Erie Philharmonic quartet gives thank-you concert to county Department of Health workers
An Erie Philharmonic quartet gave a thank-you concert Sept. 25, 2020 to Erie County Dept. of Health workers in Erie, Penn., for their COVID work.
Christopher Millette, Erie Times-News
I returned to Erie in September 2018 to lead the charge at Erie Arts & Culture, the regional arts council serving northwestern Pennsylvania and its creative and cultural sector. Since then, one of my talking points has been to highlight what Erie has to offer as it relates to the arts, entertainment and recreation (AER). I am confident in making the claim that per capita there may be more AER institutions, facilities, attractions and events in our city than anywhere else in the United States.
Skeptical? Name another city that has a population of approximately 100,000 that also has an art museum, a children’s museum, a maritime museum, a history museum, a philharmonic, a 400-plus capacity playhouse, a 2,000-plus capacity historic performing arts center, a 9,000-plus capacity arena, a convention center and so many community-centered heritage festivals and live events throughout the summer that our calendar of activities overflows. This is all compounded when you take into further consideration the menu of options for engaging with the performing arts, whether through small and midsized organizations or programs delivered by local universities and colleges.
Our community’s relationship with AER institutions, facilities, amenities and events has been drastically different in 2020 and 2021 than in past years. Out of an abundance of caution, and to comply with state regulations, our favorite institutions have been closed, stages have been dark and events have been cancelled. This has had a direct and severe impact on the nonprofit organizations, small businesses, staff members and individual artists who work to deliver creative and cultural experiences that add flavor to our region and contribute to our quality of life.
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We are calculating the impact that the pandemic has had on our sector, and thus Erie’s local economy. This effort has started with surveying Erie Arts & Culture’s five Cultural Service Partners: the Erie Philharmonic, the Erie Playhouse, the Experience Children’s Museum, the Flagship Niagara League and the Hagen History Center. Between March and December 2020, these five organizations recorded a revenue loss totaling $2,191,676. To survive, they accessed lines of credit totaling $1,465,092. We know that small and midsized organizations have similarly suffered substantial financial losses.
More: ‘So much potential’: Erie Art Museum’s new leader aims to reopen, collaborate, engage
The pandemic has also been devastating to artists who live and work in Erie — artists who rely on live events, festivals and teaching opportunities as part of their annual earned income. In 2020, Erie Arts & Culture launched an Emergency Financial Assistance Fund for creative and cultural professionals. Since launching the grant program, we have awarded more than $45,000 in funding to support 124 requests for assistance, with awarded funds being used to cover basic living expenses, such as rent and groceries.
Our AER assets and activities create and reinforce emotional bonds between people and place. They provide the city and county with a distinct comparative and competitive advantage when working to attract new residents, visitors or investments. The value derived from the creative and cultural sector is not something that should be undervalued as we both rebound from the pandemic and work to holistically develop in a manner that is equitable and inclusive.
If you value the creative and cultural sector and what it provides in the form of the arts, entertainment and recreation, I ask that you please consider showing strong support this summer to the organizations, businesses and individuals that comprise the sector. This can come in the form of purchasing tickets to events, making unrestricted donations to support the organizations whose missions you align with or purchasing the artwork of an Erie-based artist. This can also come in the form of reaching out to your sphere of influence and asking that they too please consider supporting the sector. Strong support now will help ensure that our sector is able to provide future generations with opportunities to gather together and share enriched experiences.
More: Erie Arts & Culture’s director on local arts groups: ‘We must make a better case for our value’
Patrick Fisher is the executive director of Erie Arts & Culture. Contact him by email at patrick@erieartsandculture.org.
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