A Conversation with DCASE Commissioner Mark Kelly: Looking Back at the Year of COVID

WDCB’s Gary Zidek catches up with Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events Commissioner Mark Kelly to talk about 2020 and look ahead to 2021.

LISTEN

WDCB's Gary Zidek catches up with Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events Commissioner Mark Kelly to talk about 2020 and look ahead to 2021.

“With the pandemic, the economic devastation of the cultural landscape is just so sobering to look at. Our clubs are closed, our museums are closed, our theaters are closed, thousands of artists, creators, makers and behind-the-scenes people of all sorts (are) without work, so there’s that real devastation.” - DCASE Commissioner Mark Kelly talking about the impact of the pandemic on the city’s cultural landscape.

We’re all ready to say “good-bye” to 2020. But what will 2021 look like? COVID-19 has impacted everyone directly in one way or another, but the indirect affects of the pandemic could reverberate well into the future. For example, Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events is funded by the city hotel and restaurant tax revenue. Both those industries were hit hard by the pandemic, meaning DCASE funding is poised to take a hit in 2021. Kelly says “our budget for this year was cut by 60%, and for next year our budget is cut by 50%, so our ability to support the cultural landscape is limited in some ways”.

The legendary Green Mil, like all of Chicago’s performing arts venues, is closed right now.

DCASE’s Year of Chicago Music, which was set to take place in 2020 has been extended into next year. It’s unclear what the cultural calendar will lookin 2021, but there is some optimism for later in the year. With vaccinations beginning, there is hope for a brighter 2021. Kelly says, “at this time next year, the city is going to be alive again, and the cultural landscape will be alive”.