Art in the Time of COVID-19
This morning, I waved at the International Space Station as its orbit passed over my hometown. As it zoomed by, I realized the three astronauts onboard are probably the only humans who will not be directly or indirectly affected by COVID-19, the novel coronavirus attempting to make its way through all the human bodies it can find on Earth.
And then I thought, “But what if the people working at NASA all get sick and have to self-isolate? What will happen to the astronauts then? Will they be stuck up there without any contact with the rest of humanity until the virus blows over?”
And THEN, I remembered I had already written this scenario in When We Were Forgotten. Sort of. Except my version involved a crew of three humans getting stuck on an orbiting space station because the rest of civilization was crumbling under the weight of massive climate change and an authoritarian government.
Um. WAIT.
Anyway, my point is: as the world slowly shuts down due to the spread of COVID-19 and plays and sports events are canceled and schools are closed indefinitely and people lock themselves away with weeks’ worth of toilet paper and Clorox products, I want us all to remember the artists and creators who continue to make our lives a little bit better, a little bit brighter, who bring us strength and healing during a difficult moment — or year — in history.
Without artists, we wouldn’t have the variety of 20 second songs or phrases to hum or recite as we wash our hands.
Image via Shakespeare on the Sound’s Facebook page
Image via joeydevilla.com; the “Litany Against Fear” from Frank Herbert’s sci-fi novel,
Dune
[image error]Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up”: image via washyourlyrics.com
Without artists, we wouldn’t have the massive number of television series and movies and books and games and videos to fill our non-working hours as we wait for the all clear to return to normal life. Or whatever life will look like after this is over.
Without artists, we wouldn’t have photographs and paintings of beautiful places to dream about visiting some day.
“A Sunday on La Grande Jatte” by Georges Seurat, image via The Art Institute of Chicago
“Starry Night” by Vincent Van Gogh, image via nybooks.com
“Montagne Sainte-Victoire with Large Pine” by Paul Cezanne, image via The Courtauld Institute of Art(My family canceled a cruise through the Caribbean due to set sail this Saturday. We would rather spend any quarantine we might be under at home instead of in a tiny room on a boat.)
Some people believe artists don’t do “real work,” but actually, artists are vital to human existence. They keep us calm and positive in times of panic. They give us hope in times of fear and doubt. They show us what life could be when we’re not really sure what life is supposed to be.
Artists are our past, our present, and our future. Their creations sustain us through times both joyful and grief-stricken.
I know you’re scared. I am, too.
But let’s try to remember:
Breathe in. Breathe out.
Take some time for your favorite self care routines if you can.
Wash your hands. With soap.
Try not to touch your face.
Social distance as much as possible.
And, if you have the means, toss a coin or three to your fellow artists. Trust me. They’ll thank you for it.
As always, thanks for reading.
A. Cook
