On life support because of covid-19 – will arts and culture need a “new deal” to survive

Vidya Sethuraman
India Post News Service

Since the first COVID-19 case was reported in January 2020, virtually every arts organization in the country has had cancellations; theaters and performing venues have gone dark; productions and tours have been halted, at a combined loss of $12 billion. Some 94% of artists and performers have seen their incomes plummet, according to Americans for the Arts. EMS organized a videoconference on September 11 with arts promoters and artists to learn more about the effects of the pandemic and what it would take to rescue arts in the United States.

Kristin Sakoda, Director of the LA County Department of Arts and Culture and former Broadway performer, discussed the impact of the pandemic on the arts both nationally and in Los Angeles and what this means for smaller arts organizations and communities of color. Due to COVID-19, arts organizations, especially those with limited resources, have been struggling to support their communities.

Thankfully, the LA County Department of Arts and Culture has allocated $10 million dollars from the CARES Act to sustain arts nonprofits during the shutdown.  “We know that more than a third of arts organizations in L.A. have had to furlough or lay off staff, but we also know that more than 80 percent of them continue to try to provide performances or virtual experiences whether they’re getting paid or not,” explained Sakoda.She said 50 percent of arts organizations would not survive COVID-19 without relief funds.

Our priority was to be a source of stability for the County’s arts and creative sector, which was immediately severely impacted by event cancellations, venue closures, and lost revenue. To help meet immediate needs, we accelerated grant payments to the more than nonprofits that we fund. We partnered with the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs to provide technical assistance for SBA loans, unemployment benefits, and other business relief programs and we provided resources for artists for the LA County Disaster Help Center website, said the panelists.

Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Theater Company said PPP loans and other small, emergency grants, will not allow him to keep his theater company afloat. “I’ve got a $10,000 a month lighting bill at LATC,” he said, noting that he has received only one grant worth $22,000. Valenzuela has 14 staff members. “We will have to let them go,” he said, noting the current lack of work and the uncertainty of when the company will be able to perform again.

When coronavirus cases finally plummet, and a vaccine is available, an array of live cultural experiences will surely return in some form, as has been true after every plague in recorded history.