Artists Pivot to Face Mask Making: the Epitome of ‘Art is Life

Artists Pivot to Face Mask Making:The Epitome of ‘Art Is Life’

If there is one thing that a global pandemic and resulting quarantine has taught us, it’s that art is everything. When we were mandated to stay in, Netflix released new shows, museums developed online tours, and dance archives bloomed with new activity. We soon found that when faced with struggle and uncertainty, art became an entity we couldn’t bear to live without. It’s not just the bread and butter to our everyday activities and pastimes, but also the rainbow sprinkles which mark our oncein-a-lifetime moments.

But with this newfound appreciation, there has also been plenty of setbacks for the art community. In fact, a survey by Americans for the Arts and Artist Relief found that 95 percent of artists have lost income during the pandemic. Funding has been slashed, performances postponed, and grants rescinded. In early April, the MoMA terminated all of its contracts with their freelance museum educators, cultural grants were revoked throughout Pennsylvania, and a UNESCO study predicted that 13 percent of the world’s museums may have to close their doors permanently thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Yet if art is anything, it’s resilient.