what is exciting right now?
i’ve been thinking a lot about what it means for new archives to exist right now, in the growing precarity of our current global health crisis. and if it makes sense to continue coverage as scheduled.
and then i realized: the arts industry has always been precarious. it has never been sustainable. and it has always left the most marginalized amongst us in a state of constant mode of being overworked, underpaid, and undervalued.
in fact, new archives launched just two weeks ago in hopes of addressing some of these inequitable structures through careful dialogue and conversation.
what the COVID-19 crisis has actually done is rendered all of these issues more clearly. in so many ways, it has stripped away the artifice of solidity from our current socioeconomic structures. and, unfortunately, has proven that things as they are now are not okay, they are not working for most of us, and that change is long overdue.
so we will continue our coverage as planned to the best of our ability – because we are hoping that in a time of mandated isolation, our small corner of the internet can provide folks with some semblance of community.
in honor of this sentiment, please leave us a comment (on instagram) sharing artists and projects in the Northwest that you are excited about right now. i would love to see a thread that serves as a reminder of who we are in community with, even if we can't see each other right now. what/who makes working in such a precarious industry worthwhile for you?
and remember! when feeling isolated and helpless, don’t be afraid to get hyperlocal. go to your neighbors and ask them what they need. facetime your grandparents if you can. donate and/ or request resources from so many of the amazing grassroots efforts being organized in the Northwest. there is so much we can offer to and gain from one another.
personally, seeing the way folks are reaching out and helping one another is a reminder that this region is where i want to be, even when – or especially when – we are in moments of doubt, fear, and trepidation. love to you all.