Photo Credit: Whitley Carpenter
With official graduation ceremonies postponed until July—if they happen at all—several Athens neighborhoods turned to caravans to celebrate their teenage residents' accomplishment.
One was Cedar Creek, where several dozen newly minted graduates paraded through the subdivision as neighbors cheered. Coronavirus robbed these students of part of their senior year, and the caravans were one way to restore a sense of normalcy.
All photos by Whitley Carpenter.
Following the onset of the coronavirus outbreak, representatives from various Athens arts organizations began meeting online once a week to touch base and identify strategies to advocate for local artists who have seen their income reduced or threatened during this critical time. In an effort to more precisely identify how the local arts community has been economically impacted by the pandemic, the Athens Arts Alliance administered an online survey to gather feedback from local artists, musicians, performers, makers, writers, educators and other creatives. These survey responses will be used to inform the local government about the challenges currently faced by the creative community, and will help shape proposals for relief opportunities.
See the AAA’s official press release and full survey results below.
Shelter Projects, a mini-fellowship program launched by the Willson Center for Humanities and Arts in response to the pandemic, seeks to support graduate students and community-based artists and practioners. Following two rounds of proposal reviews, 34 individuals have been selected to receive funding for their creative reflections on the pandemic. Look forward to seeing their work through Flagpole over the next few months!
Photo Credit: Savannah Cole/file
The LGBTQ organization Athens PRIDE has canceled its 2020 festival, usually scheduled for September, and is donating the funds earmarked for the festival to local nonprofits instead.
Athens PRIDE is donating $1,000 each to Live Forward, Casa de Amistad, the Athens Area Council on Aging, Athens Mutual Aid Network and Nuci's Space. Those nonprofits serve HIV-positive individuals, immigrants, seniors, people who need assistance with rent and those with mental health issues, respectively.
“We are deeply saddened by the decision to cancel our festival,” Athens PRIDE board president Amber Strachan said in a news release. “However, we are fortunate to be able to contribute to others in these unprecedented times. We will be donating funds to the organizations on the ground that are addressing the hardships Athens residents are facing as a result of COVID-19.”
Flagpole is collaborating with other area arts organizations to gather information during this unprecedented time, which is striking our culture as well as our health. This "Athens Arts Alliance" is seeking to inform the local government on the challenges being faced by our creative community, many of whom have had their incomes reduced, eliminated or threatened during this COVID-19 crisis.
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