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December 31st: Jacob's Pillow: Ann & Weston Hicks Choreography Fellows Program, December 31st: New England Presenter Travel Fund, December 31st: Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet Scholarship, December 31st: 24 Seven Dance Convention, December 31st: National Theater Project Presenter Travel Grant, December 31st: Breck Creek Artist-in-Residence Program, December 31st: Indigo Arts Alliance Mentorship Residency Program, March 31st: SIA Foundation Grants

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DDP Talks To

"The Devil Ties My Tongue" by Amy Seiwert performed for the SKETCH Series, 2013. Photo by David DeSilva. Courtesy of Amy Seiwert's Imagery

Dance Data Project® Releases Resources Aimed at Highlighting Best Practices for Keeping Dancers Safe from Sexual Assault and Harassment

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Dance Data Project® today announced the release of two tools that provide ballet and dance schools, as well as students, parents, and instructors with specific measures to help students and professional dancers to recognize and prevent sexual harassed or physical abuse: the first is a checklist of safety measures; the second is a one-stop resource detailing the reporting around and work being done in the US and globally to address sexual abuse and harassment in the dance and allied performance fields, sports and youth-oriented not for profits. In addition, DDP released a “DDP Talks To”… interview with Emma Lister and Zoë Ashe-Brown, who, alongside Lister’s Makeshift Company and MOVERS SHAKERS MAKERS podcast, conducted a wide ranging survey in September 2020 on mental health in ballet.

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The Lily: The pandemic devastated home-based child care: ‘I don’t know how we bounce back’

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Washington Post: White House closes in on ‘families plan’ spending proposal centered on child care, pre-K, paid leave

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Hyperallergic: The Pandemic’s Impact on Museum Workers’ Mental Health

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14 April 2021

By Valentina Di Liscia

It has been over a year since the COVID-19 outbreak was declared a global pandemic, but another health crisis has been silently brewing. Experts are beginning to grasp the virus’s devastating effects on our collective mental well-being, particularly for communities disproportionately impacted — essential workers, low-income populations, and people of color among them.

In the museum field, workers experienced sweeping job loss, salary cuts, and burnout that exacerbated the pandemic’s stressors. A new survey by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) finds that the sector’s workers have suffered “a grave toll on their mental health and wellbeing,” rating the impact at an average of 6.6 out of 10. Though many institutions remained shuttered during peaks in virus cases, half of museum staff reported a heavier workload.

Unsurprisingly, independent consultants, contractors, and freelancers — often hired as educators and other key roles in museums — bore the brunt of financial insecurity. More than half had contracts canceled or indefinitely postponed, struggled to find work, and lost over 50% of their pre-pandemic income on average.

Similarly, nearly two-thirds of part-time staff said they lost a median of $8,000 due to reduced salaries, benefits, or hours. Compared to their full-time colleagues, this group of workers faces greater instability: they are more likely to live paycheck to paycheck and less likely to have enough disposable income to save or spend on leisure.

The survey’s findings also reveal the role of gender and race in these workers’ experiences of pandemic-related mental health factors. Museum staff who identify as women were more likely to report an increase in workload and adverse effects on their schedules, salary, and mental health, and BIPOC respondents experienced more financial stress and fewer financial resources than their white counterparts.

To read the piece, click here. You can access the survey report from the American Alliance of Museums here.