NOTES FROM ACCA MEMBERS LET’S TALK ABOUT IT RESPONSE TO COVID19
Wednesday, April 8, 2020
In Attendance: Lori Baxter (Vancouver), Erika Beatty (Dartmouth), Lynn Feasey (Victoria), Roger Gaudet (Ottawa), Kelly Hill (Hamilton), Kate Proctor (Ottawa), Victoria Steele (Ottawa), Sandra Thomson (Nanaimo), Lucy White (Toronto)
1. Short Term Actions:
- Bi-weekly members Let’s Talk About it – check in
- Short term informal LEAN initiative information circulated to members
- ACCA membership committee working on a new pro bono Work Policy for our members
- Request to members to share tips/survival strategies on FB, LinkedIn and the new Twitter account
- A possible pilot project for teams of 3 ACCA members to work with paying clients is being discussed
- Suggest interested ACCA members create Canada Council profile and link to the ACCA profile.
- Survey coming soon to ACCA members to determine the links/connections we have with Arts Service Orgs.
- ACCA Vice Pres. Eric Dubeau is getting ACCA connected with the Canadian Arts Coalition response
- ACCA to send out general notice (ebulletin?) notify the sector that our members are here to help
2. Medium Term Actions:
- Canada Council meeting April 2 – encouraged ACCA to work with ASOs
- Meeting with Dept. of Canadian Heritage soon – Victoria and Roger
- The idea is that ACCA could develop a program/project with Arts Service Organizations to build sector resiliency, sustainability and evolve in the new era. Opportunities to innovate and create the future will be essential to recovery.
3. Check in – What members are hearing:
- Lots of response initiatives emerging – nothing organized yet
- Artists are stressed, out of work and out of money- e.g. Lost My Gig
- Summer festivals cancelling
- Artists are being asked to work for free
- Consultants are being asked to work for free
- Wondering if audiences will return to live venues?
- Museums and art galleries might fair better because social distancing possible
- What will the future look like? Maybe it looks like this right now?
- Strategic Planning seems impossible – but planning must occur
- This is the time to innovate
- UK arts scene bursting on to social media world wide
- Digital Strategy fund impact
4. Wrap-Up
- It was agreed by all that the hour was well spent, good information shared and a plan of action for ACCA is evolving. It was agreed that there would be another Let’s Talk About It in two weeks (Wed. April 22).