REOPENING RESPONSE
Saratoga Springs cultural institutions host virtual discussion on Phase 4
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. »
The Saratoga Springs Art Commission, in partnership with Skidmore College, hosted the first of two virtual panel discussions yesterday outlining the present and future state of the city’s cultural institutions.
The arts are a significant part of Saratoga’s identity as a city and have been seriously impacted by the shutdowns affected by COVID-19. As Saratoga Springs enters Phase 4 of reopening, each of the cultural institutions in the city has plans for accommodating “the new normal.”
Representatives from Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), Universal Preservation Hall (UPH), and the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame were present for the Zoom conference on Tuesday. The second one is scheduled to take place in two weeks.
After a welcome by Saratoga Springs Mayor Meg Kelly and Saratoga Springs
Arts Commission Chair Sue Kessler, each of the panel representatives had a chance to discuss what their organizations had been up to since the shutdown started. The panel was moderated by Ian Berry, Dayton Director of the Tang Teaching Museum at Skidmore.
Teddy Foster, the director of UPH, described how things had been moving forward with virtual performances. Proctor’s, with whom UPH has a longstanding collaboration, has turned one of their stages into a television station, and UPH has been using it to record and broadcast Rochmon Record Club programs on YouTube.
Foster described how moving forward, UPH is looking at hosting programs that will be a mix of virtual and in-person, “so everyone will be able to participate at their comfort level.”
UPH will reopen to the public on July 26, with an exciting new family-friendly display. The exhibit will be all about pinball machines once owned by famous musicians. Antique machines will be on display, fully functional, and playable. The exhibit will be a ticketed event, and measures will be in place to ensure safety precautions are followed.
Cate Johnson, the director of the Racing Museum, described the unique position the museum was in when the shutdown occurred.
“We had already been closed since January for renovations and doing a lot of online programming,” Johnson said. “We intended for our reopening to coincide with opening day of [the] racing season, but it got pushed back several weeks.”
This pushback was due to the many restrictions put in place as a result of COVID-19, affecting what businesses were allowed to stay open and how many people could be onsite at a time. The Racing Museum was very lucky in that it was able to transition all its staff to working from home and did not have to face any layoffs.
“There was a silver lining to the delay. We were able
to slow down and really focus on what we were doing,” commented Johnson.
When the Racing Museum reopens in late July or early August, it will feature a new interactive touchscreen exhibit of the Racing Hall of Fame. The touchscreens will all be activated through the use of styluses, which will be provided to guests when they arrive. This will make the exhibit easier to keep clean and reduce the chances of the spreading of germs.
The Racing Museum is also hoping to have a new website launched by midJuly, where they will try to push for more membership sales and donations.
Elizabeth Sobol, SPAC president and CEO, talked about the massive physical, emotional, and philosophical shifts the center made during the shutdown.
“SPAC is still committed to fostering art and beauty,” she said. “We had to ask the existential question, ‘who and what is SPAC without performances’?”
Sobol described how heartbreaking it was to cancel the summer season of performances, and the organization’s dedication to keeping the arts alive through the shutdown.
Online communities dedicated to the arts in Saratoga have sprung up, through SPAC’s online newsletter and on Facebook. The shutdown actually made it easier to complete a major renovation project in the concessions area. Online fundraisers have gone well. And a series of outdoor wellness classes, carefully spaced out with a strict attendance cap, have kicked off.
SPAC is looking forward to being able to open its doors to the public again, although there is no reopening date in place yet.
“We want to wait until bigger numbers are allowed,” explained Sobol.
Moving forward, SPAC is going to maintain its online learning library and continue to host some virtual performances.
Berry also offered his own insight into how the arts have been affected. The Tang Teaching Museum modified its space significantly, taking down all wall displays and trying to reconfigure its space to accommodate social distancing.
“I’m impressed that our town has supported us through this,” he said. “It’s important to be good neighbors to one another.”
The discussion raised the question of how each institute continues to be affected by so much virtual and distance programming. Many are finding a delicate balance between virtual programs and live ones.
“Virtual things are here to stay,” stated Foster.
“You have to find a way to change it up, though,” commented Sobol. “People are experiencing virtual burnout right now.”
All of the panelists agreed that adaptability was key when it came to continuing to foster the arts in Saratoga.
“When we come out of this,” said Sobol, “we’re not going to be the same organizations.”