In the thick of the current pandemic, artists have once again been employed to document a dark time; San Francisco’s COVID-19 Command Center (located at Moscone Center South) recently announced its artist-in-residency program.
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RETURN TO THE STAGE is a longitudinal study of performing arts workers in the United States, designed to understand COVID-19 related impacts and to begin documenting a broad future vision for the field.
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Following a record 25-hour debate that went through the night, the Senate passed its amended version of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan for COVID relief along party line votes on Saturday, March 6.
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He came up with the idea of using red roses, the national flower of the United States and a symbol of courage and valor, to stand in for the mothers, fathers, friends and other loved ones lost to the coronavirus.
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Here’s how it’ll work: Starting as soon as Monday, sole proprietors, independent contractors, and self-employed individuals may apply for a PPP loan equivalent to the figure listed on line 7 of their Schedule C form--that is, their gross income. Previously, businesses needed to list their net income, or line 31 on the form, which removes taxes and other expenses from the calculation.
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On February 28, the Small Business Administration (SBA) posted a substantially updated set of Frequently Asked Questions, outlining information about eligibility for the Shuttered Venue Operators Grants (SVOG) program. The newest FAQ states that declines in gross revenue will determine an applicant's eligibility for the priority grant award periods. Following are several related excerpts:
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Participants will enjoy full access to eBay Seller School, eBay’s interactive online learning platform. Seller School offers both beginner-level and more advanced courses to help all sellers accelerate and scale their eBay business, regardless of their time and experience on the platform.
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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.
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The Small Business Administration (SBA) continues to add unnecessary confusion to the rollout of the Shuttered Venue Operators Grants (SVOG). Last Friday, the SBA updated SVOG guidelines on their website to reflect that a loss of “earned” revenue would be the measurement for determining Priority Grants Distribution. I’m sorry to report that the SBA has now removed the word “earned” in this Priority Grants Distribution section. The language returned to the generic word “revenue.” This does not necessarily mean that they won’t use the “earned” revenue definition, but it has brought us back to the original ambiguity.
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She added that the surveys had found racial disparities in loss of income and access to federal money: All of those who identified as Black or African-American indicated a loss of income, while an average of 12 percent of those in all other ethnic groups identified a similar loss.
And 18 percent of Black, Indigenous or people of color individuals or organizations said they were denied funding through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. The report added that 5 percent of other people and organizations said they were denied.
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This document includes key takeaways, highlights the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to BIPOC workers and organizations, quantifies layoffs and closures, and concludes with actionable policy recommendations that are centered in racial and cultural equity.
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To assess the impacts of the pandemic, Californians for the Arts (CFTA) conducted two online surveys of creative sector workers as well as businesses and nonprofit organizations between October 6 and November 27, 2020. Surveys were available online in English and in Spanish. CFTA engaged Victoria Plettner-Saunders, a Principal with the arts research and consulting firm WolfBrown, to design, implement and provide analysis of the surveys.
Organizations that have as a primary mission to serve the BIPOC community reported disproportionate access to CARES Act funding than those that reported having a different primary mission. It is unclear why organizations were denied funding or why they did not apply.
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Between October 6 and November 27, 2020, Californians for the Arts (CFTA) conducted an online survey of creative sector workers, to assess the personal and professional impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey was available online in English and Spanish. CFTA engaged Victoria Plettner-Saunders, a Principal with the arts research and consulting firm WolfBrown to design, implement and provide analysis of the surveys.
Of those who indicated the need for mortgage or rent relief for their place of residence (with either employment status), 29% identified as White compared to 49% who identified as part of the BIPOC community.
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This post contains updates about how the Small Business Administration (SBA) awards Shuttered Venue Grants.
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Existing law establishes an Arts Council in state government to, among other things, promote the employment of artists and those skilled in crafts in both the public and private sector.
This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that would establish the California Creative Corps, a job and training program to employ and deploy artists and creative workers with the intent to achieve specified goals related to civic, cultural, and economic improvement of the state.
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I respectfully request that your committee and subcommittee consider takin the following actions for the 21-22 budget:
Increase the amount of arts funding to $1 per person per capita in fundng with a $14 million budget increase to the California Arts Council. This would fund the California Arts Council at $40 million for the 2021-2022 budget year.
This revised survey enables the partners to gauge what is happening to our creative economy and address what is needed to provide relief and spur recovery. All types of creative workers should participate: practicing artists, culture bearers, educators and teaching artists, creative entrepreneurs, and hobby artists).
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This revised survey enables us to continue tracking the human and financial impacts of COVID-19 on arts organizations as well as understand the challenges with recovery and re-opening. All types of arts and cultural organizations should participate.
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The agreement reflects a four-fold increase – from $500 million to more than $2 billion– for grants up to $25,000 for small businesses impacted by the pandemic, and also allocates $50 million for cultural institutions.
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Recognizing the disproportionate impact to California’s Creative Industries due to the COVID Pandemic and the state mandated closures and recognizing the value and impact of the arts, culture and creative sector to power community engagement, social cohesion, wellness, healing, and state and local economies, California Arts Advocates asks for the following resources and investment from the Newsom Administration and California Legislature.
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