Giving Compass' Take:

• The authors discuss the unique challenges for art and cultural workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and why these communities are vulnerable.  

• How can local governments take into account the needs of these workers? In what ways can you support arts and cultural workers in your community? 

• Read about the role of arts and philanthropy during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

It may not be obvious at first why the challenges that COVID-19 presents to arts and cultural workers—those involved in the visual arts, movies, skilled craftsman, literature, performing arts, and recorded music—should matter.

First, arts and cultural workers occupy a unique place in our society. It's estimated that more than five million workers (PDF) are employed in arts and cultural industries and that these industries contributed nearly $880 billion to the U.S. economy in 2017 (as compared to the sports industry which contributed just under $70 billion). Second, the arts provide opportunities for both individual and community innovation, enjoyment, learning, and healing. For example, elements within the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs recognize the value of art and music therapy; through a successful partnership between those agencies and the National Endowment of the Arts called Creative Forces, music and art are used as therapeutic prescriptions to help those who have suffered brain and other injuries.

Moreover, after a societal shock such as a natural disaster or public health crisis, reopening the doors of a major community cultural anchor, or engaging in cultural traditions can provide both a sense of normalcy and a short-term boost to the community's psychological well-being.

Yet members of the arts industry are especially vulnerable to economic shocks, such as those created by the pandemic. As discussed in a forthcoming RAND report about the arts in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, although the decentralized and largely unregulated nature of the cultural sector is a driving force behind its diversity, it is also one reason for its vulnerability. Arts industry analysts Crossick & Kaszynska (2016) note that “It is an error to see publicly-funded and commercial arts and culture as separate worlds, one dependent on the taxpayer and the other on the market.

Read the full article about arts and culture workers by Susan A. Resetar, James V. Marrone, Daniel Schwam at RAND.