New York, NY – June 4, 2020 – New York’s Brazilian community is stepping up to support it’s local artists affected by the economic impacts of COVID-19. With theaters, concert halls, museums, and galleries closed, many of the community’s talented creators have found themselves facing dire economic uncertainty. New York’s Brazilian artists, who bring variety and diversity to the state’s artistic community, have been severely affected. Many are ineligible for government funding assistance, putting them under financial strain. For that reason, Group .BR, New York’s only Brazilian theater company, is announcing the creation of the Group .BR NY Brazilian Artists Fund.
The fund will provide a one-time $250 payment on a first-come-first-served basis to Brazilian artists living in New York State who are at least 18-years-of-age and are able to share the fund’s campaign via social media or email. Group .BR is seeking to raise at least $45,000 in order to provide support to 150 of the hundreds of artists it estimates will request the emergency funds. Twenty percent of the total funds raised will support the theater company’s operations and online programming while face-to-face events are restricted. This will allow the company to pay the artists involved with it, which will increase the fund’s reach.
“The need is urgent,” explains Andressa Furletti, Group .BR Artistic Director. “While many of the artists in our community have done what they can to move their concerts, readings, and productions online, they are struggling to make ends meet, as monetizing online content has proved particularly challenging. They, of course, want to share their art form to try to brighten moods and cope with current events, but there are everyday expenses and concerns that must be addressed.”
Group .BR has stepped up to support artists even as the theater company’s own sources of funding, theater productions and Brazilian cultural events, have been forced into cancelation or postponement. Moving their programming into a virtual space, the company launched Happy Hour Online, a donate-what-you-can event, with readings from Clarice Lispector’s works (their latest production’s muse), which seeks to bring the community closer together and support the participating artists. The realization of the critical economic situation of New York’s Brazilian artists became quickly apparent and the need for additional fundraising efforts was clear.
“This is a difficult time for our community,” explains Debora Balardini, Executive Director of Group .BR. “New York has a large Brazilian community and we are all doing what we can to support artists who have contributed so much; not only to our community, but the New York art scene in general. We are unsure of when many of New York’s art galleries, stages, and theater venues might reopen. We are supportive of the efforts to stop the spread of this virus and want our patrons and artists to be safe. In the meantime, we want to make sure that we are doing our part and supporting our community as best we can.”
To donate to the Group .BR NY Brazilian Artists Fund or to apply for emergency funds, please visit www.group.br.com/artistsfund.
Media Contact
Company Name: Group .BR
Contact Person: Andressa Furletti
Phone: 646 506 1765
Country: United States
Website: www.group.br.com
