Getting The Arts Back To Work: “NY PopsUp” Premieres February 20
SOPHIE BLUE, INTERNET MARKETING INTERN AT MORE CANVAS
In just days, New York City will be embarking on a new experiment in how to nurture its arts ecosystem.
As Peter Marks of The Washington Post writes: “Arts in New York to get shot in the arm with celebrity-filled pop-up shows” with New York’s new “NY PopsUp” event as part of the state’s “arts recovery initiative.” Premiering February 20th, this event marks a huge step in the right direction for this latest reincarnation of the New York City’s arts industry. With notable performers such as Billy Porter, Sarah Jessica Parker, Sara Mearns, Q-Tip, and Idina Menzel, (just to name a few), this is sure to be a star-studded event.
Governor Andrew Cuomo and “NY PopsUp” organizers Jane Rosenthal and Scott Rudin claim that this event is intended to kick-off a new wave “in the long process of getting tens of thousands of arts professionals around New York State back to work.” While Broadway and other theaters around the city continue to remain closed and, as such, lose valuable opportunities for profit, the “promotional dimension” of this event hopes to ground this statewide initiative in a public facing opening ceremony, followed by mini-shows equipped for small, COVID-safe gatherings of viewers.
Created by artists, for artists, “NY PopsUp” is “the spark, not the fire.”
— NY PopsUp event organizers Jane Rosenthal and Scott Rudin
Seeing this next wave of changes is bittersweet. The prospect of getting artists back in action and working in-person is an exciting and necessary step to ensuring the resilience of the arts ecosystem. However, this also marks a new chapter of many stages still unknown in the process of reopening. Whatever the obstacles, either from 2020 or 2021, learning to adapt and create amidst uncertainty has perhaps been the biggest lesson of the new decade. To all our New York friends, be sure to don your face covering and check out “NY PopsUp” starting February 20th and read Marks’ Washington Post article attached here.
Learn More about NYPopUp here:
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/08/arts/music/andrew-cuomo-nypopsup-concerts.html