Rhiannon Giddens Launches Art Is Alive

In response to COVID-19, recent lockdowns and a perilous climate for working artists, Rhiannon Giddens has teamed with Amanda Palmer and author Neil Gaiman to create Art Is Alive: A COVID-19 Directory of Give and Take, a website that collects and lists resources for artists and those willing to help them. It will also house links and resources for fostering awareness, togetherness, and hope for the creative freelance communities affected by the pandemic. Art Is Alive, unveiled today, lays out donation opportunities, sources of available funding, a full and ever-evolving list of official insights and information, as well as a breakdown of platforms offering at-home performance opportunities. The site aims to connect artists to fans in the current stay-at-home climate. 

Visit Art Is Alive here: https://www.artliveson.com/

For those in a position to donate, Art Is Alive accepts donations via the pre-existing Artist Relief Tree fund (Giddens, Palmer and Gaiman are ambassadors for the fund, alongside authors George RR Martin, Brené Brown, and musicians Brian Eno and Mike Posner), which has raised approximately $240,000 thus far, and also points to numerous other places to give. For those not in a position to donate, there is a calendar of streaming and watch parties to tune into. Artists can submit their streaming event via the contact form here: https://www.artliveson.com/contact

Artists in need can consult the Resources section of the website for guidance on navigating unemployment, tools for creatives, and general information provided by coalitions and media organizations ranging from Billboard to the CBC: https://www.artliveson.com/resources

“This is an unprecedented moment in history, and millions of artists are falling quickly through the cracks,” Giddens, Palmer, and Gaiman shared in a joint statement. “While millions of people stay at home listening to music and watching movies, the same artists who create the stories and myths and dance-music we all love are the very same people who may be wondering how they are going to feed their kids next month.

"There have been thousands of crowdfunding links, GoFundMes, Patreons, and other fundraising efforts flying around to help artists who are slipping, and it can all get very overwhelming for an artist seeking help, or for a generous person who wants to support. We are hoping that this website can act as a kind of general yellow pages for the current money emergency in the art and music world.

“Everything is critical now, and so is Art. 

“We can’t eat art, but it feeds us. 

Art is the glue that ties us together. 

Art is what makes us feel real

Art is not an excessive luxury. 

ART IS A MUST. 

IN ART WE TRUST.”

Read the full statement here: https://www.artliveson.com/about