and slow the economic crisis artists, culture workers, and nonprofits are facing due to canceled gigs and closed venues.
There’s dozens of relief funds that have come online to provide artists and organizations with emergency relief funds. We want to give a shout out to some that have paved the way.
On March 12, just two days after Gov. Baker declared a state of emergency for MA, the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture reopened its Opportunity Fund as the Boston Artist Relief Fund. To grow the pool of resources, the City partnered with Boston Center for the Arts so individuals can donate to the Artist Relief Fund.
Boston Music Maker COVID-19 Fund
The Record Co. also created one of the first relief funds on the scene on March 12, establishing the Boston Music Maker COVID-19 Fund to provide financial relief to Boston area music makers experiencing lost income as the result of performance cancellations related to COVID-19. As of April 14, over $101k has been raised, and over 500 applications approved and funded.
Essex County Community Foundation Creative County Initiative
The Essex County Community Foundation (ECCF) launched two relief funds as part of their Creative County Initiative (CCI). The Essex County Artist Fund aims to support the legions of individuals who are experiencing an unprecedented loss of income in the creative industries. The CCI COVID-19 Relief Fund for Culture aims to provide direct support to cultural organizations and venues across Essex County so they can stay afloat, pay staff, and support their communities during this crisis.
Mass Cultural Council Relief Funds
Mass Cultural Council polled Massachusetts’ cultural sector amid COVID-19 from March 16-22 and again April 4-14. Over both polling periods, nearly 700 cultural organizations reported a loss of more than $264M in revenue over both reporting periods. From March 16-22, 595 individual artists and independent teaching artists/humanists/scientists reported a total of more than $2.89M in lost personal income during the first polling period. In response, Mass Cultural Council program staff quickly mobilized to bring two new program proposals to the governing Council for consideration and approval:
You can learn more about these funds and more through MASSCreative’s COVID-19 Resources page.
More April News
