The Sanford Center, the Paul Bunyan Playhouse, NLFX and other music venues and studios will light up red this Tuesday in solidarity of the performing arts industry in Red Alert “RESTART”.
According to NLFX Professional’s Ben Stowe, the COVID-19 pandemic has drastically affected the arts industry.
According to the “Be An Arts Hero” Coalition, the arts and culture sector employs 5.1 million people and provides $877 billion value added to the U.S. economy. Due to COVID-19, 62 percent of arts workers are fully unemployed and 94 percent report income loss.
There is bipartisan legislation, the RESTART Act, pending in Congress which may provide some relief to the industry.
Minnesota’s Senator Amy Klobuchar also introduced the “Save our Stages” bill to fund independent venues struggling in the pandemic.
The Red Alert RESTART, an initiative started in the U.K., will take place Tuesday, Sept. 1, from 9 p.m. to midnight, with major cities across America participating.
