Americans for the Arts is posting info on COVID-19 on their home page as well as asking arts organizations and creatives to provide data and stories for an impact survey.

ArtsReady , an online emergency preparedness service by and for arts/cultural nonprofits, is adding updates daily.

The Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP) has pulled together resources to help you and your team prepare for and respond to the potential impact of the Coronavirus.

This COVID-19 & Freelance Artists list contains general resources, advocacy links, and a growing list of funding opportunities.

Creative Capital has a comprehensive list for artists working in all disciplines, organizations trying to steady the boat, and anyone working to create the new normal.

NAPAMA (North American Performing Arts Managers and Agents) has posted a list of resources including information related to airfare refund and/or cancellation policies, emergency fund and relief programs, sample communications, and more.

Understanding that many presenters across our region are working hard to adjust and respond to the COVID-19 public health crisis, Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation recognizes the need to be flexible and responsive to capacity issues.  In this spirit, we have extended deadlines for the following programs:

ArtsCONNECT supports projects developed collaboratively by a consortium of presenters within the mid-Atlantic region, jointly booking a touring artist. Each presenter in a consortium may request funding of up to 50% of the negotiated artist fee for the project, not to exceed $10,000.

New Deadline: Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Performing Arts Global Exchange brings exemplary international music, dance, and theater to audiences across the United States. Fee-support grants are available to nonprofit presenting venues and units of government based anywhere in the U.S. or its territories who book artists from a curated roster for both performance and community-engagement activities. 

New Deadline: Thursday, April 16, 2020

Special Presenter Initiatives supports the presentation of professional performing artists in all disciplines at venues in Delaware, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and West Virginia.  

New Deadline: Friday, April 3, 2020

Image: Layer the Walls is touring through the 2020 ArtsCONNECT program. Credit: Hyphen Photography.

Though our March On Screen/In Person tour has faced screening challenges due to the rapidly evolving situation surrounding COVID-19, it will soon be available for viewing across the region.

 

The award-winning documentary, Risking Light , is being presented by American Public Television to air on PBS stations across the country. This thought-provoking work explores resilience, and the painful process of moving from trauma and grief to compassion and forgiveness. Through the unforgettable stories of Mary Johnson, who grieves a murdered son; Debra Hocking, a victim of government-sanctioned genocide; and Kilong Ung, who survived the terror of the Khmer Rouge, Risking Light challenges us to examine our own beliefs about forgiveness.

 

Check your local listings for airtimes beginning April 8 on PBS stations in the mid-Atlantic region, including  WQED , WITF , WVIA , and WPSU in Pennsylvania; WHRO , WBRA , and Virginia Public Media in Virginia; and Maryland Public Television; then connect online through Instagram , Facebook , and Twitter !

Thank you to filmmaker Miranda Wilson for filling us in on the details!

Image: Still from Risking Light. Credit: Courtesy of the filmmaker.

MAAF has announced over $316,000 in grant support to 32 ensembles and solo performers who will represent the United States at 37 different festivals around the globe through the second round of USArtists International (USAI) 2020. USAI grantees will travel to six continents and perform in 21 countries. Grantees include 11 dance, 16 music, and five theater companies and solo performers. Over half of the round two grantees are new to the USAI program!

The USAI program supports performances by American artists at important international cultural festivals and arts marketplaces abroad. Grants to ensembles and individual performers in dance, music, and theater, result in the promotion of international cultural exchange and the creative and professional development of U.S. artists. Since its inception in 2006, USAI has awarded over $7.59 million through 990 grants to 589 ensembles and solo performers. 

The USArtists International deadline remains April 1 at 11:59 PM Eastern for projects taking place July 1, 2020 - June 30, 2021. Any possible updates to the deadline will be announced on our website. We recognize this is a fluid and rapidly developing situation. At this time, artists are encouraged to apply as normal. Applications can be withdrawn at any point without any penalty or negative impact on future applications. 

 

USAI is a program of Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation in partnership with The  National Endowment for the Arts  (NEA), The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation , The Trust for Mutual Understanding , and the  Howard Gilman Foundation.

Image: The Honey Dewdrops (Baltimore, MD) received funding through USAI 2020 round two for engagements at the Fairbridge Festival and the National Folk Festival, Australia. Credit: Nolan Zunk.