From Pam Breaux for NASAA: “I recently joined state arts agency leaders for the NASAA 2023 Learning Series session, Leading in the Face of Disaster. We all know that unexpected disasters are often devastating for communities, and the arts community is certainly no exception. Whether we’re thinking about weather and climate disasters like floods, fires and hurricanes or about other kinds of emergencies, in the aftermath of catastrophe there are important roles state arts agencies can play, especially to help the arts community connect to resources and pertinent information needed to begin recovering.”
“Unfortunately, weather and climate disasters have become so numerous and intense that it’s challenging to name all those most recently impacted. Top of mind for me at the moment are our colleagues in Florida because of recent storms, our colleagues in Vermont due to unprecedented flooding this year, and our colleagues in Hawaiʻi because of the devastating fires in Maui. There are certainly others, and the current hurricane season steadily making headlines isn’t helping any of us rest easily. In each of these examples, state arts agencies are leading and going about the work of understanding and illuminating the impact of disasters and connecting the arts community to much-needed resources.”
“Our speakers shared valuable perspectives, learning and resources that can help prepare state arts agencies to respond to disasters. Please check out the webinar and its related resources. I know you’ll join me in thanking our speakers for their leadership in this space and for sharing their knowledge with us.”