"Together, we will figure out a way to keep moving forward until these gray skies pass." —Mary Anne Carter

When National Endowment for the Arts staff originally began teleworking in March, the plan was that the agency would be working remotely for two weeks. No one could have foreseen that nine months later, we would still be working from our home offices and kitchen tables, responding to calls and emails from grantees, nearly all of whom continue to wonder the same thing: how will we survive?

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating effect on the arts and culture sectors. Museums, galleries, and theaters were shuttered for months at a time—and many of them are still closed, with no source of income in sight. Festivals and artist residencies have been canceled, events have been postponed, and with so many schools operating virtually, children have lost access to in-school and after-school arts programming. With visitors prohibited at nursing homes and prisons, seniors and inmates have also lost critical lifelines to the arts, further isolating two already isolated populations. 

And yet, amid this anxiety and uncertainty, I have been in awe at the ways artists and arts organizations have found to continue creating, celebrating, and sharing their art with the American public. The usage of digital platforms exploded seemingly overnight as artists discovered fertile ground for reaching individuals across the country. Museums launched new virtual tours, and book talks began taking place using video conference services. Children and adults can now take art classes, dance classes, and singing lessons online. Organizations launched mail correspondence art projects for senior centers and corrections facilities. And theater, music, and dance productions moved their performance spaces to online stages. I have found few things more moving than seeing artists, isolated in their own homes, coming together onscreen to continue their craft and create beauty.

While there are plenty of reasons for anxiety and concern within the arts and cultural sectors, there are reasons for hope and encouragement. At the National Endowment for the Arts, we have been working around the clock to ensure that we are doing everything we can to help the arts community, just as it has been doing the same for us.

Read the full story, "Clouds Passing Over," in the new issue of American Artscape, The Arts in the Time of COVID.