By Kristina Faulkner, Jackson Hanna, Mckenna Harmony, Elizabeth Herbert, Hannah Holtz
Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts, located at 511 Ave. K Lubbock, Texas. (Photo By Kristina Faulkner)
Throughout the pandemic, the Lubbock Arts and Cultural District has had to adjust to a new normal. This required artists, musicians and performers to learn how to express themselves in new and different ways.
The National Endowment of the Arts website states the arts help connect the community in ways few things can, breaking through economic, language and technological barriers as well as support individual efforts by sharing artistic expressions.
Typically, event attendees spent $23.65 in the Lubbock cultural district, excluding admission costs. Lubbock’s cultural events are attracting visitors to Lubbock; 39.5% of those surveyed said if an event had not been taking place they would have traveled to a similar event in another locale, according to the Lubbock Cultural District Economic Impact Study.
Stacy Keith, the director of the Lubbock Cultural Arts Foundation, described COVID-19 as a blessing and a curse.
“It was a blessing and a curse because everyone was home, so it was really easy to get musicians who normally would maybe be out on tour, they were stuck at home with the rest of us,” Keith said.
Although everyone was stuck at home, Keith said she was able to virtually connect with people she would not have otherwise, such as the National Endowment for the Arts and Americans for the Arts.
Moving forward, Keith said the members of the foundation plan to increase engagement as businesses open again.
“Our role is really to promote and market the arts community and the music community here, so I think what will happen is as things start to open up and events start to reemerge, I think we’ll really vamp up with our marketing and being able to celebrate these live events again,” said Keith.
Artistic organizations in Texas have been struggling since the pandemic began.
Administrators’ biggest financial concerns include charitable donations and having enough cash reserves or savings, according to a self-reporting survey found on the Americans for the Arts website, and the financial impact has been a loss of $134,897,269.
Since the Lubbock art scene is going through hard times, Keith said continued support from sponsors and audiences is necessary to maintain the community.
“They need people to put on that mask and go to those exhibits and go to those shows,” Keith said. “As things start to open up, they need businesses to sponsor and help them promote what they’re doing.”
Lubbock Cultural Arts District, found outside the LHUCA building, located at 511 Ave K. Lubbock, Texas. (Photo By Kristina Faulkner)
Lubbock Entertainment and Performing Arts Association is a non-profit organization that raises funds for the newly constructed Buddy Holly Performing Arts center, which opened January 2020.
Executive Director at LEPAA Michelle Stephens said that as far back as the 80’s, Lubbock cited a need for a performing arts center. After 35 years, that goal was achieved through the non-profit.
“It goes in with the mission of LEPAA, which is not only to provide the best entertainment for the region, but also education opportunities in performing and fine arts,” said Stephens.
She said the pandemic taught everyone in the organization how to be flexible due to things being ever-changing.
The Buddy Holly Center has been increasing online engagement through “The Day the Music Died” event both online and in-person and linked Spotify playlists to their Facebook page so folks can enjoy later on or revisit. The Center also connects communities through Facebook by recently supporting a mixed group of Lubbockites by posting the Texas Music Mixtape “Lubbock Music NOW” on their page.
“If going through 2020 taught us anything, it was how to be flexible and adapt to the ever-changing ‘new,’ whatever that is at the moment,” said Stephens.
Although nothing has been canceled at the Buddy Holly Center, all shows and events were postponed to a later date, including Broadway season which was supposed to begin in the fall of 2020 but was pushed back to fall 2021, Stephens said.
The events hosted now are smaller shows that are appropriate for the 50% capacity limit and social distancing. The events consist of the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra, LISD events and stand-up comedy. The performing arts center has done everything they can to make sure their performers and patrons are safe during this time.
“The types of shows and events we’re having at Buddy Holly Hall right now changed from what was originally planned, but we haven’t actually had anything canceled; everything has just been pushed,” she said. “That just shows that the industry overall knows that there will be a time whenever people can start touring and traveling and bringing these big shows back to the world and to Lubbock, Texas.”
There are six shows scheduled for the 2021-2022 season along with concerts, family events and other entertainment. Early fall is when the industry is expected to pick back up and open at full capacity.
“The arts community has collectively stuck together and improved together and been creative in the ways we’ve gone through this pandemic and will continue to go through it,” Stephens said.“Once we come out of it, I think you can expect to see some amazing things come from the artists and the entertainment and the arts organizations here in Lubbock.”
The East Lubbock Art House is a local art gallery that opened in June 2020, during the pandemic. The Art House is a non-profit and focuses on black
(Photo from East Lubbock Art House/Facebook)
empowerment.
Danielle Demetria is a local artist and part-founder of the East Lubbock Art House who is currently working on the gallery’s first exhibit to host local artists and their work.
“It just started. I always wanted to work in an art gallery,” Demetria said, “so it’s just kind of a spin off of that – so it’s an art gallery, new art shows art classes, different art events, little things – so just got started about a year ago.”
Art House adjusted to COVID-19 regulations by requiring masks and social distancing, and Demetria said the group is operating at 50% capacity with a main focus on fundraising.
The Texas Tech School of Theater and Dance adapted to COVID-19 by moving everything, including rehearsals, to a virtual format.
Dean Nolen, the head of acting and directing at the TTU School of Theater and Dance, said moving everything to a virtual format has been an interesting experience but that they are fortunate to have Zoom and to be able to continue creating artistic expressions.
“It may be a very different experience all the way around, but there’s nothing wrong with a different experience,” Nolen said. “There’s nothing wrong with expanding what we’re used to. Change, as uncomfortable as it can be sometimes, is a harbinger of something new and different. And I think that’s what we’ve been experiencing is that kind of growth and that kind of unknown experience.”
He said the most difficult thing about creating art virtually is the isolation because it is a very collaborative art form, so not being in the same room as others is challenging.
School of Theater and Dance members are hopeful that the next step is to resume live performances but due to the close contact of theater, Nolen said it will likely roll out more slowly than other departments.
“I think that there’s no lack of want to support artists and the theatre community in general, but I also think that this has become a really challenging time in terms of keeping ourselves protected and having to isolate ourselves,” Nolen said.
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