On May 15, 2020, CAMH Curator Dean Daderko and Executive Director Hesse McGraw joined a group of friends and colleagues to speak about the extraordinary, recent efforts of a coalition of national arts grant-makers who came together to form Artist Relief. Beyond providing information to our community about Artist Relief’s vital resources, we hope our recorded conversation both speaks to the urgency of the need artists are facing, and the singular value artists bring to our society, in the midst of and beyond the pandemic.
About the Series
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, we’re doing everything we can to flatten the curve — but even though the museum is closed, and we’re working from home, we still talk to artists around the world every day. Here in Houston, in Italy, in China, in San Francisco … artists, like all of us, are weathering the coronavirus personally and professionally.
We will bring these conversations with artists — wherever they are — to wherever you are.
About Artist Relief
Artist Relief is an emergency initiative which offers financial and informational resources to artists nationwide navigating the COVID-19 pandemic. To put this in perspective — Americans for the Arts’ COVID-19 Impact Survey for Artists and Creative Workers recently revealed that 94% of artists have experienced loss of income, whilst 62% are fully unemployed as a result of the pandemic. The average estimated financial impact on artists and creative workers in Texas alone is $11,447 to date. In the face of this unprecedented moment, the efforts of these visionary cultural leaders offer hope for the impact of national advocacy efforts on behalf of artists.