The coronavirus is having a devastating impact on America’s arts sector. Since the first U.S. case was reported in January 2020, cancellations have taken place at virtually every arts organization in the country and artists/creative workers are among the most severely affected segment of the nation’s workforce. This is a summary of research by Americans for the Arts and others on the human and financial impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on the arts.
Nationally, financial losses to nonprofit arts and cultural organizations are an estimated $15.2 billion, to date. 99% of producing and presenting organizations have cancelled events—a loss of 488 million admissions and $15.5 billion in audience spending at local businesses (e.g., restaurants, lodging, retail, parking). The total economic impact of organizational and audience-spending losses is $5.2 billion in lost government revenue and 894,000 jobs no longer being supported. Findings are based on 19,950 survey responses. (Survey. Dashboard.)
Although those arts and cultural organizations most severely impacted by the pandemic are anxious to reopen and engage with their communities, significant barriers remain.
Top 4 Barriers to Reopening:
- Customers unlikely to attend
- Government restrictions/guidelines
- Staff/board do not feel it is yet safe
- Impractical to produce art product in current environment
1889   Benjamin Harrison left his home in Indianapolis to go to Washington, D. C., to take the oath as the 23rd President of the United States. Indiana Governor Alvin Hovey and Indianapolis Mayor Caleb Denny led the large crowd which gathered to send him off. The parade to Union Station included prominent citizens and members of the state legislature as well as hundreds of school children who had been given a long recess to allow them to witness the history-making event. Speaking to the assembly, Harrison said, “I love this city. It has been my one cherished home.” The Indiana Sentinel reported that, through the excitement, Harrison’s “ever cool and collected manner manifested itself.” (Pictured: The Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site at 13th and Delaware in Indianapolis.)
1890   Mary Tomlinson was born in Acton, Indiana. After attending local schools and Franklin College, she became interested in theater. She ended up in Hollywood where, under the name Marjorie Main, she was hired by the MGM Studio. Her filmography includes over 80 films, including “Meet Me in St. Louis” and “Friendly Persuasion.” She is best known as “Ma” in the popular “Ma and Pa Kettle” series.
1922   24-year-old Marian Anderson was the featured singer in a program at the Simpson Methodist Episcopal Church in Indianapolis. She was at the beginning of a long career in which she gained international fame and broke down racial barriers in the arts. She was the first African American to perform at the New York Metropolitan Opera and the White House.
1932   The 200th Anniversary of George Washington’s birth was celebrated in cities all around the state. Pageants, plays, and speeches were on the programs in Greensburg, Anderson, Connersville, Greencastle, and Martinsville. In Columbus, flowers were placed on the grave of Jonathan Moore, a Revolutionary War soldier and bodyguard for Washington.
1932   British Diplomat Winston Churchill was the featured speaker in a program at the Murat Theater in Indianapolis. Accompanied by his 22-year-old daughter Diana, he was in the city under the auspices of the Council on International Relations. A reporter wrote, “Most of Mr. Churchill’s carefully prepared address was made with the assurance and deliberation with which he would have addressed the House of Parliament.”
