ART GALLERY 21 UPDATE DURING CORONA VIRUS PANDEMIC
In light of the developing pandemic related to COVID-19, also known as Corona Virus, many of our supporters and local art lovers may have noticed that our gallery has closed in an effort to abide by all local and national recommendations to keep everyone healthy and safe. The past several weeks have been quite strange and unprecedented. The first inkling of trouble for Art Gallery 21 in Wilton Manors came with a phone call on the evening of March 8th. One of Art Gallery 21’s founders, Robert Gross, was scheduled to set up his latest artwork show on March 14th and unveil the new exhibit on the weekend of Wilton Manor’s monthly Art Walk on March 21, 2020 on Wilton Drive. Bob, who is an art teacher and noted local artist, is well past 80 years of age. So, when it was initially announced that senior citizens may be very vulnerable to the Corona virus, it set off red flags for both Bob and our small art gallery team. Immediately after talking to Bob on the phone, in an abundance of caution, we jointly decided to postpone Bob’s art show exhibit and grand opening for a later date to be determined.
Fast-forward to a few weeks later and life as we know it has been altered in ways we may not have ever considered possible.
The City has closed all public buildings, including the historic Woman’s Club of Wilton Manors, where Art Gallery 21 is located in Wilton Manors, Florida. Local curfews and stay-in-place orders have been implemented by the Florida governor and local public officials. And, all Wilton Manors local buildings are expected to be closed through the end of April, and perhaps could continue through May 2020. But, we will work to continue to fulfill our mission of sharing art with our local Wilton Manors community through a variety of digital platforms during this anxious time.
Like many small businesses, non-profits and unemployed citizens across the U.S. and the globe, Art Gallery 21 is trying to figure out a way to keep our little neighborhood gallery alive during this global pandemic.
Thanks to savvy digital platforms and the Internet, we believe we can adapt to changes and do things a little differently. Below is an outline of new digital initiatives that we are embarking on at Art Gallery 21 in an effort to stay connected to the community and promote and share beautiful, thought-provoking art:
SHOP ART GALLERY 21’S ONLINE ART STORE
We have updated the Art Gallery 21 website with a new tab called “SHOP“– this shopping tab features beautiful artwork from several of our past art exhibitors and we are prepared to offer artists the opportunity to list up to three individual works of art for sale there from now until August 31. We will be promoting artwork sales on our social media pages at Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and Google, and we are exploring the development of an online gallery exhibit of art with a live Facebook event to make the big reveal.
DONATE TO ART GALLERY 21
Art Gallery 21 is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization registered with the State of Florida and artists and art lovers alike can donate via our secure and verified PayPal account here. 100% of funds donated go towards our programs and projects. Whether you can give $5 or $100, we are greatly appreciative of our donors and supporters! In addition, all donations to Art Gallery 21 are tax deductible as provided by law and we can gladly provide an electronic receipt of your donation. If you cannot afford to donate at this time, please consider following Art Gallery 21 on social media and help to like and share our posts! This allows our tiny gallery to get additional visibility with new art lovers.
MONTHLY #ARTWORKS LIVE TWITTER DISCUSSIONS
Founding member and president, Constance Ruppender, will host monthly Live Twitter #ARTworks chats about various topics related to art in South Florida. Make sure to follow us on Twitter to partake in our live art chats and get the chance to promote your art if you are an artist!
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LET’S GET SOCIAL
Please follow Art Gallery 21 on Instagram at www.instagram.com/artgallery21_ or @ArtGallery21_. You can also find us and follow us on Twitter and Facebook for updates, gallery show announcements and beautiful art: www.Twitter.com/ArtGallery211 and https://www.facebook.com/ArtGallery21WCWM/.
Until we can be together again, stay safe and love art!