This will make us stronger
In the last few weeks the world has changed more than we ever could have begun to fathom. This is an unprecedented time, and we our thoughts are with those impacted by the crisis on a personal and a professional level.
It’s inspiring to see the galvanisation of efforts to support and also to lift the spirits of the communities around us who have now become digital neighbours. It’s heartening to see the positivity that is coming out in this challenging and uncertain time, with people across all sectors and walks of life keeping it together and stepping up to support each other as we navigate this situation globally.
The cultural community online across all disciplines who are making efforts to adapt and remain connected with audiences are an example of the cultural sectors’ true resilience, positivity and spirit.
The current situation, with the nation being encouraged to work from home and not go out in public spaces, is having an effect on our cultural economy and its people. However we believe in creativity, innovation and digital technologies to get us through and make things better as a result.
Our small team at Threshold work with artists, freelancers and creatives as well as businesses and organisations across the country and we will continue to support the UK’s incredible creative talent, our colleagues, collaborators and friends in any way that we can during the uncertain times we’re in.
Here’s a few of things we’re doing to support artists during the Covid-19 outbreak:
- We are aiming to postpone our upcoming events or rework into digital events, rather than cancel
- We will continue to launch commissions or R&D opportunities where possible, with remote support and mentoring
- We will be offering free remote artist micro-surgeries through our Critical Friends programme, by phone, Facebook Messenger or email. It’s a chance for artists who are self-isolating or working from home to chat to our Artistic Director about your current/future projects or reflecting generally on your creative practice – this will be starting from Monday 6 April, visit our blog page or follow on social media for more details next week
- We’re here for artists, partners, venues, organisations, writers and makers during this time – check our social media channels for #makeitmatter and #culturalalchemy motivational quotes, thoughts and images from our archive. If you have any news or updates that you need to share please let us know so that we can make our channels available to you too.
We are grateful for Arts Council England’s continued support for the arts and culture sector during this challenging time. We need to take care of each other now more than ever! You can find information about what ACE is doing to support artists and organisations via Arts Council England’s website.
Image credit: Upload Unplug, Pell Ensemble at Frequency 2019. Photo by Electric Egg.