![]() Many philanthropies provided relief funding or made existing assistance more flexible, releasing money early or allowing it to shift to operating needs. Governments and foundations quickly set up emergency funds. The Kimmel Center canceled more than a thousand events and furloughed 137 staff members. The musicians of the Philadelphia Orchestra took pay cuts of 25 percent. The Philadelphia Museum of Art cut more than 100 jobs. ![]() The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, a service organization supporting the regional arts community, estimates that 2,452 jobs were lost this past year in the region’s arts and culture sector (which doesn’t include the side jobs, like restaurant work, that kept money in people’s wallets and also vanished with the pandemic). Operating models were thrown into the dumpster fire of this new reality. Some workers were furloughed and others were let go, while the “lucky” ones took pay cuts. Nearly everything was immediately postponed or canceled. All in all, Philadelphia’s arts and culture sector in early 2020 was vibrant, even if things weren’t perfect. Plus, there’s been a serious commitment from private philanthropy through the years. Yet as cities go, Philly’s costs are fairly reasonable, transportation is decent, and we’ve got a healthy appetite for arts. Smaller organizations can get overlooked by funders in favor those with bigger budgets or more “prestige.” Many artists and cultural workers are severely underpaid but doggedly keep doing what they love. Making a living in the arts has always been a struggle. It’s a new world, and this is how I’m experiencing the arts in the COVID era - virtually and alone, yet connected through technology. I’ve bought a ticket to a two-person Zoom interactive theatrical experience, Being/With:home, created by Nichole Canuso Dance Company. So now, as I write this, I’m sitting at my desk in a quiet room. Not long after that late-February concert, just about everything changed, particularly for the performing arts. … Don’t wanna live all by myself - would soon echo across our year-plus journey of pandemic-induced isolation. The fans loved it, oblivious to the fact that the song’s lyrics - Don’t wanna be all by myself anymore. On the setlist was the wistful classic “All by Myself,” and Dion gave it her signature vocal grandiosity. Photograph by Thanasus/Getty ImagesĪ little over a year ago, I was elbow to elbow with 21,000 fans at the Wells Fargo Center, reveling in the diva spectacle that is a Celine Dion concert. A look back on this year without audiences has changed the Philly arts scene.
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