The YPA Weekly Round-Up
Articles, events, and opportunities for arts professionals prioritizing professional development, social and cultural issues, and resources within the field.
Like many of you, we are outraged and saddened by the senseless deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony Mcdade and so many more and support the peaceful protests erupting across the country and world. Enough is enough. Whether you are protesting in the streets or showing your support through volunteer work, donations, or advocacy, we hope you show up in whichever way you can to fight racism and to create a more just reality for all. We've included resources on how to smartly exercise your right to protest as well as a reading list to deepen your knowledge of being an anti-racist.
We also hope you will join us at the Association of Arts Administration Educators (AAAE) Conference on June 10 at 4pm for our session, From Arts Admin Programs into the Real World: How to Set Up Students for Success. We are co-leading it, with Baruch's Weissman School of Arts and Sciences Graduate Arts Administration Network (GAAN) and the Baruch Alumni in the Arts Network and are excited to share our knowledge with the field. Did we mention, it's free?
Looking for more ways to connect outside your usual circle? Meet us at our next bi-weekly CultureSwap Circle this Wednesday. Let's stand together, and build a future we can all be a part of.
RSVP for our next CultureSwap Circle Wednesday, June 3, at 8:30am - hosted by YPA and 92Y.
The last few weeks YPA has been participating in another weekly call (in addition to our CultureSwap Circles) with members of Baruch's Weissman School of Arts and Sciences Graduate Arts Administration Network (GAAN) and the Baruch Alumni in the Arts Network. Why, you may ask? Because pre-Covid-19 we had planned to co-host a session for the Association of Arts Administration Educators (AAAE) Conference that was going to take place next weekend. But just like everything else, AAAE had to pivot, and so did we. We're excited to announce that we're now hosting an online conference session titled From Arts Admin Programs into the Real World: How to Set Up Students for Success on June 10 at 4pm. We hope you can join us, it's free!
Until then, we hope you can grab a drink or some tea and participate in our weekly CultureSwap Circle this Wednesday. Or simply peruse through our usual collection or reads, events, and opportunities below!
Join us on Wednesday, May 27, at 8:30pm for our next CultureSwap Circle - hosted by YPA and 92Y.
Our weekly CultureSwap Circle has quickly become the new favorite part of our week. With both familiar and new faces joining each session, it's proven to be a valuable virtual gathering for sharing experiences, troubleshooting the issues facing our industry and trading resources and tips. We hope you will join us and this amazing community this Wednesday for our next morning session.
And if you have a particular question or topic that you would like to share with the group or you want to discuss with the group, please reply back to this email. We can prompt the discussion for you or open the floor for you to "present" your experience with the group. Here are a few examples of topics that have come up during previous Circles - "how are your organizations planning for virtual gala's?" "How do you help a new colleague feel welcome and integrated into staff in this virtual world?" or "how are others providing opportunities for engaging teacher/student interactions?"
Join us on Wednesday, May 20, at 8:30am for our next CultureSwap Circle - hosted by YPA and 92Y.
We loved seeing some of you for our CultureSwap Circle this past Wednesday morning! It really gave us the necessary push to finish the rest of the week. It was also an important reminder of how we are all experiencing this time differently and yet what joins us all is our unwavering love for the arts and our belief in its significance and power. However you're experiencing this time, we hope that the below Reads, Events, Podcasts, Videos and more will be a welcome help, distraction, or resource. And whether you're a native New Yorker, someone who has moved here one or ten years ago, or has only visited—Spike Lee's short video "New York" released on Instagram is a love declaration to the city. Find it under our Reads below.
Join us on Wednesday, May 13, at 8:30pm for our next CultureSwap Circle - hosted by YPA and 92Y.
Apparently another week of social distancing has come and gone. Honestly, our days and weeks are melding together and we are having a hard time believing its somehow May but here we are. As we all dream of a future outside our homes, many are wondering when we will begin to re-open businesses and what that will actually look like for cultural institutions. Check out Reads to hear what the industry is projecting. For Events, take advantage of the many online spaces still available for learning and come seek out community with us at our first CultureSwap Circle on Wednesday morning. So many cultural workers are going through many of the same challenges so let's share resources and experiences.
Join us on Wednesday, May 6, at 8:30am for our first CultureSwap Circle - hosted by YPA and 92Y.
These days it can be hard to find glimmers of hope or even good news, especially when it comes to the arts industry. But there was one article that put things into a little perspective this week and made us remember other times when humanity was at peril and the status quo was questioned. In this ARTnews article that considers whether art is just a luxury, Jody Patterson looks at the history of the Works Progress Administration Federal Art Project. Then president "Roosevelt insisted that support for democracy and for the arts are one and the same. By encouraging the creation and enjoyment of artistic culture, democracy itself was strengthened."
We'll have more virtual events coming up soon and are excited to announce a new great collaboration. We'll share more with you soon and until then are sharing plenty to read/watch/listen and apply to.
A new normal is sinking in, as we all settle into another week of social distancing. We are feeling grateful for this community and the opportunity to just take a moment to connect. It was great to see some new and familiar faces at our Virtual Breakfast and to start our day learning from each other. Keep an eye out here for more virtual events to help us unite during these unprecedented times.
Until then, check out our suggestions below. Stay safe and sane, and feel free to shoot us a line if you want to connect directly!
What is getting you through the days during this time? Join us for our YPA Virtual Breakfast Hour tomorrow, Wednesday, April 15 from 8:30am - 9:30am to share in a morning chat and connect with arts professionals like yourself about your professional and personal struggles, finding your outlet while confined, and coping during this crisis. And if you can't participate, write us a line. We would love to hear from you!
As ever, we have compiled a list of reads, (virtual) events, and opportunities (yes, some places are still hiring!). We also keep finding great Covid-19 related resources that some wonderful organizations or individuals have put together, so we created a special section for it to share with you. If you know of more, let us know.
With news of all museum, arts organization, and cultural institution lay-offs and furloughs coming at us almost daily among just the everyday stress of living through a global pandemic, today we are thankful for resources like the Dia Foundation's Meditations from artist Diana Mangaser. For the more pragmatic reader, we also provided our usual round-up of Covid-19 resources, such as Ladies Get Paid’s new resources and benefits for those recently laid off as well as articles to help navigate the infuriatingly complicated process of applying for unemployment benefits. While we can't connect at an event or performance, there are still plenty of professional development opportunties to tune into virtually. But remember to take it one day at a time. We also have to remind ourselves that it’s ok to simply be, check in on your loved ones, have that Netflix marathon, enjoy the Switch console.
It's almost too exhausting to keep track of every single new development on a basically minute-to-minute basis these days. We're trying to take a breath anytime we can, calm our anxieties, and find silver linings in the smallest of things (sweatpants for days, anyone?). We know each of you has been affected in many different ways and are hoping that some of the articles, webinars, livestreams and more below can offer some help or guidance.
We would love to continue fostering the wonderful community that YPA has become over the past years and make sure we're there for each other. Join us for our YPA Virtual Breakfast Hour on April 15 from 8:30am - 9:30am.