“While working as an intern at a small cultural arts organization, I found there was a need for greater support to establish and maintain a presence online. The demand for digital services brought on by the pandemic posed major existential questions to these organizations: where is our work located now? What is the core experience that we provide? How can we continue to survive and thrive?
In this project I travel between two places that I know well: western Massachusetts and my hometown of Austin, Texas. I follow two organizations, one in each place, that serve communities of artists and have continued to do so in the face of lockdowns, funding constraints, and the chaotic world of digital media and virtual place-making. They adapted their respective enterprises, which were in-person by nature, into an online format. From these case studies, along with digital research and expert interviews, I propose a digital handbook for cultural arts organizations to reference when building their online presence.”