Distant, Not Disengaged: The Arts Matter! COVID-19 Reality, Recovery and Response
Accessibility Note: ASL interpretation will be available for this event. Please arrive by 11:55am for instructions and support getting set up to view the interpreters’ video. Interpreters will be named “ASL – FirstName” and we recommend “pinning” their video to your screen. If you have any questions about accessibility for this event, please contact publicsq@sfu.ca.
The impact of COVID-19 on the arts and culture sector has been catastrophic. We’ve seen studios and venues closed, events cancelled or postponed, film and TV productions put on hold, and more. Artists, creatives and the organizations that support them have experienced a devastating loss of revenue that has thrown their livelihoods into crisis.From funding challenges to the loss of affordable spaces, the precariousness of the arts sector is not new, but it has been brought into sharper focus by COVID-19. Due to its business model, the arts sector will continue to experience instability and uncertainty for many months to come.
Yet when we look at what’s made us feel connected during this global challenge, we see artists leading the way, from live-streamed fundraising concerts to virtual gallery exhibits. Art and culture build community, offer comfort and bridge social divides – and during a time of loss, uncertainty and physical separation, these things are more important than ever.
Join us for this important conversation with some of our local arts administrators, artists and creators. They’ll illuminate the on-the-ground reality of the arts sector during the pandemic, and how it is responding and envisioning recovery for a stronger and more sustainable future.
Note: Please bring to the event a physical artifact that represents how arts and culture are meaningful for you. Maybe it’s a sculpture, a vinyl record, a book, a ticket stub – whatever resonates for you and that you are comfortable showing to others and talking about.
Special Guests:
- Tonye Aganaba – Multidisciplinary artist, musician and arts facilitator
- Franco Boni – Artistic and Executive Director, PuSh International Performing Arts Festival
- Navida Nuraney – Assistant Director, Cultural Services, City of Vancouver
- Dan Mangan – Musician, Co-Founder and VP Business Development, Side Door
- And more!
Co-Facilitator:Mark Busse is a creative strategist, communication designer, engagement specialist, and facilitator with a strong belief in the power of curiosity, creativity, conversation, and community as catalysts for positive impact and change. For the past five years Busse served as Director of TILT Curiosity Labs at HCMA Architecture + Design. He is a Dialogue Fellow with the SFU Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue.
This event is part of the weekly Distant, Not Disengaged series, a partnership between SFU Public Square, CityHive and the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue.
