Many arts organizations said business as usual will not return for months — perhaps years. Institutions that have outdoor areas are intent on making use of that space, while groups that don’t are focused on securing an outdoor site. Large venues that would lose money operating at reduced capacity are instead mostly planning online shows for summer while hoping for a brighter, less distanced fall.

Additionally, Sarah Weber, executive director of the Association of California Symphony Orchestras, believes that entertainment workers can handle the crown control required to safely put on performances.

"We are not the problem," Weber said. "In fact, we can be a part of the solution. We are an underutilized and vital workforce that could support the state in educating people how to coexist with the pandemic including learning new behaviors while still providing an outlet for joy, fun, hope, entertainment and belonging."

There does appear to be one bright spot in the new operating guidelines. Outdoor theater and group concerts are considered "live performances," and as such, can perform to an audience of 20% capacity in a venue, with weekly testing of performers and allowing only California residents in the audience.

The return of Shakespeare to Central Park is among the most visible signs that theaters, orchestras and opera companies aim to return to the stage — outdoors.

California is one of the few remaining states without guidelines for the performing arts. Washington issued theirs in early 2021 and New York announced reopening of large-scale events at 10% capacity as early as March of this year. Additionally, England’s recent roadmap to recovery includes the possibility of lower capacity events by May 17 and full reopening with testing before the end of June.

Julie Baker, executive director of Californians for the Arts, tells the Chronicle that the programs are not just a bailout for a devastated industry: "We’re not here asking for handouts; we are here saying, ‘Use us in service.’"

Smaller institutions have been particularly hard hit. Revenues at the Museum of African American Art, which is on the third floor of a Macy’s store, have declined by 68 percent. “We are inside a retail space that is open,” Keasha Dumas Heath, the museum’s executive director, said in Feb. 2 testimony at a State Assembly arts committee hearing on how to safely reopen arts activities. “People don’t understand why we’re closed.”

It concluded: "Utilization of the existing central ventilation system and the wearing of face masks greatly reduces aerosol and CO2 pollution, to the point that full occupancy of the concert hall would theoretically be conceivable."

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said that New York urgently needs to bring the arts back — not only to help jobless artists, but to make sure that New York City survives.

Speaking to Maurine Knighton, the program director for the arts at the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Dr. Fauci said that if vaccine distribution succeeded, theaters with good ventilation and proper air filters might not need to place many restrictions for performances by the fall — except asking their audience members to wear masks, which he suggested could continue to be a norm for some time.

Gov. Gavin Newsom recently announced a $500 million grant program for small businesses, specifically singling out cultural organizations. Baker said the funds will be a good start, but she also called on legislators to fund a one-time budget increase for the California Arts Council, the state’s arts agency.

Julie Baker, executive director of California Arts Advocates and for the statewide nonprofit Californians for the Arts, told some 25 participants at a Dec. 9 Arts Alliance Davis video meeting that their organizations need to demonstrate how essential they are.

Smith said the BMoA is prepared to reopen while practicing proper health protocols. The museum has hand sanitizing stations, social distancing markers and regular cleaning schedules. Smith said they are working very closely with Kern County Public Health to follow guidelines but they would like more specific regulations from the state for the arts.

Part of the problem is that even if we wanted to get back to work, the state of California has effectively sidelined our industry with mandated closures to protect public safety from the spread of the Coronavirus. “The first to close and the last to reopen” has become the mantra but many in the industry are fighting back.

Last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled a $500 million grants program for nonprofits, small businesses and cultural institutions in an attempt to alleviate COVID-19’s impact on California’s arts industry. Still, the pandemic’s toll on the state’s large and small arts institutions has been devastating, as venues and theaters have closed, ticket revenue has vanished and funding sources have become scarcer. But a number of organizations are finding new and creative ways to survive.

"There's a village of people looking out for how to make the symphony musicians safe when they come back in the building to record, and then gradually as these guidelines are developed to bring our patrons back in the building," says Forsyte.

No business that has been forced to close to the public for nine months with another 9–12 more months on the horizon can be expected to survive without relief of some kind. It’s equally mind blowing and gut wrenching to think the arts are only halfway or less through this crisis without restart guidelines that would allow otherwise — especially as there is now research to help, including aerosol studies by Rice University and the Vienna Philharmonic, as well as studies on the effects of well-ventilated halls for sports and cultural events as reported by the New York Times.

The U of M team is working closely with the Minnesota Orchestra. These findings are helping the orchestra establish and refine measures for maximizing the safety of its musicians during rehearsals and performances and could provide new insights for orchestras and bands worldwide.