Breaking News: Arts, Culture & Creativity Month and COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
Dear Arts Advocates,
Out of an abundance of caution and to align with current public health recommendations regarding COVID-19, we’ve made the difficult decision to postpone the ACCM 2020 Convening on April 14, 2020 to the Fall in Sacramento and produce a virtual Arts Advocacy Day on April 15, 2020.
Although advocacy for the arts is essential, public safety is our primary concern and so instead, we will offer tools and mechanisms to call, write, and communicate with your elected officials about the value of the arts and culture sector. Live events, big and small are being canceled across the state and we know the devastating financial impact this could have on our field. To that point, our work is just beginning. Now more than ever, we need to advocate to the public and private sectors why the arts need funding and investment to survive in all times.
Who knows better than the arts community that “the show must go on?” April is Arts, Culture & Creativity Month (ACCM 2020), and in light of recent developments, we are adapting our programming to address some of the coming challenges by offering a number of virtual opportunities to engage. Planning includes webinars on arts at the intersection of issues such as disaster preparedness and recovery, professional development on how to best prepare your venue and protect audiences, producing events without live audiences, live streaming and more.
We will also launch a 30-day social media campaign on Arts Create Impact with a special emphasis on delivering “arts to your inbox.” Together let’s explore best practices for how we can still connect and support the arts as more events may be forced to cancel or postpone due to COVID-19. Stay tuned for how you can be involved and please contact us if you have ideas on virtual programs that can help sustain creatives during this time.
If you have purchased a ticket for the convening, we recommend you hold onto it as we finalize plans for a rescheduled date in the fall (more details to follow). If you would like a full refund of your ticket, please please email Jade Elyssa Rivera to begin your refund process. you have made a hotel reservation at the host hotel, we have confirmed there are no fees to cancel. If you purchased flights, we believe many carriers are offering refunds for event cancelations due to COVID-19.
In challenging times, the arts provide us with truth, solace, joy, and hope. We are committed to ensuring everyone recognizes the value arts bring to our communities, particularly in times of crisis. As we adapt our practices to mitigate the spread of the virus, we will look to virtual networking technology so we may continue to uplift, inspire and create optimism for our future. This is the time for the arts to exhibit our ingenuity and resilience. We are here to meet the needs of our community. If we can be helpful to you as you navigate this new landscape or if you feel there is a resource or innovative idea that needs to be shared, please know we are only an email or phone call away.
Julie Baker, Executive Director
membership@californiansforthearts.org
Victoria Hamilton, Board President
