A Vision for Emergency Readiness, Response and Recovery in the Arts Sector

This country’s diverse artistic output is one of our greatest resources. However, the arts sector is at great risk of loss from unanticipated and unplanned events. Time and again, the arts community has been faced with disasters of a mass order, including September 11, Hurricanes Katrina, Hugo and Irene, the AIDS epidemic, floods in the Midwest and fires in the West. Today we must be conscious of risks from pandemics and terrorist threats.

On a smaller scale, individual artists and arts organizations face problems that impact their ability to do their daily work: the irreversible computer crash; the public protests of a controversial exhibit or performance; the unexpected loss of an organization’s founder or leader; the frozen pipes or electrical fires that damage a facility or studio; the sudden decline in revenue; the break-in or petty theft that damages the psyche of the organization or individual.