Culture and the Covid Crisis

16:00 London / 10:00 CDMX / 11:00 Bogotá / 13:00 São Paolo

Around the world, the Covid-19 pandemic has profoundly affected the cultural sector, with Latin America as no exception. Many galleries, museums, theatres and cinemas remain closed, while the region’s independent artists have received limited governmental aid.

Our panel of leading cultural sector figures discuss policies adopted by the British and Latin American governments to support cultural activities, and other initiatives which have emerged to mitigate the pandemic’s negative impacts on the sector.

We ask...

• Does the Covid pandemic signal a crisis primarily for ‘culture’ or for cultural institutions? What is the significance of this distinction?
• In addressing the crisis: who should play the leading roles, national governments or city authorities? How much will this vary from country to country?
• What is the impact of the crisis on the finances of the wider creative industries and their business models? Can online models come to the rescue? What is the future for ‘live’ performance?

Our panel

Chair: Dr Martin Smith

Chairman of trustees, St John’s Smith Square, Westminster and the London Festival of Baroque Music; Special Adviser, the Ingenious Group; Visiting Fellow, Institute for Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship (ICCE), Goldsmiths, University of London

Alessio Antoniolli

Director, Gasworks & Triangle Network

Cristina Fuentes La Roche OBE

International Director of Hay Festival

David Martinez

Festival Producer, Raindance Festival

Gustavo Gonzalez

Director of International Relations and Business Affairs, ABRAMUS

Laura Escobar

Deputy Director, Partnerships and Innovation, Teatro Mayor Julio Mario Santo Domingo