We are in a unique position to reflect on our society’s priorities. This will involve some heated haggling and negotiations. Arguments will continue about how much we should spend on the arts, when health, defence and education come top in the pecking order.
Music and drama performances got very imaginative during lockdown. Collaboration over the internet provided some memorable artistic endeavours, but little in the way of remuneration for all that hard work.
The ability to work from home applied to the majority of office workers, people who make up the majority of audiences in theatres, concert venues and book readings. If, when the dust settles, the theatres, concert venues, museums, galleries and so on are gone because of financial reasons won’t we mourn their loss?
Employees in the UK were furloughed when their employers were forced to keep them away from their worklplace. How will we support the Arts commumity that continued to provide a distraction from the worldwide pandemic? Pressure should be put on those with influence to make sure that our Arts community survives.
It’s easy to tug on the purse strings if you have pictures of starving children, overworked nurses or natural disasters. It’s not easy to see the absence of live performances. When theatres have been dark for 4 months, films and tv shows put on hold, music concerts cancelled the financial impact on performers is invisible.
odespinner 