Dispatches

Our Museums Have a Big Role to Play in Fighting Racism

Manal Ataya, Director General, Sharjah Museums Authority on the role of museums in the fight against racism. (The National)

Racism, Unrest, and the Role of the Museum Field

The American Alliance of Museums hosted a panel during the AAM Virtual Meeting & MuseumExpo on the museum field’s role in combating racism. Hear from Dr. Johnetta B. Cole, Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III, and Lori Fogarty. (American Alliance of Museums)

Theatre: #PullUpOrShutUp

A call to action for Black representation in British theatre. Documenting UK theatres responses to being asked for their stats on Black representation. 

Proposal Transforms Atlanta Jail into Center for Justice and Equality

The project—which proposes to remove space for 1,300 inmates and replace it with services, reentry programs, classrooms and an urban garden—is the latest work of reimagining the spaces of criminal justice by architect Deanna Van Buren. (Fast Company)

A Warning from South Korea: The ‘Fantasy’ of Returning to Normal Life

Vigilance and nimbleness over coronavirus outbreaks are critical in restarting economies. (The Financial Times)

COVID-Detecting ‘Smart Rings’ to be Trialled by Staff at Los Vegas Resort

Small fitness devices slipped on to a finger reported to detect virus days before symptoms appear. (The Financial Times)

There’s A Key Way to Curb the Spread of COVID-19. But No One is Talking About It

Fix your indoor air. Humidity levels are a possible factor in transmission of the virus. (Fast Company)

Artists First? Charting a Future for the American Theater

By the time our theaters reopen, which artists will be left standing? Let us revisit the ancient notion of the acting company. (The Clyde Fitch Report)

Immersive Theatre and Drive-In Gigs Lead Way for Return of UK Performing Arts

Physical distancing rules prompt companies to find innovative ways for the show to go on. (The Guardian)

Museums Embrace Art Therapy Techniques for Unsettled Times

Several institutions are preparing to reopen with an awareness of a new mission as people struggle with loss and unrest. (The New York Times)

New Union Guidelines Tell Us How to Keep Actors Safe, but Not How to Keep Them Employed

Actors’ Equity Association has released guidelines to keep actors safe from the coronavirus, but not how the theater work will keep workers employed. Some companies have found creative workarounds. (Datebook)

‘We Could Go to the Wall in 12 Weeks’ – Are We Just Going to Let Classical Music Die?

Coronavirus has pushed live classical music to the edge of the abyss. But Prince Charles’s fears for the Royal Opera is the only thing making the headlines. Why aren’t the big names kicking up a fuss? (The Guaridan)

What Socially Distance Live Performance Might Look Like

“If culture is to thrive, even amid deprivation, it will have to nurture new forms of invention in different kinds of space.” (Vulture)

After the Interval National Audience Survey

The Indigo team (UK) released the full findings of After the Interval National Audience Survey after 6 weeks of running the survey. 137,000 audience responses were collected by over 300 cultural organisations and the results are broken down into wave 1 (16 April - 6 May) and wave 2 (7 - 27 May).  (Indigo)

Arts and Culture Planning 2020 Comeback

A study of 74 TRG Arts clients across three countries reveals optimism for an autumn return to performances in their primary performance spaces after shutdowns caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic. (TRG Arts)

COVID’s Impact on Nonprofits’ Revenues, Digitization, and Mergers

Interactive charts show how hundreds of nonprofits face dramatic changes in their operations and plans as the pandemic continues to upend life around the world. (Stanford Social Innovation Review)

Extraordinary Times, Extraordinary Measures

Darren Walker, President of the Ford Foundation, announces the Board’s authorization of up to $1 billion – financed through the sale of bonds – to help stabilize and strengthen the nonprofit sector. (Ford Foundation)

Fed Outlines Proposal to Lend Money to Nonprofits

Bank proposes limiting loans to entities with endowments of $3 billion or less. (The Wall Street Journal)

Homeward Unbound

Journalist Brett Campbell writes how Oregon should use the crisis as a chance to radically transform the way the arts are supported in the 21st century. (Oregon ArtsWatch)

How COVID-19 Will Change the World

What realities are developing as a result of the pandemic? Economist Martin Wolf takes a look at the numbers to forecast what may come of it. The society that will emerge will probably be even less co-operative and effective. (The Financial Times)

Refund or Donation: Which do Most Ticket Holders to COVID-Canceled Shows Choose?

With the cost of tickets ranging from a few dollars to a few hundred dollars, calling for ticket donations is a strategy many performing arts organizations are using to stay afloat amid coronavirus-related show cancellations and postponements. But are audiences actually donating tickets? And if so, what impact does that have on venues? (Los Angeles Times)

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