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OPERA America held a webinar on Wednesday, January 13, 2021 entitled Reopening and Recovery. From the overview by OPERA America: “The increasing rate of vaccination leads everyone in opera to think about the possibility of returning to some semblance of normalcy in 2021. Beyond simply resuming live performances, our communities will need to recover and heal. How can opera companies and their partners work together to welcome the public back to the town square? How can we become an essential part of the town square in which people feel safe to reflect on and heal from isolation, illness, loss, and fear? After an opening discussion about the current progress in controlling the pandemic, arts leaders will examine our role as agents of civic recovery.” Here is a video of that webinar:
Panelists
- Dr. Jen Benoit-Bryan, Vice President and Co-Director of Research, Slover-Linett
- Dr. Erin Bromage, Comparative Immunologist and Professor of Biology, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
- Rebecca Hass, Director of Community Engagement, Pacific Opera Victoria
- Lauren Medici, Director of Engagement Programs, Opera Omaha
- Kristina Newman-Scott, President, BRIC
- Timothy O’Leary, General Director, Washington National Opera; Board Chair, OPERA America
- Stephanie Ybarra, Artistic Director, Baltimore Center Stage
- Alejandra Valarino Boyer, Director of Programs and Partnerships, Seattle Opera (facilitator)
Key Reads on Reopening and Recovery
These readings provide helpful context to go along with the Reopening and Recovery webinar.
OPERA America has compiled some key articles and reports about reopening and recovery from COVID-19. Included is a newly released report from the National Endowment for the Arts, The Art of Reopening, that presents case studies of nine arts organizations that have reopened during COVID-19, revealing promising tactics and insights.
- The Art of Reopening: A Guide to Current Practices Among Arts Organizations During COVID-19 (National Endowment for the Arts)
- COVID-19’s Impacts on Arts and Culture (FEMA’s Recovery Support Function Leadership Group)
- Reopening 101: What Arts Groups Are Learning as They Welcome Back Audiences During the Pandemic (National Endowment for the Arts)
- Key Findings from Wave 1: CultureTrack Special Edition (LaPlaca Cohen and Slover Linett Audience Research)
- The Risks: Know Them, Avoid Them (Erin Bromage)
- Living Well: Lowering Risk with Prof. Erin Bromage (The New York Times/Erin Bromage)
- Inequality Makes School Reopenings Less Fair (CNN/Erin Bromage)
- UMass Professor Expands on the Risks of COVID-19 and How to Avoid Them in Schools (The Providence Journal/Erin Bromage)
