Where Will Arts Relief Aid Come From?

WDCB’s Gary Zidek catches up with Arts Alliance Illinois executive director Claire Rice about the impacts COVID-19 is having on the local arts community and efforts to secure economic relief.

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WDCB's Gary Zidek talks to Arts Alliance Illinois executive director Claire RIce about the impact COVID-19 is having on the arts and culture sector and potential funding solutions.

“We don’t have a take-out version of arts and culture, right? We are able to do some things digitally, but the digital space doesn’t produce the earned revenue that we need to see in the arts.” - Claire Rice, executive director of Arts Alliance Illinois, talking about the economic challenges facing arts organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Claire Rice, executive director of Arts Alliance Illinois

The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits continues to grow every week. These have been challenging times for everyone. But things have been especially tough for those people who make their living in arts, culture and entertainment arenas. In the Chicago-area, there have been a growing number of layoffs and furloughs within the arts and culture sector over the past few weeks. Even high profile organizations are being affected, the Art Institute of Chicago laid of 51 full-time employees three weeks ago. Last week, Steppenwolf Theatre revealed that two-thirds of its staff had been impacted by either furloughs or layoffs since April. There have been some local efforts designed to provide relief to creatives including a collaborative project called Arts for Illinois that awarded grants to artists and cultural institutions. But it’s become clear that much more is needed.

Earlier this month, the United Kingdom announced an aid package equivalent to $2 billion dedicated exclusively to support British arts organizations and cultural institutions. There doesn’t appear to be any arts-focused relief package of that size in the works here in the U.S. Given our current state, with the COVID-19 pandemic still in full effect and the economy struggling, there are no easy solutions. But there are some different ideas being discussed about potential short and long-term options that could help.

WDCB’s Gary Zidek talked to Arts Alliance Illinois executive director Claire Rice about her thoughts on the topic (listen above).