The COVID-19 pandemic, now in its fifth month, has dealt a severe blow to Halton Hill artists, performers, art businesses and cultural organizations, many of whom do not qualify for federal CERB grants. But the Town is stepping in to offer some assistance. Halton Hills Cultural Services Department held the first of two Arts and Culture forums last Wednesday, as part of its COVID-19 recovery program. The forum was staged on Zoom and allowed artists and representatives from arts organizations to connect with each other and discuss some of the initiatives the Town is bringing forward. Wednesday's on-line forum was lightly attended, but Catherine McLeod, the Town's senior arts and cultural specialist for the Town, is hoping to get a bigger turnout for the next session on July 28 at 7 p.m. The event is free but requires participants to pre-register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/halton-hills-covid-19-arts-culture-forum-tickets-111034755944 The forum began with a round table discussion where artists and organizations talked about some of the adaptations they've had to make. Carolyn Martin of the Credit Valley Artisans reported that the group had to cancel its instructional programs and is not sure if it will be able to run their popular Christmas sale at the cottage this year in Cedarvale Park. However, the group is still planning on holding a Plein Air outdoor painting competition in August. These new initiatives from the Town may bring some relief to struggling art businesses. The Artist Next Door Artist program will “put funding back into the arts community,” according Pearl Schachter, cultural days producer and COVID-19 recovery program coordinator. $10,000 has been earmarked for the program. Artists, artist teams or cultural organizations can apply for up to $1,000 for the creation of new work in any discipline. Time is short, though. Proposals have to be submitted by August 7. Proposals can be submitted at https://www.haltonhills.ca/en/explore-and-play/resources/Documents/The%20Artist%20Next%20Door%20Call%20for%20Proposals_Final.pdf Artrepreneur Halton Hills is another facet of the initiative. The nine-week course will be offered on Zoom this fall. It will explore ways to monetize creativity including seminars on business planning, marketing skills and financial management. The program is free but requires a $100 deposit which will be returned upon completion of the course. Applications are being accepted until August 23. http://www.artrepreneurprogram.com/haltonhills/ As well, Culture Days will be going Canada-wide and moving to an expanded format this year. The event will be running for a month this year (Sept 25-Oct 25). Artists can create on-line or digital programming and thus reach new audiences from coast to coast. Some suggested activities include a “day in the life” photoshoot, creative collaborations and many others https://culturedays.ca/en Lastly, the Helson Gallery is again open at the Halton Hills Cultural Centre in Georgetown. Hours are limited to 10 a.m. -12 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays and are dependent on the availability of volunteer staff. The gallery is currently seeking volunteer docents (tour guides) to staff the facility. This is good news for Halton Hills artists, many of whom are often featured at the gallery.
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