How art & culture in New York have suffered during COVID-19

By Sadie Dyson | 29 Apr 2021 | Americas, Culture, Economy, Health and Wellness, Hewitt, Student Posts, Youth Voices.

Art and culture are integral to New York’s economy and sense of community. COVID-19 has hit the sector and its people hard.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art Upper East Side, Manhattan. Circles spaced six feet apart, marking where people were to stand while waiting to enter in certain numbers due to COVID-19. 29 August 2020. Photo by Sadie Dyson.

.COVID-19 has hit New York City’s arts and culture hard

In March 2020, because of COVID-19, the entire sector was forced to close.

Museums shed one third of their employees. More than 50,000 workers in the arts — 60% of total employment in the sector — lost their jobs.

                                                 The first museum to shut down, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, closed its doors on March 12, 2020. The Museum of Modern Art, the American Museum of Natural History and the Bronx Zoo struggled with a dramatic decrease in revenues and absence of a support system.

Art in New York has power, even with COVID-19.

These shut-downs affected owners of small galleries and artists who found themselves without jobs and paychecks.

Artists, actors, musicians, stagehands and freelancers found themselves unemployed. Many reported a feeling of devastation caused by the sudden disconnect with their communities and livelihoods.

The arts and culture are essential to the city’s economy but also to its sense of community.

What I have observed in New York City is the power of art in public spaces and marketplaces to bring people together, increase civic participation and deepen a community’s bonds.

It is vital that art should be preserved.