Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County: closures and event changes

[Teresa]

Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County (CAA)
Newsletter March 16, 2020

As you know, the world has been monitoring COVID-19 and its impact. The past few days have seen large scale events being postponed or canceled, and Governor Ron DeSantis recently declared a state of emergency for Florida. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is currently recommending that all in-person events consisting of 50 people or more be postponed or canceled for the next eight weeks. With that guidance, an abundance of caution and keeping the safety of our members, participants, event goers, volunteers and staff our top priority, we are adapting and responding in the following ways…

*Beginning today, March 16, the Bayou Arts Center will be closed and the CAA team will work remotely remaining available via email, phone and virtual meet-ups.

*All meetings, classes and workshops at The Bayou Arts Center will be postponed and rescheduled for a later date.

*The Foster Gallery at Grand Boulevard will be temporarily closed beginning March 16.

*The Under the Sea fundraiser for the Underwater Museum of Art scheduled for Thursday, May 7 will be postponed for a later date.

*ArtsQuest Fine Arts Festival scheduled for May 9 & 10 is rescheduled for October 10 & 11 in Grand Boulevard Town Center.

We appreciate your understanding and continued support of the Cultural Arts Alliance! We will continue to update you on our status and will happily transfer your ticket or give you a full credit for a future class or workshop when this passes.

Prevent the spread of misinformation by learning more about the CDC’s recommendations here.

The Florida Department of Health now has a 24/7 call center available for questions regarding COVID-19. Please call 1-866-779-6121 or you can email questions to COVID-19@flhealth.gov.

The World Health Organization has advice for the public here.

How canceled events and self-quarantines save lives, in one chart - Why it's necessary to practice social distancing to protect those most vulnerable and prevent a strain on our healthcare system.

Don’t hesitate to reach out to me or my staff with questions about future events (or just to say hello as we all spend some time in our homes helping to flatten the infection curve). We are all in this together, and we appreciate you and hope you will stay safe as we all get through this uncertain time in our lives. When we do, the CAA plans to be here ready to provide you with creative outlets, activities, and a chance to reconnect.

Take care,

Jennifer Steele
Executive Director

 

[Teresa]

Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County
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We Foster Creativity
Celebrating 25-years of championing the arts in Walton County.

The Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County (CAA) is a Local Arts Agency that supports the arts through leadership, advocacy, funding, programs and education. The vision of the CAA is to be the catalyst for Walton County’s growth as a destination for cultural and artistic excellence through which lives are enriched, economy is stimulated and community is strengthened.

#ArtMatters

 

[Abby E]

CULTURAL ARTS ALLIANCE ANNOUNCES
EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND FOR ARTISTS
Applications Open For Immediate Short-Term Grants For Local Artists Impacted By COVID-19

The Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County (CAA) announces its Emergency Relief Fund for Artists (ERFA) established this past week to address the immediate economic needs of local professional artists who have experienced loss of income due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Applications will be accepted weekly through CAA’s website, and grant awards will be available within one week of approval.

A fundraising campaign has also been launched to ensure that funds remain available as long as necessary. Walton County residents and CAA Members Shawn and Richard Tomasello have already pledged a matching donation of $100,000 for the fund and challenge other individuals, businesses, and foundations to quickly donate to the fund in order to meet the needs of artists who have experienced significant loss of income. “We feel so blessed to be part of such an active art community,” said CAA Board Member Shawn Tomasello. “With that blessing comes a sense of commitment to those who make our world more interesting and beautiful.”

Donations to the emergency relief fund can be made online at CulturalArtsAlliance.com/Donate and through the phone by texting ‘CaaArtistRelief’ to 76278. All donations, less any processing fees, will go directly to artists.

“The emergency relief fund process was created to be simple and easy so we can quickly meet the needs of our valued artists,” said CAA Executive Director Jennifer Steele. “How many times have we asked artists to donate their work and time for our and others’ worthy causes? It is critical for the CAA to lead this effort to give artists a boost of support during this time.”

ERFA grants are available to individual professional working artists of all disciplines who live or work in Walton County, FL and have lost income because of the cancellation of a specific, scheduled gig or opportunity or a temporarily or permanently closed business due to COVID-19 precautionary measures. Artists can request up to $1,000 during the first grant period to compensate for income that was lost between February 28 and May 29, 2020.

The program is designed for artists who are struggling to meet their basic needs (food, shelter, medical, supplies) due to loss of artistic income from COVID-19. Artists who do not make the majority of their income from their work as an artist or have other significant sources of income are asked not to apply so that those who are most vulnerable can be served. Priority will be given to applicants who are full-time Walton County residents and to requests made due to cancellation of opportunities that were to occur in Walton County. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age.

Visit CulturalArtsAlliance.com/Artist-Resources to review the full grant guidelines and complete the online application. Artists may be awarded only once during the first grant period. A second grant period may be added based on need and available funds. If an application is denied for any reason, the artist may reapply within the same grant period.

 

[Teresa]

COVID-19 UPDATE
Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County
In an effort to keep you posted on ways we are responding, we'll continue to have this dedicated section in our newsletter as well as on our website as long as they are needed.

• Launched an Emergency Relief Fund for Artists on April 6.
• Created an Advocacy page on our website with updates, action items and artist resources .
  
• The Bayou Arts Center remains closed through May 1 with staff working remotely and accessible by phone, email and virtual meet-ups.
• All meetings, classes and workshops through May 1 have been canceled and will be rescheduled for a later date.
• The Foster Gallery at Grand Boulevard is closed through May 1.
• ArtsQuest Fine Arts Festival has been rescheduled for October 10 & 11 in Grand Boulevard.
• The Under the Sea fundraiser for the Underwater Museum of Art and the 2020 exhibition installation have been postponed until Fall 2020.

We are in this together and continually looking for ways to help our community during this time. We hope you and your loved ones are staying safe and healthy!