Pandemic and New Partnerships: RoCo Art Alliance

DISRUPTIONS & INSPIRATION
​It might be surprising that we hadn't thought to do this before now, but such is the inspiration of a major disruption (like a pandemic). It takes a terrible toll on all aspects of life, yet also inspires new ways of thinking about how to be in the world.

We'd been talking with fellow art organizations in Rockingham County, and it became clear pretty quickly that without some form of rescue funding, we were looking at the loss of major parts of our local art infrastructure. We thought that, as the county arts council, we might be in the best position to write a grant proposal for emergency funding to help key art organizations pay essential bills through the end of the year.

But, wanted to do more than merely save the organizations. We challenged ourselves to consider how the arts could come out of the pandemic stronger than ever. And so the RoCo Art Alliance was born thanks to collaborative help from the Fine Arts Festival Association and Piedmont Folk Legacies.

ROCO ART ALLIANCE IS BORN
RC Arts Council quickly wrote a grant to the Reidsville Area Foundation and thanks to contributing support from the North Carolina Arts Council and Piedmont Folk Legacies, we raised a total of $24,950 to provide critical funding to five art organizations in the county and to form the RoCo Art Alliance - it's first job is to host a series of webinars that will help participants create art that reflects their experience during the pandemic. The virtual programs are intended to connect participants, give voice to their experiences during the pandemic, and create a body of work to be publicly displayed when the health crisis is over. 
 
The artist/maker workshops will be held online and will be free and open to the public. The project’s website is under development at  www.rocoartalliance.org.
 
The founding partnership organizations of RoCo Art Alliance are Rockingham County Arts Council, Fine Arts Festival Association, Piedmont Folk Legacies, Mayodan Arts Center and Art in the Garden.

HOW TO JOIN
Pass the word to organizations you think may be interested RoCo Art Alliance. They can contact me at director@rcarts.org or Debbie Moore at fineartsfestival1741@gmail.com. A 501(c)(3) status is not required to join the Alliance.

Until next time, be safe and wash those creative hands,
Jenny

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