It’s a Fall Arts season like no other in Charlotte. We’ll examine how groups adapt
It’s a Fall Arts season like no other around Charlotte.
As the year began, many arts organizations already were in a precarious financial position after county voters rejected a fall sales tax hike referendum that would have generated $22.5 million a year for the arts. Then the novel coronavirus forced all groups to shut down in March as part of stay-at-home orders.
Meanwhile, social justice protests began in Charlotte and elsewhere, leading the arts community to do some soul-searching. The Mint Museum, for instance, announced in July it was taking steps to promote diversity while acknowledging acts of discrimination in its past.
In early September, Gov. Roy Cooper allowed museums in North Carolina to reopen, with capacity limits, but other venues remain shuttered.
So where does that leave us?
In years past, the Observer produced an annual section detailing arts season highlights and calendars for upcoming programs. That’s not possible this year, with so much uncertainty remaining about when and how organizations can welcome people back.
So we’re trying something different.
Over the next three weeks, we’ll post stories looking at various groups — theater, music and dance, science and history museums, small arts groups, art museums, and visual arts and art galleries.
We’ll be checking in with them on the two big themes of the year: how they plan to keep customers and workers safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, and what impact the social justice movement is having on their events, productions and staff.
We hope you like it.
And as always, if you are interested in more arts coverage, you can sign up for the free “Inside Charlotte Arts” weekly newsletter at charlotteobserver.com/newsletters. You also can join our Facebook group, “Inside Charlotte Arts,” at https://www.facebook.com/groups/insidecharlottearts/.
This story was originally published September 8, 2020 at 8:29 AM.
