Philly Arts Prevail
During Covid-19 the Philadelphia arts scene has gone digital
The city of brotherly love has long been a city known for its arts scene, but with closures and the novel coronavirus lasting longer than most expected, local organizations have had to get creative. As a display of our resilience, the Philly arts scene has gone digital.
Arts are often considered a luxury, but to many, it is what’s able to keep them going, especially in times like this. According to a study conducted in May by the American Art Therapy Association, or AATA, in which 623 art therapy professionals were surveyed, “Nearly all art therapists (92.0%) surveyed reported that their clients were experiencing anxiety due to isolation during the Coronavirus pandemic”.
Though quarantine and social distancing are clearly the best for the health and safety of our communities, there are mental health issues being brought up due to them. For many being able to express their feelings as an artist can be helpful. Being able to participate in your artistic community and see all the other art around you elevates the benefits of art for many.
From music to museums there is something for every kind of artist that is available during COVID-19. Most are online, but there are a few venues open for very minimised and socially distant in-person viewing.
The art museum will be open for in-person viewing from Wednesday to Sunday. The museum is doing quite a few things to keep patrons and workers safe such as timing visits and only using the north entrance of the building. For a full list you can head on over to philamuseum.org
Eastern state penitentiary will also be open for day tours as well as night tours. If you love to partake in the terrifying adventure that is terror behind the walls, unfortunatly this years event has been cancelled. Though I’m sure the self guided night tours are bound to give you the creeps. The penitentiary has an online tour that can be taken for absolutely free if you’d like to partake but aren’t quite ready to start heading out into the world yet. Another great option that they’ve added is virtual group tours. These tours can hold up to 50 people and will be hosted over Zoom, the tours are even free for Philadelphia Public and Charter schools.
The Fringe Festival this year has come and gone but took the form of plays done live across multiple online platforms and 3D gallery spaces. Many of the performances were immortilized on youtube or vimeo and can be accessed from the fringe arts website. Fringe arts seems to offer the most variety when it comes to these alternative means of getting your art fix. If you missed the Fringe Arts fest you still have time to tune into Fringe’s AudiFeastival. Audi takes place from October 8th to the 11th and is a fundraiser for the culinary arts in which food and drink will be delivered to your home along with a performance.
No matter what your art of choice is, there is bound to be something available via the internet or in-person. Phiily is a city full of resilient individuals and that just goes to show by even a global pandemic not being able to stop our cities artistic expression. Stay socially distant and masked up but hold on to the things that bring you joy , even if that it’s though a livestream.