First it was large festivals and theatre productions shutting down in the face of bans on gatherings of more than 250 people.
Then it was smaller events as the gathering limit was lowered to 50.
Then, suddenly, it was everything.
The Arts Council of New Westminster has found itself staring at an entirely new reality in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Executive director Stephen O’Shea has been running more or less non-stop since March helping to guide the organization in an entirely new direction.
“I think initially it was, how do we respond to this crisis? Then it quickly became, how do we plan and look to the future?” he said. “I’m not yet sure which of those two I’m actually in.”
An obvious first step was to cancel or postpone pretty much all the arts council’s live events, from Last Mondays at the Movies screenings to ArtsToGo workshops and New West Craft markets. At this point, most live events have simply been postponed – but even that is changing as the current situation looks like it’s becoming more drawn-out rather than less.
At the same time, the arts council has been working to redirect its energies.
“The best way I’ve been able to frame it is to say we’re pivoting from programs to services,” O’Shea said. “We’re still serving the arts community, still serving as a resource, … but instead of putting on the big music concerts and festivals, in-person artisan fairs and exhibitions in the art gallery, we’ve now shifted.”
Local arts lovers can still enjoy a few events. The Arts New West podcast is continuing , and the New West Craft market has gone virtual.
“It’s led to direct sales for those artisan vendors,” O’Shea noted.
The arts council has also reconvened the New Westminster Cultural Roundtable as a weekly Zoom call; every Thursday at 3 p.m., artists and anyone interested in the city’s cultural community can take part in the conversation (you just have to email info@acnw.ca ahead of time to get the Zoom code and password).
It’s also been able to continue with its Seniors Expressions Through the Arts programming, offering a number of virtual events including Brain Fitness classes and live entertainment, as well as offering 10 grants (of $500 each) for artists aged 55 and up.
O’Shea noted the arts council’s main focus is on supporting artists in their endeavours, rather than actually jumping in to create events.
“I’ve been really hesitant to just jump online and flood the online space with free content,” he said, noting that could undermine the livelihood of artists and the arts sector overall. “I feel like that’s a space the artists themselves should explore.”
For artists who were already making a living at their work, and for those who are now exploring the possibilities thanks to the new world they find themselves living in, O’Shea noted it’s important to give them the space to do that.
“We want artists to do that work themselves,” O’Shea said. “They have a wonderful opportunity to jump into this online world, and really I don’t think it’s our job to clutter that space. Holding space for artists is just as important as platforming them.”
Moving forward, O’Shea said, the arts council is looking at drafting three possible scenarios covering three, six and 18 months, depending how long the current pandemic situation continues.
“We’re obviously looking to the long term in terms of sustainability of revenues,” O’Shea said, but added that safety is uppermost in the arts council’s mind in considering when and how to return to the world of live events. “We’re not going to be wanting to put people at risk.”
Right now, the arts council is part of the City of New Westminster’s COVID-19 working group on business and the local economy, helping to steer the city through the ongoing crisis.
“It’s been awesome to have the arts council a part of this group. It’s been a big step forward for us to help advocate that the arts and the creative sector is just as much an economic driver in our community as some of our more established and recognized sectors,” O’Shea pointed out.
The group is currently working with the city on plans for summer events and what that may or may not mean for the city. O’Shea noted that the loss of events through the summer stands to have a huge impact on the livelihoods of countless artists and technicians.
“It’s bigger than just ‘There won’t be some music in the park,’” he said.
Regardless of what the immediate future holds, however, O’Shea is optimistic about the fate of the city’s arts and cultural community.
“I’m confident that New Westminster is a resilient community, one that values its local artists as a local arts community, and artists are tenacious in wanting to continue to see more of the local flavour being front and centre,” he said. “I’m confident that we will bounce back from this, that we will respond collectively as a community and that more incredible artists are going to continue to create in this community.”
CAN YOU HELP?
The Arts Council of New Westminster is holding a Friends of Arts Council #NewWest campaign, launching in connection with the global Giving Tuesday on May 5. The campaign will run until July 1. Donations of all sizes (both one-time and monthly) can be made at www.acnw.ca.
