With masks indoors and limited capacity audiences, the local arts industry has been struggling throughout the pandemic. The Orange County Arts Commission is trying to give it a boost with the Restart the Arts Grant.

The Orange County Board of Commissioners allocated $100,000 to local arts organizations to help with operating and programming disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The money comes from the federal American Rescue Plan Act, which provides emergency grants for economic recovery.

One of the goals of the American Rescue Plan Act is to help restore industries adversely affected by the pandemic.

Director of the Orange County Arts Commission Kate Murray said she believes arts is at the top of the list of struggling industries right now.

“The nature of the arts is audiences,” Murray said. “You really do not have the arts if you do not have people.”

Murray said the pandemic has created a dire economic situation in the arts industry because it so reliant on ticket sales to generate revenue.

“They’ve been saying for a long time that the arts was going to be the first to close and the last to reopen and I think that is absolutely proving true,” Murray said.

To combat the extended timeline of reopening, the Restart the Arts Grant program is open to any currently operating nonprofit arts organizations in Orange County that has been open since March 1, 2020.  Grant amounts given to organizations will vary depending on size and eligibility of applicants.

Murray said she hopes the grant will mitigate the brutal losses arts organizations have faced during the pandemic. She said many have had to furlough or lay off workers.

While some relief has been provided through Paycheck Protection Program small business loans and the Save Our Stages Act, Murray said it still isn’t enough.

“They’re still struggling and they’re going to continue struggling,” Murray said. “They need more money, they need more support, and this grant program hopefully will provide a little bit of that.”

Murray said another major part of the relief through the past year and a half has come from donors, but they are starting to feel fatigued. For example, the Orange County Arts Commission fundraised more than $130,000 for its relief program. Murray said with that money spent, however, it’s hard to get people to reach back into their checkbooks.

“They give, and they give and they give and its like its still here and we still need support. Unfortunately, donors tend to suffer donor fatigue and they end up putting their money towards other efforts,” Murray said.

While money has been tight in the arts industry, Murray said she is optimistic because people have learned the importance of artists during the pandemic.

“You wouldn’t ask your accountant to volunteer their time, so you shouldn’t ask an artist to volunteer their time,” Murray said. “That is how they’re putting their food on the table and feeding their kids. So, I don’t know I see some sort of silver linings in all this that tend to ripple down.”

Applications for the Restart the Arts Grant are open through August 31. For more information click here.

 

Photo via the Orange County Arts Commission

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