As we enter April, caring for those sick with Covid-19 and preventing others from becoming so remains the priority in New York City, as in the rest of the country. But how can we look out for others particularly affected by the crisis? Citywide closures of nonessential services have devastated the arts at every level: Exhibition and performance spaces have shuttered indefinitely, and thousands of New Yorkers working in creative industries, many of them freelancers, have seen their livelihoods disappear with no assurances about when they’ll be able to work again. Many of these people also work in bars and restaurants, the closures of which threaten to change the face of the industry forever — the longer a restaurant stays closed, restaurateurs will tell you, the harder it will be to reopen.
Certain institutions and individuals are getting creative about expanding their digital presence. Museums and galleries have opened digital viewing rooms, screened films and hosted artist talks online. Broadway stars are providing free Living Room Concerts featuring songs from shuttered shows, and the Metropolitan Opera is offering a free Nightly Opera Stream. Meanwhile, dancers and musicians who have been laid off are giving classes online and performing live on social media. And restaurants and bars are amping up their delivery options, artisanal cocktails included. Even so, most artists’ ability to generate income has been severely hampered, and while the federal stimulus package makes some provision for the arts, support falls well short of the $4 billion sought by advocacy groups. In addition to following along from home, arts lovers who are able have been encouraged to be generous in making purchases and donations, whether to the various grass roots relief campaigns popping up on sites like PayPal and GoFundMe, such as the NYC Low-Income Artist/Freelancer Relief Fund, or to established nonprofits such as the New York Foundation for the Arts, which will hold an online benefit auction featuring work by artists including Donald Lipski and Sandy Skoglund on April 10. Here is a small sampling of the many other groups in need.
Theater and Dance
New York’s theaters went dark in mid-March, which put a wide range of people, from actors to directors to lighting designers, not to mention the companies that employ them, in a precarious position. Broadway unions struck a deal to secure pay and health benefits for members through April 12, but the future remains uncertain, and this is just as true in the dance world. Dance/NYC, which is the New York branch of the national nonprofit Dance/USA, has created a three-pronged approach to relief, allowing the giver to determine whether a donation will be directed toward freelance dance professionals, organizations or administrative costs.
“Go to the websites of your favorite theaters and artists and see what they are doing,” said Linda Shelton, the executive director of the Joyce Theater. “And, if you ‘attend’ a live-streamed workshop, class or performance, we would urge you to treat it as though you were attending a live performance and contribute what you would pay for a ticket.” Those who seek out these improvisational performance offerings might be inspired by what they find. Andrea Miller, the founder and artistic director of Gallim, a Brooklyn-based dance company, estimates that up to 75 percent of her annual revenue has been lost, and yet she’s also thinking about the deeper value of the performing arts at a time like this. “Dance is a great space of healing,” she said. “Moving is part of our human nature, so it will always find a way to emerge, though it may have to evolve.”
To support actors, dancers and theater staff affected by closures, consider donating to the Actors Fund, the American Guild of Musical Artists, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS or Dance/NYC.
Art and Design
On an individual level, many artists are accustomed to working from home, and some may even welcome a sustained period of social distancing to delve deep into their practices, but closures and financial uncertainty are posing unprecedented challenges. “Every major art and design event has been canceled. Teaching opportunities and speaking engagements have been canceled,” said Malene Barnett, the founder and president of the Black Artists & Designers Guild, a global collective representing artists and designers throughout the African diaspora. “Interior projects and art commissions are either on hold or canceled. In-person consultations are being postponed, and the stock market is sure to impact decisions on projects.”
You can support artists and designers by paying them for their work, much of which is available for sale online though auctions and websites. Additionally, Barnett suggested offering time and services. “Artists and designers are effectively small business owners, so any type of virtual assistance is helpful,” she said. “You can volunteer to do copywriting, digital marketing, social media, accounting, admin, website design or business coaching.”
Donate to the Black Artists & Designers Guild here, and to the Artist Relief Project, which provides both emergency stipends and longer-term alternative marketing resources to artists, here.
Literary Arts
Book tours and author events have been called off — having a particular impact on debut authors — literary nonprofits have lost essential fund-raising opportunities and bookstores are closed. Lisa Lucas, the executive director of the National Book Foundation, sees the coming weeks as crucial for the city’s literary landscape. “I want New Yorkers to imagine a city without bookstores, or to imagine themselves living in a home without books and tell me if they would want to live there,” she said. “Now is the time to recognize how much books teach us, heal us, distract us — and to make sure that we support a community that is of deep value to the city’s cultural life.” Buying books remains a primary way of supporting authors and bookstore owners and employees, many of whom have been laid off because of closures. For an easy-to-use digital platform that shares its profits with local indies, Lucas recommends bookshop.org. Then there’s the Book Industry Charitable Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to booksellers, which has created a Covid-19 emergency fund.
You might also consider giving to a literary nonprofit such as the House of SpeakEasy, which brings authors and audiences together in innovative ways, often through live performances. “We’ve recorded most of our performances and will be repackaging past shows so that new audiences can enjoy them while housebound,” said Paul Morris, the organization’s executive director. His team also operates a bookmobile in New York City, and, pending C.D.C. approval, he plans to deliver books to nursing homes and other underserved communities.
Donate to the Book Industry Charitable Foundation here, or the House of SpeakEasy here.
Food
John deBary has tended bar in New York for over a decade at famed haunts, including Please Don’t Tell, and spent several years as the corporate bar director for the Momofuku Restaurant Group. In 2018, he co-founded the Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation (RWCF) to support workers in the industry, and the group launched its Covid-19 Relief Fund on March 18. Donations go directly to individuals in the hospitality industry affected by closures, to organizations aiding those workers and also to establish interest-free, zero-collateral loans to small businesses looking to get back on their feet. “Since we announced the fund,” he said, “we have been inundated with over 10,000 heartbreaking requests for assistance. Even on a ‘good’ day, restaurant workers are only one bad shift away from serious financial hardship.”
Donate to the RWCF Covid-19 Relief fund here. Also, Robin Hood has teamed up with Relief Opportunities for All Restaurants (ROAR) to create a fund for affected individuals in the restaurant industry in New York City. You can also purchase gift cards or donate to your favorite restaurants and other local businesses, many of which have established their own funds and/or are listed at cards.gift, a purpose-built website to support independent businesses through closures.
