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| While concert halls remain closed, you can find some outdoor music around town |
| Jeff Gardner, Tucson Local Media (TUCSON, AZ) – Though few businesses have made it through COVD completely unscathed, music and performing arts continually rank as the industries most affected by the pandemic. Music venues like the Rialto Theatre and 191 Toole have remained closed for in-person concerts for nearly a year now. Luckily for some performers, safer outdoor events are becoming more common, and the push to support venues in need is strong as ever. On Friday, Feb. 5, Tucson Mayor Regina Romero hosted a virtual town hall meeting, gathering local artists and musicians to discuss the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program, which includes $15 billion in grants to shuttered venues, to be administered by the Small Business Administration. The program can provide eligible applicants 45% of their gross earned revenue. In addition, Romero also announced that the City of Tucson is joining the Re-open Every Venue Safely initiative, which is a national collaboration of cities “sharing strategies and resources to best position their community for the reopening of live music.” “The arts are important not just because they make us so unique and add love to our life, but also because they are a very important part of our economy,” Romero said. “With the new REVS initiative, Tucson will be working alongside other cities and local stakeholders to share best practices and position ourselves to successfully re-open our local venues—who have been some of the hardest hit by the pandemic—as soon as it is safe.” …Read full story [In Tucson check what the Southern Arizona Blues Heritage Foundation is presenting at Hotel Congress, plus find blues at Monterey Court Studio Galleries and CafĂ©, and more. You can also support 16 of Arizona’s independent music venues by purchasing apparel at their collaboration website here.] |
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