Re-Opening Arts Safely:
Tips and Talking Points to Help Craft Your Letters

  • Start and end with a brief "thank you."

  • Letters should be brief and to the point with a very clear ask. Hit your top line talking points (arts are the first to close, last to re-open, etc.) and make a clear and uniform ask across all the letters. The ask we want is the state to issue reopening guidelines for the performing arts and live events sector.

  • Letters should contain specific stories of detrimental impact on your organization that are personal and district-specific (ie: when did you close, what has happened to your finances, frustrations trying to find ways to reopen, etc).

  • Letters should avoid finger pointing and negativity.

  • Make sure the letter contains specific asks. We want guidelines for:

    • Live performance, outdoors, limited audience capacity, not a permanent and fixed facility (consideration, for example, of parks with attendees bringing their own seating and assigned areas so guidelines are accessible for communities without outdoor venues), and for consideration at purple tier, the same as movie theaters. 

    • Live performance, indoors, no audience, at all tiers as they have already allowed for Music, Television, and Film Production, but with specific guidelines for live performances, using the Los Angeles County guidelines.

    • Live performance, indoors, limited audience, no services (bar or food) at red tier, the same as movie theaters.

  • Additional talking points to help make the case:

    • We are professional people movers and managers, we know how to keep people safe at a live event.

    • People need an outlet right now. Arts can provide mental and emotional health benefits and we can do it safely if consistent guidelines are offered for controlled events.

    • Some artists and arts organizations are already doing live events whether at a venue, a restaurant, or a hotel. It is already happening across the state in some counties, but without guidelines. It is the “Wild West” and we are deeply concerned this rogue behavior could lead to the spread of COVID 19. 

    • We can safely get people together in a live event in a controlled environment, which is much safer than the family gatherings or backyard community-type events that are happening without guidelines.

  • What we are asking for:

    • Fairness in treatment to other similar industries (movie theaters, as an example).

    • Reasonable timeline to reopen. We cannot wait until there is a vaccine and we know we can present events safely.

    • Reasonable guidelines that are feasible and practical.

    • Iterative and collaborative process.

    • Recognition that one size does not fit all (just as there are different tiers for counties)

    • With the state’s “health equity metric” and an emphasis on communities most impacted by COVID-19, arts can be a community builder and a public health behavior change model.

    • With consistent state guidelines, all counties are operating from the same playbook. This is a more equitable practice and safer for everyone.

    • Many county public health officials are looking to the state for the guidance

SAMPLE LETTERS

California Arts Advocates to Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development
Central Coast Coalition of Arts Leaders to San Luis Obispo Elected and Public Health Officials