Delving into how artists have responded to the virus, this article was a great starting point. Not only for good reference but for giving me tips for my own practice.
Online presence is mentioned first here. For many artists, strengthening that presence was the key to successfully working virtually. One of the featured artists, Helen Klebesadel mentions, “I will use this time to finally finish setting up an online watercolor workshop that I have been thinking about for five years,". By starting up workshops meant the artist could keep engaged with the viewer and other artists and shown her ability to maintain communication with others in isolation. Being a full time student, this is clearly something I won't be looking into currently. However, during the lockdown I have been keeping my social media art pages up to date. There's definitely an increase in activity within the virtual art community. Artists supporting each other through shares and likes and also showcasing their lockdown art. I believe this has definitely helped to stay engaged in my projects. The artists are not giving up!
In comparison again, Klebesadel went further to set up a Facebook group called "Cabin Fever Creative Community." A space for artists to share their work online and create a sense of place within isolation.
Back in March, with two friends we set up an online platform in hopes of bringing local artists together. A way to support by sharing work and also increase our contacts. We managed a successful chain mail style project. The first participant would a piece in response to lockdown to then be sent to the next person who would respond using any media, and so on. The results were great as we'd created a shared artistic experience through the impact of the virus.
Using the platform to share our own work too, I have shared bits of the work I've been doing for this project. Having others see the work and interact lets me know what the viewer understands from my work, and that the concept is successful or lacking in certain areas. Which has been hard to achieve over lockdown. To summarise, having online presence has had an effect on my work. To have viewers where I normally wouldn't has been helpful. Similar in the way the artist mentioned had set out to do.
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