A periodic round-up of news of interest to artists, related to the COVID-19 crisis.
The image embedded above is Sea Crevice (2019) by Marjorie Kaye (Painting Finalist 18). Kaye was scheduled to have a solo exhibition, Foundation, at the Pine Manor College Hess Gallery. But like many artists in the COVID-19 crisis, her exhibition has been disrupted by the gallery’s closure. You can see her work and that of other past awardees from our Artist Fellowships Program in a special online gallery in our recent Fellows Notes post.
Mass Cultural Council COVID-19 Relief Fund for Individuals Pending approval by our governing Council, we will publish guidelines and the online application for the Mass Cultural Council COVID-19 Relief Fund tomorrow, April 8, 2020, at 10 AM ET. The fund will support individuals whose creative practices and incomes are adversely impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. Grants of $1,000 will be available to Massachusetts individual artists and independent teaching artists/humanists/scientists who have lost income derived from their work as a direct result of COVID-19 related cancellations and closures.
Unemployment and the CARES Act Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts of Massachusetts created a useful video with guest Attorneys Elizabeth Mason and Jill Havens to introduce and discuss applying for unemployment and developments under the CARES Act.
Speaking of the CARES Act, you may have heard that one of the provisions of the Federal CARES Act is that self-employed individuals will be temporarily eligible to apply for unemployment benefits. As of April 7, 2020, the Department of Unemployment Assistance website states that those benefits are not available yet but that the Dept is working quickly to implement the new guidance.
Arts and Culture in the Virtual Realm Massachusetts artists and cultural organizations are continuing to find ways to connect through art. Some examples:
- The Boston Symphony Orchestra is offering a free stream of its Concert for Our City performance.
- Central Square Theatre has tickets for a video stream of the play Pipeline (thru 4/12).
- The Dance Complex has a schedule of online classes, workshops, performances, and more.
- The Bright Lights Film Series at Emerson is holding Zoom discussions to take place Tuesday and Thursdays (starting tonight, April 7, 2020) to discuss films currently available on Netflix and Hulu.
- The ICA/Boston is creating a community quilt in the digital space, inspired by artist Merill Comeau and her current Art Lab installation Threads of Connection.
- Company One Theatre is hosting a virtual open writing session (4/11) with David Valdes (Dramatic Writing Finalist ’19 and ’03) and Kirsten Greenidge (RSVP required).
Culture Chats Finally, don’t forget about our Culture Chats, hosted by Mass Cultural Council Executive Director Anita Walker, intriguing and inspiring conversations with Massachusetts cultural leaders. The next is April 8, 2020, 1 PM, with Pam Tatge, Executive & Artistic Director of Jacob’s Pillow.
Image: Marjorie Kaye (Painting Finalist ’18), SEA CREVICE (2019), Gouache on Sculpted Plywood, 18.5×20.5×2.5 in. The artist was scheduled to have a solo exhibition, Foundation, at the Pine Manor College Hess Gallery.
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