Recently the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) organized a webinar focusing on the state of creative cultural industries. The OECD recognizes the economic vibrancy of the cultural and creative sectors as sources of both direct (jobs, tax revenues, etc.) and indirect economic and social benefits (contributions to place-making, innovation, and social cohesion in particular). This webinar illustrated the opportunity to think about the entire cultural ecosystem and forge a more integrated sector that can help many organizations become more flexible, resilient, and sustainable, no matter what changes the future may hold.

The Historic New Orleans Collection has postponed a major exhibition scheduled for later this year, the New Orleans Museum of Art has canceled a big fundraiser, and The National World War II Museum has slashed spending for travel and marketing. Like businesses throughout the area, New Orleans’ major museums are making painful decisions to help them stay afloat after the coronavirus pandemic forced them to shut down in mid-March.

April 22 is World Earth Day, which aims to evoke human consciousness to protect Earth, our home. We take you around the National Maritime Museum of China in Tianjin, where you can see exhibitions of ancient oceans in a vivid experience. This is the first time spectators can enjoy the polar exhibition after its renovation.

DUBAI: The Louvre Abu Dhabi is making sure that self-isolation doesn’t have to come at the cost of culture.

This month, the cultural institution rolled out its digital offering, which includes free access to more content via virtual tours, video, audio and downloadable activities so that art aficionados can get their culture fix from home.

“While Louvre Abu Dhabi is temporarily closed, our mission of sharing stories of cultural connections continues,” said Manuel Rabaté, Director of Louvre Abu Dhabi in a statement. “Turning to art in difficult times can be truly inspiring and rewarding.”

Forced to close by the coronavirus crisis, Canada’s museums and public art galleries quickly redirected visitors to their digital offerings: social-media feeds, 3-D gallery tours, videos of curators’ talks, online exhibitions, and image banks of their collections. Virtual experiences beckon, yet the truth is that only a tiny fraction of Canada’s public collections can be seen online.

Contemporary Calgary has launched Art Where You Are which includes an intriguing interview with British artist Luke Jerram, whose Museum of the Moon was on display when the gallery closed. He talks about his art as well as tides, microbiology and COVID-19.

The Art Gallery of Hamilton has launched AGH at Home, an online hub of art content that includes workshops for both adults and children, virtual tours, artist interviews, videos, storytime, the AGH Film Series Online and AGH Magazine articles, says Megan Olynik, AGH interim manager, marketing and communication.

Lord Cultural Resources is working with the Art Gallery of Hamilton on a feasibility study and architectural plan to ensure they have a sound, shovel-ready expansion plan ready as soon as infrastructure funding is available.

Working from home has become the new norm and it has been a major adjustment for public institutions that are used to providing face-to-face services and programs.

During the coronavirus pandemic, the Niagara-on-the-Lake Museum and the Public Library have had to adapt to the times. Patrons can’t go into the museum or library, so both facilities’ staff have been figuring out how to bring the museum and library into people’s homes virtually.

Each museum and research facility under the Smithsonian umbrella is reckoning with COVID in its own way. But they are also collaborating on both strategy and logistics. As families, communities, and colleagues around the world grapple in their own ways with the invisible threat of the novel coronavirus, humankind shares an unusually acute sense of traversing a period of deep historical import. Once-bustling downtown areas sit deserted while citizens everywhere sequester themselves for the common good. Social media platforms and teleconferencing services are ablaze with the messages of isolated friends and loved ones. As medical workers risk their lives daily to keep ballooning death tolls in check, musicians and comedians broadcast from their own homes in the hopes of lifting the spirits of a beleaguered nation. It is a time of both ascendant empathy and exposed prejudice, of collective fear for the present and collective hope for a brighter future.

Lord Cultural Resources is working with the Smithsonian Institution on revisioning and reprogramming for the Historic Core buildings on the South Mall. While this work began before the shutdown, it helps the Smithsonian be more adaptable and resilient for now and in the future.

The Lincoln & Welland Regiment announced that the new site of the Niagara Military Heritage Centre will be located at 12761 Sodom Rd. Niagara Falls, Ontario. Some may remember this as the site of the Russell Group Air shows. The site has a long rich history. During the Second World War, it was used as a RCAF training airfield. For many years, the Russells have been gracious enough to allow us to store many of our historic vehicle collection there. Over time, it became the optimal location for the museum, as it aligned with our time frame and strategic plan.

Lord Cultural Resources was pleased to work with the Lincoln and Welland Regiment on further developing the concept for the Niagara Military Heritage Centre and testing the feasibility of their future plans.

The cultural strategy expert Andras Szanto offers a step-by-step look at how museums could help the public regain a sense of normalcy.

Museums around the world are looking to Europe to see how reopening plays out.

While major museums in the United States remain shut down, other museums around the world have either reopened or announced plans to resume their activities under new safety guidelines, providing a glimpse into what the “new normal” of the museum experience might look like post-lockdown.

Based on data collected before 3 April in the first round of NEMO’s survey, it is clear that museums have had to make many changes to their daily work due to the current situation. A creative solution has been to shift staff tasks to provide services online. 30% of museums have changed staff tasks while 13% have added resources to online activities.

The first museums opened on April 22 in the state of Brandenburg in a gradual easing of the coronavirus lockdown; bigger museums may take longer to reopen. In Brandenburg, the first of Germany’s 16 states to allow museums to reopen after the coronavirus lockdown, small rural museums have opened their doors to the public for the first time today, with limits on visitor numbers and security precautions in place. It will take longer for bigger museums to follow suit, according to the German museums’ association.

As authorities slowly ease lockdown restrictions in Germany, Berlin’s state museums and memorials will soon be able to reopen their doors—but in a very different landscape than before, governed by very different rules. Museums within the state of Berlin—of which there are 170, ranging from private to municipal institutions—are planning to reopen on May 4, a representative for Berlin state museums confirmed by email. But the city’s mayor, Michael Müller, is remaining cautious. According to a report in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, he said there was no “general all-clear” and, echoing recent remarks from the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, described the situation as “very, very fragile.”

Sharjah Museums Authority is bringing everyone a virtual tour of its Arab contemporary and modern art housed at Sharjah Art Museum. People can immerse themselves in exceptional artworks by renowned artists from the gulf region, Northwest Africa, the Levant, Egypt, Yemen, Iraq, and Sudan. Enjoy your tour!

While museums and galleries have rushed to offer more and more online experiences as their physical spaces remain closed, we discuss the ones that stand out.

LOS ANGELES — The low-slung building on Washington Boulevard here might seem like a nondescript storefront sandwiched between a carpet installation business and a lawn mower repair shop.

But in the eight years since it was founded, the Underground Museum has become not only one of the most important destinations for black art in the country but also a crucial gathering place for its working class Arlington Heights neighborhood — with a bookstore featuring works by black writers, poetry readings in the wooden bar and events in its back garden including free meditation, yoga and movie screenings.

The Sharjah Museums Authority has picked up an award at LCD Berlin. Dubbed the “Oscars for Museums,” the annual event honours and celebrates the world’s top cultural destinations.

Other questions arise over our ZOOM meeting as to the future of technology in Architecture and Urbanism. Smart Cities have been, for long, branded as tech-fuelled urban solutions, but only enforced as property development. End users rarely ended up with a more performant lifestyle, but developers on the other hand, through clever branding, did gain in sales. With the role of technology being highlighted in this pandemic, from the role of Artificial Intelligence in the early detection of the virus in Wuhan to its role in tracking the outbreak, technological solutions will be back in fashion. Smart city solutions will gain from this and may witness another peak. But do we need to continue pursuing it as property development or does the concept need a review?

Homebound and feeling the wanderlust? Our critic’s guide to the best online presentations from the world’s leading art palaces and picture galleries.

Ottawa, April 21, 2020―CBC/Radio-Canada and the Canada Council for the Arts today announced the creation of Digital Originals, a new time-limited funding initiative to help artists, groups and arts organizations pivot their work for online audiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding will directly benefit creators of original digital content.

The Canada Council will provide a total of $1 million in funding to successful applicants to develop, create and share original or adapted works with Canadian audiences online. CBC/Radio-Canada will showcase and amplify the discoverability of select projects on one or more of its platforms.

Top stage talents Seana McKenna and Dion Johnstone, author Margaret Atwood, and former governor-general and broadcaster Adrienne Clarkson are among the many Canadian cultural figures rallying around a new theatre mentorship website called GhostLight.

It has been a challenging time for the arts and culture sector. The volume of cancellations and closures has left many organizations, on the one hand, quickly responding to the sudden changes, and on the other, seriously wondering what their future looks like. The challenges are ongoing as museums, galleries, festivals, and theatres continue to grapple with difficult decisions every day. With this in mind, it is the second question we wish to dedicate this newsletter edition to, as a respite from the hardship and as a reminder of what lies ahead.

The Art Newspaper has published its annual attendance survey for more than two decades. While data collected for this year’s report reflects the usual fluctuations in visitor numbers worldwide, the period predates the widespread effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Next year we may find that Art’s Most Popular is measured more by digital engagement than footfall.

Even with branches closed, Toronto Public Library continues to serve our community in unique and valuable ways. When more than 1/3 of food banks closed, we quickly turned eleven of our library branches into food centres to support those who are most vulnerable in our city. To date, we have helped feed close to 5,000 families. And now with your help, TPL is adding free children’s books to family food hampers to keep kids reading, learning and thriving during these challenging times.

On behalf of the nearly 70% of Torontonians who rely on TPL – thank you for choosing to invest in our city.