The arts community is finding ways to keep its economy going during this time according to the head of a leading statewide arts group.
Executive Director of Arts Wisconsin, Ann Katz, reports folks with arts businesses have felt the tough economic times but have turned to more online offerings. She cited a Nicolet College-ArtStart online collaboration starting this week called ArtFest Online, Getting You Off The Couch and Into Creativity.
She says there have been many examples of this type of approach, including artists writing plays about the COVID-19 impacts. But, Katz says, having the public respond is the challenge...
"Things being put online is one thing, but getting people to pay for that experience when you think everything on the internet is there for the taking is another thing entirely..."
Katz says for some artists it is a challenge to do what they do in a live setting to online. She says the public is increasingly wanting to do something in a live setting, but until the time comes when that can safely happen, the online component is the next best thing.
She says the loss of an event negatively impacts the local economy. One example is the postponement announced last week of Project North in Rhinelander until 2021.
Katz says the impact of the arts on the economy is significant, citing a federal report that the arts have a $10.1 billion dollar impact on the state economy, about 96,000 jobs, more than beer, biotech and papermaking industries.
