Due to increasing health concerns in connection with the coronavirus, and as a matter of care for our staff, supporters, and the community, WPA has made the decision to postpone Collectors' Night 2020 and pause our gallery operations beginning immediately.
In the meantime, we are thinking about care and how this disruption will affect artists, and small businesses and organizations. WPA has been collecting information from artists via email, text, and Facebook who are already reporting significant losses in income and unrecoverable expenses due to the cancelation of exhibitions, commissions, art fairs, lectures, classes, and travel, in addition to lost non-art income from gig-economy employment. An artist wrote, "Lost income due to a day-job closing will put me behind on studio and apartment rent almost immediately. My barely sustainable life as an artist will definitely become unsustainable." We will continue to gather information as we start a conversation around what can be done for those in our creative community who are most deeply impacted by the coronavirus. This includes encouraging government art commissions and private foundations to relax grant-use restrictions and establish emergency funds to partially replace lost revenue, among other efforts. If you would like to share how you are being impacted, or would like to provide support in any way, please email Peter Nesbett at pnesbett@wpadc.org.
WPA remains committed to our mission and to the many artists and supporters in our community. We will let you know as soon as we are able to confirm a rescheduled date for Collectors' Night and will keep you updated as we adapt our work to address the needs of the moment.
We appreciate your understanding. Take care of each other as we distance during this pandemic.
with care,
Alexa, Alexandra, Emily, Jordan, Nathalie, & Peter
Date
March 13, 2020
