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Shortly after the coronavirus pandemic forced closure across Miami-Dade in March, the county Department of Cultural Affairs began sending artists and organizations monthly surveys to gauge how deeply the sector is suffering.
Unsurprisingly, the toll has been severe. Through July, individuals and groups collectively reported almost $100 million in lost revenue, an impact affecting some 16,000 jobs.
That’s a sizeable hit to a $1.4 billion local industry that encompasses museums, theaters, festivals, events and entrepreneurs and supports about 40,000 jobs, according to recent county figures.
“Everybody said it’s had an awful impact on their business,” Cultural Affairs Director Michael Spring said.
To survive, the arts and culture community has had to make big changes, downsizing to better cover expenses and shifting to online activities where possible to continue connecting with audiences and supporters.
Some are showcasing footage of past performances. Others have commissioned new work specifically for digital dissemination.
One such example is the South Florida Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center, which since early May has streamed newly commissioned music, dance and theatrical work on Facebook every Thursday at 7 p.m.
The series, called “Sessions: Virtual Cabaret,” features five- to 10-minute videos of artists performing in their current, isolated environs. Eric Fliss, the center’s executive director, said the idea is to give viewers a different look at artists they might have ever seen only onstage.
“I don’t want old stock footage of them performing in the theater,” he said. “I want to see how they’re doing their art at home.”
“Sessions,” which ends this month, is open by invitation only to artists with prior ties to the center. Performances are archived in a gallery on the center’s website after they stream on the social media platform.
While Mr. Fliss declined to say how much the center pays artists for appearing on “Sessions,” he confirmed it’s a flat, per-performance rate regardless of the number of performers in a video. To further help artists make ends meet, he said, the stream includes a “virtual tip” jar.
“If they have PayPal, Venmo or one of the million other ways people can get money now, we put it at the bottom of the screen and people tuning in can donate to the artist,” he said. “And to this day, people are still receiving small donations through the gallery we created on our website.”
Many other organizations have gone virtual as well. The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts has “a very sophisticated digital platform,” Mr. Spring said.
Culture Shock Miami, which provided event tickets to high school and college students before the pandemic, has converted its website into a platform showcasing virtual programming.
“As long as it’s accessible online, we’d like to hear about it!” the group’s homepage says.
GableStage at the Biltmore Hotel, like the South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center, has commissioned new work to premiere on its website every week. The nonprofit hired director-playwright Margaret Ledford to curate the series, titled Engage@GableStage.
“As you can guess, it’s edgy work,” Mr. Spring said. “Everyone’s trying to talk to their audience and keep them engaged with the kind of artistic experience they’re known for.”
The Miami City Ballet canceled all scheduled venue performances this season, but as Executive Director Tania Castrovedre Moskalenko told Miami Today last month, the organization is “reimagining” the season with new digital and outdoor performances.
Those organizations and around 55 others, including the Deering Estate, Fountainhead Residency and Studios, HistoryMiami Museum, New World Symphony and O, Miami, have combined their efforts on…
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