Support local arts and culture organizations.

They are doing their part to support you.

This is perhaps the most important message we’ve ever shared.

Arts United stands with arts and culture venues and organizations in prioritizing the health and well-being of our audience, employees, volunteers, friends, family members, and neighbors. We stand in unwavering solidarity with our community’s healthcare providers who are on the front-line of responding to the outbreak of COVID-19.

With the closure of venues, restaurants, bars, and public gatherings, many of the 18,500 arts, culture, and creative professionals in Northeast Indiana are standing on the front-line of this outbreak, too.

They are people you know: your friends, family members, and neighbors. They have worked hard to confront the myth of the starving artist by building a nationally-respected creative class with a network of small nonprofits, businesses, and entrepreneurs. Fifty-six percent of Northeast Indiana’s creative occupations are fully or partially self-employed. Many are employed, contracted, or supported by a nonprofit organization or small business. All strengthen our region’s economy, education, leisure, and quality of place. They’re a major reason why Fort Wayne continues to make the list as a best-of and top-performing community.

Arts and culture organizations and the employees that make their missions possible should not be considered unnecessary or non-essential even though for a period of time, the CDC and the Governor has rightly shuttered unnecessary and non-essential events and activities.

Many arts and culture nonprofits and businesses are resorting to contingency plans, and some will struggle to stay in business. Are we resilient? Yes. Are we thinking creatively about how to stay active? Yes. Will we be ready to serve our community when this crisis is over? We sure hope so, and we’re worried.

Here are some ways you can take action today to support local arts and culture. These organizations and professionals are doing their part to support you.

DON’T ASK FOR A REFUND – Consider your ticket a donation; it helps the organization stay in business and retain their employees.
RENEW OR BUY A MEMBERSHIP OR SUBSCRIPTION – Guarantee your support of your favorite organizations when they return to full production
GIVE – Even a small donation to your favorite arts and culture nonprofit can help, and most organizations allow online donations.
BUY – Most individual artists and makers sell their work online. Your purchase of their work could be a lifeline.
PARTICIPATE – Keep an eye out for virtual opportunities to take a class, enjoy a musical performance, or walk a gallery.
ADVOCATE – Consider the impact that national and statewide legislation can have on arts and culture nonprofits, businesses, and self-employed creatives.

Arts United is here for our community and striving to help our arts and cultural nonprofits withstand the unprecedented challenges that they now face, but we need your support.

The community’s participation in Arts United’s Annual Fund Drive is more important now than ever. Your support allows Arts United to provide the business infrastructure that is necessary to sustain arts and culture organizations: funding, facilities, human resources, shared technology, advocacy, and more.

Arts United serves as a steward of your donation to ensure that it is invested in organizations and programs that operate with excellence and make their programs accessible for all to participate – both now and in the future.

Please join us in sustaining arts and culture in Northeast Indiana, and stand with us.