On February 10, we had participants attend from all walks of the performing arts, and what was immediately apparent was the hunger for, and exuberance at, just being able to be together virtually to talk about how the performing arts can emerge from the pandemic and – perhaps most important – how we leverage the experience to make fundamental change for the performing arts, as we grapple with long-term trends that challenge our field.
While in truth, we could barely scratch the surface in just one day, certain things were deeply felt. The need for our field to diversify our administrations, performing rosters, board members, audiences, and more, is urgent. For too long our field has approached this issue as peripheral. The other headline, for me, was that we need to build institutions across our field that are more flexible and adaptable structurally and programmatically, responsive to communities, open to evolving ways of making art that is relevant to peoples’ lives and needs, and embraced by an increasingly broader and more inclusive audience. And we all must approach our work, our institutions and the people we impact, and those we would like to engage with, with a sense of humility.
Fred Bronstein
Dean | Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University
The Artists Panel explored how the role and expectations of performing artists might change in the wake of the pandemic, and what skills artists will need to thrive in the future.
Panelists:
Marin Alsop
Thomas Dolby
Du Yun
Stephen Hough
Sean Jones
Peter Sellars
Fred Bronstein, moderator
A panel of the chief executives leading major performing arts organizations delved into the long-term impact of COVID on established organizations, anticipated audience trends, and the role of technology in moving forward.
Panelists:
Afa Dworkin
Margaret Lioi
Deborah Rutter
Marc Scorca
Simon Woods
Fred Bronstein, moderator
The panel discussed the impact of the pandemic on the industry through the lens of arts funders, whose influence often drives program development.
Panelists:
Ben Cameron
Anita Contini
Susan Feder
Fred Bronstein, moderator
An interactive session centered on using design thinking to challenge assumptions and solve problems. Led by Farouk Dey, a leading expert in experiential education and Johns Hopkins University’s vice provost for integrative learning and life design, the session introduced the basic principles of design thinking utilizing case studies.
We have compiled articles and studies about COVID-19 and the performing arts to further build on the discussions held during the symposium.