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Some thoughts on being an arts organization trying to exist and be useful right now, because maybe it& #39;s more generally applicable than I think.
First off, I& #39;m glad the organizations I work with have luxury of time right now. That gives a chance to shift from asking "how do we move X existing program online" to "what kind of online programming do we actually want to do".
Our programs were designed around certain constraints and certain strengths. Adapting them to the online world is probably possible, but only in a compromised form. It makes way more sense to ask "what should we do instead" rather than "how can we awkwardly jury-rig this".
So why rush? Developing new programs doesn& #39;t happen overnight, let alone developing ones that work on a completely different model than anything we& #39;ve done before. But there& #39;s an undercurrent of expectation right now that says you need to be doing ::something:: to show your worth
There& #39;s been a rush in arts orgs to do something, anything, online since COVID took over our world. Because if you aren& #39;t visible right now, where& #39;s the proof you still exist? And because funding is out there for responsive programs and no one wants to leave money on the table.
Also, since none of us know how long this will last, there& #39;s a rush to get something online as proof you adapted, before things go back to normal.
But normal is likely a long way off. This is going to be a long haul, and it& #39;s ok to take time to figure out how to respond.
But normal is likely a long way off. This is going to be a long haul, and it& #39;s ok to take time to figure out how to respond.
For those of us that are fortunate enough not to be in a cash crunch, it& #39;s important to ask what& #39;s meaningful, what does our community need, what can our staff actually deliver in a fragmented reality where everything is slower and more difficult and more stressful than usual
I& #39;d rather our team put together one memorable experience than a dozen under-attended live streams. I& #39;d rather take a month to craft a course than host a zoom workshop just for the sake of it. The context of what we& #39;re doing changed, but the philosophy behind it doesn& #39;t have to.
We& #39;re all doing the best we can, and there have been some amazing initiatives from arts orgs the world over. All I& #39;m saying is, there& #39;s no shame in pausing, waiting, strategizing, and not being visible for a little while. The slow road has value, too.
Here& #39;s hoping funders, sponsors, audiences and artists agree, I guess.
