The COVID-19 pandemic has struck with remarkable rapidity and is affecting every aspect of our lives: as artists, cultural workers, quarantined travelers, parents of young children, and caretakers of aging parents. To maintain the safety of ELAN’s staff, our work will be conducted remotely until further notice. Presently, our main focus will be working closely with other arts service organizations and funders to provide support to artistic communities.

In the next few days, Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec will release a form that artists can use to record lost revenue and unbudgeted costs. Similarly, our sister organization the Quebec Drama Federation is urging theatre professionals to keep detailed personal records of their financial loss. A template with instructions on how to fill it can be found here. In addition, QDF is collecting data on how COVID-19 is affecting English theatre companies and individual artists. If these forms are relevant to you, we encourage you to complete them.

We have created a COVID-19 page where we will regularly post information on services and resources available to artists, ways to support artists, and general updates from funders, the Government of Quebec, and the Government of Canada. Please note that this page is in development. We welcome you to check back in regularly for new updates. If you have a resource in support of artists that you would like to share, feel free to contact us at communications@quebec-elan.org.

This unpredictable pandemic is stressful for everyone. We have a shared responsibility to minimize transmission of infection by following public health guidelines. We also have a duty to help one another. We can get through this by working together and sharing the resources we have.

 

Guy Rodgers

Executive Director