“It is the middle of a plague — ‘a pestilence so great and universal, that already it has been three months since it started, and many have died and many more continue to die.’ This does little to stop a group of scholars who have sealed themselves off from the world in a Mexico City convent, where they toil on a series of volumes devoted to indigenous knowledge.” Carolina Miranda recounts the story of the Historia General de las cosas de la Nueva España, a 12-volume manuscript from 1576 now known as the Florentine Codex. – Los Angeles Times
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Songwriters, Self-Employed Musicians To Get Aid In Bailout Bill
Most industry creative and support occupations are not eligible for unemployment. The bill now covers self-employed small-business owners, a category that in music ranges from songwriters to roadies. Under the new bill, self-employed individuals could begin receiving financial aid, through grants and loans, as soon as next month. – Variety
UK’s National Theatre To Start Weekly Webcasts Of Its Most Popular Productions
“The new two-month National Theatre at Home programme will begin with One Man, Two Guvnors, the Richard Bean comedy starring James Corden. The films will be shown at 7pm every Thursday to try to recreate, where possible, the communal viewing experience. They will then be available on demand for seven days.” – The Guardian
Federal Stimulus Bill Includes $75 Million To Stabilize Public Radio And TV
“The bill includes $75 million for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting ‘to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, including for fiscal stabilization grants to public telecommunications entities,’ the bill says. [It] directs CPB to use the funds to help ‘maintain programming and services and preserve small and rural stations threatened by declines in non-Federal revenues.'” – Current
Kansas City Symphony Cancels Concerts Into May But Will Pay Musicians
All salary and benefits for the players wil be maintained through the end of the 2019-20 season in June — thanks, according to executive director Danny Beckley, to increased support from patrons and donors. – The Kansas City Star
Furloughs And Pay Cuts At Cleveland Museum Of Art
“Anticipating lost revenues of more than $5 million because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Cleveland Museum of Art announced it will immediately furlough all part-time staff and temporarily lay off a portion of its unionized staff, which includes security guards. In addition, the museum mandated a five-hour-a-week reduction in salary for all nonunion employees, effectively reducing pay by about 11% to 15%.” – The Plain Dealer (Cleveland)
New York City Ballet Cancels All Spring Performances But Will Pay Through End Of Season
“The employees who are to be paid and receive benefits through the dark season include the dancers, musicians, stagehands, costume designers, security personnel, ushers and administrators. … For now, their payment schedule is the same as it would have been without the pandemic: They will be paid until the end of the spring season, and then will face a short layoff.” – The New York Times
Art Basel 2020 Postponed But Not Cancelled
“Art Basel has now moved its Swiss edition — which regularly convenes nearly 300 galleries and is considered to be among the biggest art events each year — to run from September 17–20, with preview days on September 15 and 16. … Earlier this year, Art Basel canceled its Hong Kong fair entirely after the virus’s spread in the city prevented it from taking place.” – ARTnews
Verbier Festival For 2020 Called Off
Said festival founder Martin T. Engstroem, “There were far too many uncertainties. Our audience and our musicians come from all over the world with a large population mix. We could not take responsibility for a new outbreak of the virus.” The gathering in the Swiss Alps had been scheduled for July 17 to August 2. – EN24 (Switzerland)
How Do You Teach Performing Arts When You Can’t Be Together?
For teachers of the performing arts, seemingly insuperable challenges complicate the task: how does one teach dance and acting—quintessentially embodied forms dependent on human-to-human observation and whole-body involvement—when no one is in a room together? – Howlround