Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1355320
NORTHSHOREMAG.COM 70 APRIL 2021 The fiscal damage created by the COVID-19 pandemic has been felt across the globe. Arguably, one of the hardest hit industries is the arts and entertainment world. A year later, the breadth of the damage left in the wake of this crisis is frighteningly beginning to surface. Theatres throughout the country, many already operating on a shoestring, officially announcing their permanent closures; museums regrouping to avoid being shuttered; iconic tourist attractions sadly becoming a part of history past—the fallout is real and long lasting. Ann Marie Casey, executive director of the North of Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau and co-chair of the MA Regional Tourism Councils shares, "North of Boston's tourism industry generates 1.2 billion dollars a year. These numbers encompass lodging, dining, entertainment, retail trade, and transportation from visitors to the region who live at least 50 miles away. This does not even include local spending. Over the course of the pandemic, at a conservative estimate, tourism revenues on the North Shore are expected to decline by at least 485 million dollars." Thankfully, cultural organizations are composed of inventive thinkers. When they say, "the show must go on," you can bet it will. Artistic souls will go down swinging to save their craft. Creating is in their blood. They have no choice. To look for the silver linings of this past year, look to the people working in the arts—strong, tenacious creatives who defined the word pivoting before it was in fashion. Out of their passion came vision, inspiration, and unexpected partnerships. Local theatres and museums rely on vision, inspiration, and unexpected partnerships to survive the pandemic. BY K AREN NASCEMBENI CULTURAL RESILIENCE PHOTOGRAPHS, TOP TO BOTTOM BY JOHN ANDREWS, BY THOM ADORNEY I N D E P T H U N E X P E C T E D PA RT N E R S H I P S Performing arts venues sought unique partnerships that allowed them to bring their programming outdoors, offering exposure and raising money for historic properties while forming a nice cross-pollination of new supporters. Bethany Dorau, regional site administrator for Historic New England's properties says, "It was inspiring to see how many cultural and historical organizations came together to stay relevant. There was an online Tales & Ales presented in partnership with Newburyport's Custom House Maritime Museum. We partnered with the Firehouse Center for the Arts for their Firehouse on the Farm series at the Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm in Newbury, where they presented five fully produced musicals ( four of them drive-in style), and offered private picnics at the Beauport Sleeper-McCann House in Gloucester." The Cabot presented a series of 20 outdoor concerts over four months at Hale Farm. Because they had to serve food along with cocktails, The Cabot worked with Salem's non- profit Root to set up tables and chairs, a full bar, and prepare meals. The partnership supported Root's community meal mission. The Cabot's executive director, Casey Soward, says, "The last show of the year was on Halloween with The Suitcase Junket. The property was covered Hale Farm hosted outdoor concerts presented by The Cabot. Above, The Mural Project brings art to the streets in Lynn as Jersey barriers become canvases.