AW COVID-19 UPDATE: March 20, 2020

Hello all, we would like to give an update on what has been happening with us over the last few weeks. It’s hard to think that it’s coming up on a week since we closed the studio. When things started to really hit with the COVID-19, we knew that we needed to act as fast as possible. Many of the artists we support have underlying health issues that can put them at greater risk of dangerous complications if they get sick. We also realized that we needed to help protect our staff and the community by following the most conservative protocols possible. On Wednesday, March 11th, we decided to close the studio to all outsiders, and by the weekend, we had closed the studio altogether. As a staff team, we are currently self-isolating to try to help control the spread of the infection and to help flatten the curve. That said, it’s having a pretty huge impact on us. Like everyone else, when our doors close, our income stops just as suddenly. As a result, our limited reserves for paying staff salaries and health insurance are dwindling rapidly, and most importantly our ability to work with the artists is completely compromised.

But just because we are closed, doesn’t mean we haven’t been working overtime. As a team, we have been burning the midnight oil to reformulate how we operate. We know that this thing isn’t going to go away overnight, so we have to act quickly to adapt to the new reality. To that end, we are developing new strategies around how we safely deliver services to the artists we support. We are also developing new ways to interact with the public when we can’t be face to face. In the coming weeks and months, we will stock the online store and open it to the public. You can also expect to see and hear a lot more from us online, as we develop ways to work with the artists and share community resources digitally. Lastly, we expect that we’ll have more opportunities for volunteers to participate, interact, and contribute remotely.

I won’t pretend that we aren’t scared. As a community, we all have a lot at stake right now, and we all have everything to lose. We need each other now more than ever. The AW artists need their community, and the community needs them in return. We are looking forward to getting to know all of you a lot better, as we work our way through this.

Adversity brings change.

Change brings growth.

Growth brings wholeness.

Wholeness brings joy.

-Lance-