Today, it is complicated to find at least one industry that was not influenced by the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. Let’s take a moment and consider how COVID has influenced art.
IMPORTANCE OF ART
Art is more than simply creating a painting, writing a piece of beautiful music, or filming an excellent movie. Art makes people look beyond and urges them to create for the purpose of expression and meaning. Art can present information, shape our everyday lives, and help us to enjoy aesthetic beauty. What is more, art can help people reinterpret the meaning of their lives from a new viewpoint. Art shows the world in a way that varies the views and values of the audience.
The impact of art on our world is immeasurable; art is essential. People could probably exist without it, but they cannot truly live without it. Modern art is changing due to COVID-19. Doors of art exhibitions were closed. Art businesses had to offer their art online if they wanted to survive.
COVID-19 SIMPLY ACCELERATED CHANGE
Everybody understands that COVID has changed our world forever. It has impacted every industry. There have been both good and bad consequences from this pandemic. For instance, there’s been a serious leap in creating online access. The cloud became an overriding resource due to the pandemic. Online education passed to a new level. If virtual classrooms were something unattainable in past times, they are part of our reality today. The giant Disney Company showed its first major film on the Internet.
But how has COVID influenced art? To tell the truth, culture and the arts had already been developing new directions, but COVID simply speeded changes. Art transferred to online access. Art businesses had to govern their collections, hold exhibitions online, and give remote access to their workers — accept the changes or simply disappear.
ARTS HAD TO PRODUCE DIGITAL ALTERNATIVES
Before the pandemic, organizations utilized technology to develop and spread programming. Before 2020, the physical experience still prevailed over the online experience. All resources were directed to physical exhibitions.
Museums, galleries, and art dealers had no other variant. The worldwide lockdown made art institutions had to transfer to the Internet because only this means would give access to fundraising measures, events, etc.
You may be surprised, but despite problems of low attendance, art businesses have succeeded in increasing their digital audience. For instance, one museum reported the lowest attendance since 1964. Still, its number of subscribers increased by 23 percent on social media. This museum had millions of great visits to its site. Moreover, volunteering became an online possibility. One museum was the innovator to introduce virtual volunteering and after that many art organizations followed.
PANDEMIC LED TO DEMOCRATIZED ART
The pandemic caused the art industry to evaluate classic structures and adjust to a digital community-oriented on digital technologies. This gave access to new audiences.
Previously, people were restricted by cost, time, and geography to attend art galleries or events. Now with the transition to online events, art enthusiasts can forget about these restrictions. During the pandemic, art lovers can enjoy their favorites on the Internet. Sitting on their couch, they can walk through the galleries with the help of augmented reality. Who needs a vacation to visit a special exhibition?
Some virtual art fairs were popular, which even led to websites crashing when they were launched. Online viewing rooms (OVR) were already under development before the COVID-19 outbreak, but the urgency to develop virtual projects speeded up the timeline.
While the hallmark of 2020 is considered global access, artists decided to enliven our communities by going to the streets to share their response to the adversities of COVID-19 and civil worries. Examples of street art and murals started to appear everywhere. Public art began to possess an important role in entertaining as well as educating the community.Â
VISITING EVENTS ONLINE IS COMFORTABLE
Attending galleries online is comfortable. And attendance of online entertainment became normal in 2020. Virtual connections began to be the new norm given conditions of limited personal interaction. Zoom became the way we carried out almost all activities, including celebrations of birthdays, sports classes, meetings, and more.
Art activities became more approachable with the help of online video conferencing tools. Today, we can listen to lectures of famous painters and attend excursions to gallery exhibitions while staying home. People can visit these activities without thinking about prices for air tickets and hotel accommodations.
We believe that even after it is secure to return to personal activities, the art industry will continue with online channels as an effective method to connect with larger audiences, giving them convenient methods to interact with art.
SOCIAL DISTANCING HELPED TO GET CLOSER VIRTUALLY
Art businesses had to search for new methods of interacting with audiences during the shutdown. Before the pandemic, art lovers could attend gallery openings, socializing and discussing artwork while drinking a glass of champagne. Today, the accent on virtual gives more possibilities for dialogue with fewer distractions while still enjoy socializing with other art lovers.
You can, without any problem, listen to recorded conversations of artists and curators. Go on an artist’s studio tour, learn about their portfolio, the process of creation, and what inspires them. All of which makes the artworks come alive.
ONLINE SALES RAISED DESPITE CLOSED DOORS
Today, online sales are on the rise due to the direct necessity of auction houses, artists, dealers, and galleries to place their works online while their doors are closed. Simply speaking, their businesses transformed into a new kind of showroom. The art market became more transparent due to the transition to online. Many galleries started to display their prices.
Due to the problems of 2020, some artists started to change directions and create more affordable works. This led to sales in all price categories and the attraction of new buyers, creating an expansion of the online art market.
 ARTS WILL CONTINUE TO PROCEED AND DEVELOP
Art has helped people distract themselves during isolation time. During the complicated days of the pandemic, art reminded people of its inspirational strengths. We can be thankful for artists who continued to create masterpieces during the pandemic, the art businesses and institutions that continued to share these masterpieces, and the art lovers who proceeded to enjoy and buy them.
Author Bio: Oscar Mitchall is a professional author at a custom essay writing service, based in LA. He is always ready to provide students with interesting, high-quality, and inspiring essay writing on any topic. And he is happy to share his insights with a wide audience, so don’t miss the chance to expand your horizons.
