Easy and Effective Ways you can Support Artists during Disaster Recovery
** I will update this post as I learn more. Thanks to my artist friends who provided their insight and wisdom. If you have some suggestions, please comment below!**
The 100+ mph derecho that pummeled Iowa last week is finally reaching the national media. Across central Iowa, folks have lost their roofs, cars, and in some cases, homes to wind damage and fallen trees. Businesses have been destroyed, 10 million acres of Iowa's corn crop was flattened, and thousands are without power, gas, cell service, and Wifi. Entire communities are suffering.
I wanted to write a quick post about ways you can support artists experiencing catastrophic situations. Since COVID began, there have been many, many emergency grant opportunities for artists and creatives. The Brookings Institute just released this eye-opening article on COVID’s impact on the creative sector in the United States. Natural disasters require different navigation, and natural disasters + pandemic is utterly overwhelming. If you have a friend or a family member living in Iowa, and particularly in the Cedar Rapids area, please reach out to them via social media direct message. Again, cell service and wifi is spotty for many.
Seven Immediate Ways to Support Artists in Catastrophe
Donate money to them directly. If you can, avoid donating to a third-party. Hold off on actually purchasing artwork from them. While it’s always great to buy art from living artists, artists living through a catastrophe may have damaged artwork, studio space, or are literally picking up the pieces of their life. Mailing or delivering work may be difficult or impossible. Consider using Paypal, Venmo, or cash. If you can, ask your artist friend what form of payment would be easiest for them to access.
Deliver supplies, home goods, meals, ice, etc, depending on your proximity and the situation. Reach out. Know that folks may be overwhelmed with knowing what they need and with knowing who to contact.
Help with clean up, moving, and/or securing storage.
Cover a large monthly expense, such as rent, utility, or insurance.
Offer to assist in documenting any dwelling or property damage for insurance claims. (Make sure to back up or upload to the cloud.)
Contact local arts organizations for a list of local artists to support, if you don’t have personal connections. Ask how you can help.
Lobby on behalf of artists and creatives. Contact local representatives about financial support and emergency disaster funding.
Four Long-Term Ways to Support Artists in Disaster Recovery
Join Patreon. Patreon is a great way to provide reliable financial support to your artist friends as they are recovering and rebuilding their life and their business, and works as a monthly membership. You can search Patreon by individual names. (It would be WAY cool if the folks at Patreon could include location as part of their search engine so that folks could support artists from a particular region or community. Somebody get on that.)
Purchase work when their situation has stabilized.
Assess your own skills sets and assets. What service, expertise, or tool could you offer? Grant writing, copywriting, legal or insurance expertise? Small business experience? Do you own a truck? Have storage or temporary studio space available?
Regularly donate to artist recovery organizations, such as CERF+, Artist Relief, or your local state arts council.
Long story short: if you can, help. Please share with your networks and let me know what I missed.
Read Disaster Preparation Resources for Artists and Step-by-Step Disaster Recovery for Artists to learn more ways artists need support during challenging times.
Photo taken by my brother-in-law near his home in Chicago.