Letter from the editor:

I want to start by saying thank you, for reading, sharing, and engaging with our stories. Your support means a lot to us and in the past week it’s been heartening to see so many of you join our new membership program. At a time when we’re all feeling the strain of uncertainty, your financial support enables us to do what we do best, and to continue to offer it for free.

From reports on how the art world has stepped up to aid health workers, to deep dives into the ways art schools across the country are facing the pandemic, we’ve been working hard to ensure you can stay up to date on how art and culture are being affected by the current crisis. So if you can, join us in this effort by becoming a member.

On the note of banding together, CUE Art Foundation has teamed up with the New Museum Union (NuMuU) to host a Zoom workshop on “Rehearsing Solidarity” in the workplace on April 14. As NuMuU members explained to Hyperallergic, “The situation is dire for so many, and what feels most urgent to us right now is mutual aid and political transformation.” 

“Dire” indeed. Around the country, many museums have begun to furlough and lay off employees in the face of budget shortfalls caused by the pandemic. Our staff writer Valentina Di Liscia shares news of a recent decision by the Museum of Modern Art, one of the world’s wealthiest museums, to terminate all museum educator contracts. This news comes on the heels of the Whitney Museum’s decision to lay off 76 employees in visitor service and temporary roles. 

Luckily, a few organizations have been stepping up to provide emergency relief for artists and other organizations impacted by the pandemic, including the New York-based Frankenthaler Foundation and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. Read more about their efforts and how you might be able to qualify for some relief here. 

(If any of this feels hard to follow, Valentina also penned a helpful explainer of how the new stimulus bill will affect the arts, including unionization efforts.)

Stay safe, and stick together. 

Projecting $7M in Losses in 2020, Whitney Museum Lays Off 76 Staffers

Director Adam Weinberg says many of those who were laid off “work in visitor-related roles and are no longer able to fulfill their duties now that the Museum is closed.”

Valentina Di Liscia

News

MoMA Terminates All Museum Educator Contracts

In an email sent this week, the museum told educators “it will be months, if not years, before we anticipate returning to budget and operations levels to require educator services.”

Getty, Warhol, and Frankenthaler Foundations Provide Emergency Relief for Artists and Orgs

As the COVID-19 pandemic roils the arts community, the organizations launched emergency funding initiatives to support the cultural sector.

During Crisis, Photographers Receive 100% of Proceeds From This Online Print Sale

New York-based photo center BKC and artist group Seeing Collective have partnered to sell prints online.

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