In our digital era, the world of visual art has been changing faster than ever. As a result, traditional Western art practices are being increasingly challenged by the introduction of new technology and digital accessibility to artworks. However, in the age of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the lack of access to traditional physical art galleries, these issues have been even further exacerbated.
The COVID-19 pandemic may have been a catalyst to the trajectory on which the art world was already headed. Since the world shut down, art has not taken a pause but has been transferred to online sources. Of course, art on the internet is not a new phenomenon. However, full online exhibits, tours, and other resources have become increasingly common since the beginning of the pandemic and something that may persist after its end.
The introduction of these online exhibits and digital displays presents both challenges and opportunities. Challenges in the sense that the traditional world of art, and the value system associated with it, must change. However, opportunities have been created in increasing accessibility to art and the potential for more exposure for artists without the limits of a physical gallery space. While there is much to gain, as well as much lost from the pandemic, one thing is sure: the way in which art is produced, received, and circulated is not, and may never be, the same.
This project is an inquiry into how the pandemic has challenged the current status quo of the contemporary art community, with much of what we know being disrupted. While the impacts of the pandemic are far-reaching, by examining the intersectional issues currently affecting the art community, we can help build one for the future that thrives on its current resilience. This examination and building upon its strengths will help create a more stable and socioeconomically accessible community for all. Throughout this challenging period, the survival and persistence of visual art proves that art can and should be accessible. Artists should be supported to create, even in times of economic struggle. My hope is that in the examination of this period, the arts community can grow. With critical thought and careful solutions to the previous pitfalls of the arts community, newly emerging forms of resilience and accessibility can take a more permanent seat in the art historical canon while removing some more outdated theories that have been disproven by the pandemic.