Reflections on arts during COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract EN

This paper presents reflections on the changes in arts during the COVID-19 epidemic.

by attending concerts, festivals, and events, visiting museums and galleries, studying the arts formally or informally, or creating art professionally or as a hobby, the arts contribute to developing a sense of individual and collective identity.

the COVID-19 pandemic deprived global societies and audiences of opportunities to engage with the arts in live settings.

however, it has also profoundly affected the arts sector, with institutions closing their doors and cancelling festivals and events.

the production of art is severely restricted, in hibernation, or abandoned in the worst cases.

given the short-term, informal, and project-based nature of much of the arts industry, millions of artists and arts workers are currently unemployed.

many cannot access government support programs built for more conventional business structures.

there have been substantial engagements with the arts throughout lockdown periods, primarily using digital technologies and virtual formats, even though the epidemic has presented the arts with numerous problems.

this continuous participation with the arts suggests that if COVID-19 is brought under control, the sector will recover and prosper.