After the reopening of gallery spaces, artists are embracing new ways to engage audiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A study done by Americans for the Arts shows that, in 2015, spending by attendees of non-profit cultural and arts events totaled $237.2 million in Phoenix. The total number of those attending cultural and arts events was 6.8 million. However, those numbers have been impacted by closures during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Eye Lounge, an art collective run by its members, requires masks, social distancing and an appointment for viewers to see exhibitions. Eye Lounge also has an occupancy limit of three visitors in the studio at once.
Despite restrictions, Kim Sweet, former member of the Eye Lounge, acknowledged value in smaller shows because her work is seen in a private way.
“It felt like a little chapel that people were coming into to see the work. There was something quite lovely about that intentionality,” she said.
Sweet described the stress that resulted from the meticulous planning of her show in late June but said that the result was worth it. Groups of three made the show intimate, she said.
“It makes space for the work, and it also gave me time to talk to whoever was in the space on a one-on-one, a very personal level,” Sweet said. “I was really apprehensive about it, but it turned out to be great.”
Sweet also discussed the challenges she faced in promoting her show. To generate interest in her work, Sweet stepped out of her comfort zone. Her team pushed her to do new things she had never tried, “like be on a video chat,” Sweet said.
Gina DeGideo, a current member of the Eye Lounge, describes herself as “passionate about having physical spaces.”
DeGideo said she missed the social experience that gallery openings provided before the pandemic. Face-to-face interactions and the opportunity for artists to develop camaraderie have been minimized during exhibitions, she said, describing the experience as “isolating.”
However, DeGideo said smaller shows have changed the direction of her focus when she is in a physical art space.
“I’ve used this awkward, weird time right now in life to use my gallery and my show to…focus on the quietness of what it’s going to be like in there,” she said. DeGideo also said that her show is “more meditative” and like “art therapy.”
She emphasized how the quietness of the gallery space underscored the art she was showing, and how the quieter shows highlight her “contemplative” and “reflective” art.
Ashley Macias, a full-time, independent artist, was scheduled to have an exhibition in downtown Phoenix when COVID-19 started to impact small businesses. Her first solo show in a few years was postponed with no definite reopening date.
Macias turned to Instagram to supplement her income when COVID-19 made it difficult to rely on commissions. In addition, Macias made her art more accessible, she said.
“I was trying to find a way to connect with people and still show them how important art was,” she said.
She described a set of cards she created and sold on Instagram as a “personal, daily diary” that was inspired by a “utopia, a better world.”
The pandemic has also given communities a chance to come together during a difficult time. People don’t always have a way to evoke what they’re feeling but, by sharing art, people can see that they are not alone, Macias said.
Macias also discussed how platforms, like her following on Instagram, are powerful forces that have a meaningful impact with art.
“This has offered me an opportunity to really reflect on what it is I’m trying to convey through my work, and also how that art can maybe be used to help organizations or help people,” she said.
Sweet said now that more people are staying home, art can change how they interact with their own spaces. And DeGideo highlighted how consuming art has positively impacted her own life and said “having work that people can come get for their own space” could be a positive for those spending more time at home because of the pandemic.
“I want to get out and do more when we’re in a time where everyone feels like they can’t do enough,” she said.
Contact the reporter at rjohn118@asu.edu
