Seacoast arts: Survival stories of 2020 s mighty struggle
By Jeanné McCartin
This was an unrivaled year in the arts; exhausting, bewildering, and more painful than a horrific production of Hamlet starring a relative - no way out.
Keeping it local and to topic, the pandemic has been devastating on all art and culture concerns. Hundreds of artists, instructors and support staff are affected. Many are unemployed and others have limited opportunities.
The venues, galleries, companies hang by a thread. Each turned itself inside out to make things work - cleaning, closing, opening and doing it all over again. From March on, we lost most festivals, and many camps were cancelled or greatly diminished.
PORTSMOUTH – The City Council on Monday voted unanimously to give struggling restaurants a small ounce of predictability by guaranteeing the return of outdoor dining on March 1, 2021 weather-permitting.
Councilors also voted to turn the Citizen Response Task Force into a formal city Blue Ribbon Committee – a conversation that began with much pushback by some councilors but ultimately ended in compromise. Per the final vote, the task force membership will remain the same, but a city councilor will join as a non-voting member, ultimately reporting back to the City Council on the committee s work.
The Health Subcommittee of the Citizen Response Task Force was also made a Blue Ribbon Committee to work hand-in-hand with the city Health Department.