Posted 4 years ago
Press contact: Jessica Cabe | PR and Communications Manager, Chicago Loop Alliance jessica@chicagoloopalliance.com | 815-713-8909
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SOCIAL: #inTheLoopChi
@loopchicago @ChicagoLoopAlliance @ChiLoopAlliance @Chicago-Loop-Alliance
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | April 13, 2020
CHICAGO—The Loop is home to some of Chicago’s biggest arts organizations, including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Theatre District, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Architecture Center and more. Now, due to COVID-19-related closures and cancellations, these institutions are accessible in new ways online.
While arts and culture institutions are employing their ingenuity to get programming into people’s homes with virtual tools, they are still suffering an extreme economic loss during COVID-19. These online features cannot replace the revenue lost due to closures and cancellations, and given the arts’ impact on everything from the retail, restaurant, and hospitality industries to the city’s and state’s tax revenue, their collective shutdown will be felt broadly.
“Chicago Loop Alliance’s 2018 study found the arts in the Loop have an annual economic impact of $2.5 billion,” said Chicago Loop Alliance President and CEO Michael Edwards. “More paid admissions occur each year to the Loop’s arts organizations than to the entire city’s sports teams. Not only are the arts an inherently valuable part of the human existence, but they also represent a huge draw for visitors and an economic driver that the city will need when it reopens for business.”
Loop arts and culture organizations’ online offerings include:
MUSIC AND THEATER
- Auditorium Theatre – Weekly “At Home with the Auditorium” performances on Facebook Live, newsletter with fresh digital content (sign up here)
- Broadway In Chicago – “Around Broadway in 80 Days,” an online version of the Illinois High School Musical Theatre Awards hosted by Miguel Cervantes (“Hamilton”)
- Chicago Symphony Orchestra – Keep up-to-date with their blog CSO Sounds & Stories
- Goodman Theatre – Stream Jocelyn Bioh’s “School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play” and Roberto Bolaño’s “2666”
- Lyric Opera of Chicago – Keep kids entertained with Lyric’s children’s activity booklet. Enjoy ROC From Home, updated weekly and featuring recorded videos, blog posts, and day-in-the-life updates from Lyric’s Ryan Opera Center Ensemble. Enjoy Lyric Spotify playlists. Have some fun making themed cocktails with the Tosca Lyric Libations blog. And test your knowledge of Lyric’s history with the Lyric Trivia blog. Sign up for their newsletter at the bottom of their homepage.
- Silk Road Rising – Digital library of video plays, documentaries and animated shorts
MUSEUMS
- American Writers Museum – Online content like blogs, videos and reading recommendations
- The Art Institute of Chicago – Online collection, special exhibits, interactive tools, blogs and more
- Chicago Architecture Center – A new biweekly mini-magazine, CAC@Home
- Design Museum of Chicago – Online exhibits, virtual events and digital workshops
- Frank Lloyd Wright Trust – Online educational activities for families and videos targeted toward adults
- Pritzker Military Museum and Library – Online programming and videos
FILM
- Gene Siskel Film Center – Film Center from your Sofa, featuring a rotating selection of films to stream online
DANCE
- A&A Ballet Center for Dance – Online classes and an online choreography competition
- The Joffrey Ballet – Newsletter featuring uplifting behind-the-scenes content (sign up at the bottom of their homepage)
About Chicago Loop Alliance
Chicago Loop Alliance (CLA)’s mission is to create, manage and promote high-performing urban experiences, attracting people and investment to the Loop. CLA is a membership organization as well as the sole service provider for Special Service Area#1-2015, and the Chicago Loop Alliance Foundation produces public art projects and events. For more information, please visit www.loopchicago.com.
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