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Recently, Eureka City Council member Leslie Castellano proposed guidelines for outdoor performances in Humboldt County, but was denied because the county is going by state guidelines. Currently there are no state guidelines that apply to the performing arts. As a result a consortium of local theatre workers are organizing regionally to advocate for the inclusion of the performing arts in the pandemic reopening plans at the state level.
We will be sharing a letter (copied below) with our state legislators Rep. Jim Wood, Sen. Mike McGuire, and Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Please join us in supporting the survival of our performing arts organizations as well as the overall health of our communities!
You can add your signature to the letter via this form:
forms.gle/9JN3uAFhdQHAdbB97
Thank you!
***
We, the performing arts community of Humboldt County, CA, hereby release this statement of solidarity.
As artists and arts organizations we recognize the devastating effects of COVID-19 on our communities.
At this time in our very uncertain world, the live performing arts are needed more than ever; to vision, to create, to inspire joy and connections. As Laura Zabel states in How Creativity and Culture Can Contribute to Community Planning,
“What makes culture bearers, artists, elders, and historians integral to community development is not only their understanding of how and why a community works the way that it does but also their ability to identify, witness, and translate this history— dark matter—into art, creative process, and visioning.”
Live performances allow us the time and space to experience together our shared humanity, to be moved and inspired as we build our future.
Continued prevention of our operations puts at risk the solvency of many of our local arts institutions, and could cause some of our invaluable companies to close their doors, if action isn’t taken soon. These companies inspire children, produce plays, dances and music and create new works that reflect our changing world. Some are already in grave danger.
Covid caused all local theatre and dance companies to discontinue performance schedules that were the bread and butter of their yearly budget. While many other industries are now being allowed to serve the public again, our industry has been strangely omitted from that allowance.
This is unhealthy for our community as a whole, not only economically, but socially. We all understand the importance of the arts to the wellbeing of our county’s children, families, and seniors. Now, more than ever, we all need to engage in arts activities, as isolation and social distancing affect our mental and physical health.
Some other cities, such as San Francisco, have already created guidelines for outdoor performances, and theatre organizations have put those plans into practice. We believe that members of the public can enjoy live performances in outdoor venues such as parks, plazas, baseball fields, streets, and other outdoor locations, in a safe way that prevents the spread of Coronavirus and allows our community to have necessary access to family entertainment, cultural expression, and social discourse.
Once outdoor performance practices are safely established, and COVID-19 infection rates allow, we can eventually make plans for safe use of indoor performance spaces in much the same way that access is currently allowed in churches and museums: with social distancing guidelines in place, adequate ventilation, and sufficient traffic flow patterns.
It is time for our public officials to communicate with the performing arts community to create a reopening plan just like they did with every other industry. We are creative and can move with the times. This is our specialty.
We are very much looking forward to returning to the community service work that we do locally.
Sincerely,
The Performing Arts Community of Humboldt County, the Redwood Region, and Beyond
Founding Signatories:
Leslie Castellano, Eureka
Synapsis Performance Director, Ink People Board Member, Eureka City Council
Zack Rouse, Eureka
Children’s Theatre Humboldt and Olympic Realty
Jacqueline Dandeneau, Arcata
Playhouse Arts/Arcata Playhouse
Laura Muñoz, Arcata
Arcata Playhouse/Playhouse Arts
Ruthi Engelke, Eureka
Cooperation Humboldt Art & Culture Program Coordinator, Redwood Curtain Theatre Board Chair
Zuzka Sabata, Eureka
Synapsis Performance Collective, Dell'Arte International
Signatures supporting Request for performing arts guidelines in reopening
forms.gle
We, the performing arts community of Humboldt County, CA, hereby release this statement of solidarity. As artists and arts organizations we recognize the devastating effects of COVID-19 on our communi...Cooperation Humboldt is excited to promote an ongoing community health study!
This study looks at using writing to improve physical and mental health and how childhood stress might affect the results. It will take place online over the span of four 20-minute writing sessions and includes a set of questionnaires about your physical and mental health.
Eligible participants may receive up to $50 for participation! If you’re interested, follow the link below to a survey that will screen you for eligibility.
survey.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bgAbKf9QGqqntul
You can also contact the primary researcher, Nick Vasquez at njv52@humboldt.edu if you have any questions, comments, or concerns about the specifics of the study.
Online Survey Software | Qualtrics Survey Solutions
survey.co1.qualtrics.com
The most powerful, simple and trusted way to gather experience data. Start your journey to experience management and try a free account today.Do you operate a business in Humboldt County? If so, please take a few minutes to fill out a survey for Humboldt Made and the Humboldt Food Policy Council -
Dear Humboldt Food Policy Council Community,
The ongoing pandemic is causing much revisioning of, and strategizing to strengthen the food system, both nationally and locally. In light of this, the Humboldt Food Policy Council has been coordinating community discussions with diverse community organizations and individuals, exploring what a Food Hub would look like in our region.
"Food hubs are organizations or businesses that connect wholesalers, retail businesses and institutions (e.g. restaurant owners, value-added food producers) to local and regional food producers through services such as management and coordination of product aggregation, distribution, product storage, packing/co-packing, bulk purchasing and marketing services."
The conversations have come to the point of needing real data to support further exploration of this project. That's where you (and the people you know!) come in. We would appreciate ten minutes of your time and any other feedback you can offer.
If the answer is yes to any of the following questions, please fill out this survey (and feel free to forward to anyone you think would like to participate). The more data we have, the better!
- My business would benefit by being carried in more local bars, restaurants, and caters.
- My business would benefit from regional distribution.
- I would like to source more local ingredients for my products.
- I have maxed out my storage and need additional storage.
- Being connected to wholesalers and retailers would benefit my business.
Link to survey - forms.gle/zzxb3jNAF2RYyaK18
Assessing the level of need and interest for a Humboldt County Food Hub.
forms.gle
The ongoing pandemic is causing much revisioning of, and strategizing to strengthen the food system, both nationally, as well as locally. In light of this, a central topic of community discussion has ...9/24/2020 Email Blast – Invitation to Food Team Introduction!
2020 just keeps coming at us. Just remember, we are all in this together, and that is exactly how we will get through this– TOGETHER!
We invite you to join us this Saturday, September 26th from 1:00-2:30 pm for an introduction to Cooperation Humboldt’s Food Team and to find out how you can get involved!
We believe that access to nutritious, culturally appropriate food is a fundamental human right and should never be dependent on wealth or income. So all of our projects are grounded in that belief.
Our past accomplishments include:
– Establishing 12 Little Free Pantries, with 11 more about to be installed.
– Completing 15 front lawn conversions (turning unused grass into productive organic gardens).
– Setting up over 240 mini gardens for low-income residents since the pandemic hit.
– Planting 80+ free community fruit trees.
– Numerous other educational events/offerings…
***Our newest project (and one where we need lots of help!) is taking over production of the Local Food Guide.***
Join Zoom Meeting
us02web.zoom.us/j/82932886084
Meeting ID: 829 3288 6084
One tap mobile
+16699006833,,82932886084# US (San Jose)
Find your local number: us02web.zoom.us/u/keGCofOI3x
We hope to see you soon,
Your friends at Cooperation Humboldt
www.cooperationhumboldt.com
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If you aren’t already, would you consider joining Cooperation Humboldt as a sustaining monthly donor? You can chose an amount that works for your budget from $10, $25, or more! Your contribution goes a long way to support the diverse community-centered work we do together!
DONATE HERE - cooperationhumboldt.com/donate/
As always, please reach out to us with your own dreams, ideas, and plans. Please be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on how Cooperation Humboldt empowers our community to build a brighter future!
www.cooperationhumboldt.com
DISASTER RESPONSE UPDATE FROM COOPERATION HUMBOLDT AND THE RED CROSS:
Hello community members,
This has been a busy few weeks for everyone and we wanted to say thank you to for your willingness to step up and help your neighbors in response to the multiple crises we’re collectively facing. We’re still in the midst of wildfire season, we may see mudslides in winter, and we could always have an earthquake or tsunami. As a community we need to be ready to help our neighbors. To meet this need the Red Cross will be offering disaster response shelter training at the Ferndale Fairgrounds this Sat-Sun. at the following times:
Saturday 9/26
· 10am-12pm Orientation 1 (for those interested in becoming Red Cross volunteers)
· 12pm-2pm Orientation 2 (for those interested in becoming Red Cross volunteers)
· 2pm-4pm Orientation for non-Red Cross volunteers (such as those doing disaster response work through Cooperation Humboldt)
Sunday 9/27
· 10am-12pm Orientation 3 (for those interested in becoming Red Cross volunteers)
· 12pm-2pm Orientation 4 (for those interested in becoming Red Cross volunteers)
· 2pm-4pm Orientation 5 (for those interested in becoming Red Cross volunteers) and break down
There will be a maximum of 15 participants per orientation so please let us know which orientation you wish to attend. Each orientation will be the same, with the only exception being Sat 2-4 which will specifically focus on non-Red Cross shelters. We’re offering this many options to keep participant numbers low to facilitate social distancing while hoping to increase participation overall. They should only last an hour, but there will be added time for questions and discussions on site.
PLEASE RSVP TO SABRINA AT sabrinamiller626@gmail.com
These orientations are meant to provide context for additional online training that will follow. After the orientation the Red Cross and/or Cooperation Humboldt will be offering:
1. An expedited series of Red Cross sheltering trainings for those individuals willing to deploy outside of Humboldt
2. A weekly recurring training for local Red Crossers so we can work towards growing our local level of readiness
3. A series of trainings for non-Red Crossers interested in learning about independent sheltering
These follow-up classes will be conducted via Zoom or Microsoft Teams.
Thank you so much for all of your efforts. Together we will work to create a more resilient Humboldt!
Your friends at Cooperation Humboldt