Artists and arts organizations need our help. Truly. Now.
In Canada, the arts sector suffered “massive” financial hits during the pandemic, according to an August 2021 report from Statistics Canada. In the United States, a study by the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts found that the pandemic had reversed a decade of growth in its seven-county region. The arts sector had been booming until the pandemic. In New Zealand, charities for the arts, culture and heritage lost half of their income, mostly because of canceled events, according to a report. What this all means is that the pandemic and its multitude of effects – canceled performances and fundraisers with limits, even prohibitions, on in-person gatherings – is threatening the future of arts around the globe. In short, the pandemic has devastated funding streams for artistic endeavours and organizations– revenues that were already difficult to secure in the first place. This is forcing some of our creatives of all artistic expression, from painters and photographers to musicians and dancers to poets and novelists, to look elsewhere to support their vocation and themselves. The sad reality is that, when faced with these kinds of cash crunches, some artists will have to abandon their passion to better support themselves and their families in another vocation. The vibrant, woven fabric of our artistic community is being frayed to the detriment of our culture. However, we need to recognize that this impact goes far beyond the arts. To save and promote robust arts communities, here and abroad, we must expand our support of the charities and organizations underpinning them. This can be a tough “ask” when the world is faced with so many pressing needs. But we don’t have to choose between charities that help children or provide free meals and those that support the arts. A well-rounded philanthropic strategy should support a myriad of causes that includes the arts – and not just because of the enjoyment of experiencing them. In 2019, the arts and culture industry had a $58.9 billion impact on Canada’s economy, which is a larger effect than food services and even sports. In the United States, the nonprofit arts industry generated $166.3 billion in economic activity in 2015. An investment in the arts is an investment in the economy, thereby helping everyone, not just those who create and showcase artistic expression. The arts can be too easily dismissed as non-essential, especially during tough times. But artistic endeavours are fundamental to what it means to be human. The arts can uplift the downtrodden in the most difficult times. Viktor Frankl, the Austrian Holocaust survivor, writes in his book, Man’s Search for Meaning, how prisoners in concentration camps sometimes put on vaudeville shows as a distraction from their grim reality. At the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, the programming has successfully connected those isolated during the pandemic with webinars, on-line viewings and new publications. Children across the community have been introduced to art in a way that allows them to discover the joy of self-expression through form, colour and technique. This exposure furthers their education in complementing or filling a gap in cash-strapped arts programs in schools. The mental health benefit can be tangible. Even in the absolutely worst of times, the arts provide and nurture human connection, both to each other and to the presentation. In better times, it allows people of every background to come together to learn, experience and celebrate. Your support of the arts will bolster our economic, societal and mental health recoveries. Please get involved and contribute what you can to assist. In doing so, you will make your community stronger and more vibrant. Comments are closed.
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AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
February 2022
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