Arts Arts at Home SAACA, Club Congress keep the music flowing BY SARA EDWARDS Through the COVID-19 pandemic, Southern Arizona Arts & Culture Alliance is not letting the arts go silent. To keep the community engaged and the Tucson arts scene from going quiet, SAACA has compiled a running list of virtual classes, workshops and performances from local artists. Matt Rolland, the director of programs for SAACA, says the organization wanted to help artists continue to create content and become exposed to the community despite the stay-at-home orders. “Traditionally, in our programming we have provided professional development support and exposure opportunities for artists, but those have been in person, so this is the first time we really got an overwhelming task of going online,” he says. “We quickly put together the online resources to give some starting blocks for our artists.” SAACA’s online list was compiled to be a starting point for artists and the community when it came to finding online resources and virtual activities to keep busy while in quarantine. The list is organized by practice. The categories vary, with content like live music from local artists and
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venues, culinary arts content on bread making, or cooking tutorials and webinars for small businesses. SAACA is also encouraging local artists to submit their content ideas for the running list. The website even includes tutorials for creating videos, livestreams and webinars to help artists get started on their content. “I don’t think there’s ever been a time in my memory where artists at one time have taken to creating online content, and it’s exciting to see so many artists embracing new technology,” Rolland says. Club Congress is one of the performance centers on the content list, livestreaming a local band or musician every night through its website. David Slutes, the entertainment director for Club Congress, says they wanted to find a way to broadcast live music in a business-as-usual fashion without gathering at the club or risking the spread of the virus. Instead, Club Congress has asked all scheduled acts to perform from their homes. “We have people perform every night of the week,” Slutes says. Club Congress also partnered with the Southern Arizona Artist and Musician Healthcare Alliance so that the perform-
ing musicians on the livestream could be paid. The alliance offers “emergency medical relief awards for artists and musicians in the city of Tucson, Pima County, Cochise County and Santa Cruz County,” according to the Artists and Health Insurance website. Slutes says that aside from not being able to hold in-person acts and performances, it’s business as usual at Club Congress when it comes to live music. He said as long as the musicians have the technological means to do a livestream, the performances still go on. “If bands or DJs want to play, it’s the same process,” Slutes says. “We ask, ‘Are you good?’ And if they have the right technology set up to livestream, we schedule them.” The livestreams are every night at 9 p.m. during the week and can be viewed from Facebook, Twitch or Club Congress’ website, with upcoming performances from Tucson musicians like DJ Fat Tony or Lara Ruggles. SAACA will also create content of its own for the website to highlight local artists and the content it’s creating in a series called Undercover Arts Live. Rolland says the program will be a live weekly interview with an artist or performer about
who they are, what they do and how people can become engaged with their content. Rolland also said SAACA will release a four-part video series that tells the story of what is going on while encouraging creativity and collaboration even during the time of social distancing. He says the premiere will be in a few weeks online. The third way SAACA is inspiring the community, and Rolland’s favorite, is it will put together care packages for senior and health care facilities. He says they have asked artists in the area to donate arts and crafts kits, music players and DIY supplies to put in these care packages to deliver to the seniors in assisted living. “It’s a tough time to be living in assisted living right now,” Rolland says. “We’ve had about 30 responses from artists, and they will be donating 15 to 25 items. Then we’ll sanitize them and package them up and deliver them to the community.” Rolland says anyone can participate in creating content for SAACA’s website or donate supplies for the senior care packages. For more information about submitting content, how to create content of your own or how to donate supplies, visit saaca.org. MAY 2020
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