Artist Support

COVID-19 Resources for Artists and Freelancers

This past year the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic has affected every way of life. Whether you have been working from home, had work cancelled or have been directly affected by illness, the pandemic poses grave challenges for society as a whole and the creative community not in the least. CFCCA would like to take this opportunity to send a message of support to all of the artists, partners, freelancers and volunteers we work with and have worked with, and without whose skills and talent we couldn’t exist.

Alarmingly, there has been a racialisation of the pandemic which has led to an increase in racism and hate crime towards people of East and Southeast Asian heritage. We are devastated to see the severe impact this is having on the community of artists, partners and audiences we work with. We are concerned for the safety and wellbeing of our artists, staff and friends and now more than ever we call for solidarity, tolerance and mutual understanding across all our communities.

During this time we want to assure artists, freelancers and collaborators that we intend to honour pre-agreed contracts. Also, as we learn to navigate these challenging and uncertain times, we are committed to listening to artists’ needs and adapting our work to provide the best support, from offering opportunities to make new work to simply providing advice and guidance. As such, we have put together a list of UK-based resources below which we hope will be useful in navigating complex issues our artists and partners might now face from financial insecurity to challenges around mental health and wellbeing.

Our thoughts go out to our family of artists and collaborators during this challenging time and I urge us to work together to overcome the virus and use this moment to change society for the better.

With warm wishes,

Zoe Dunbar, CFCCA Director

 

Artist advice and resources during COVID-19:

  • Arts Council England – Advice and support on COVID-19 for organisations and individuals working in the arts sector
  • ACAS – Advice on employment rights and best practice
  • Bectu – Advice for arts freelancers
  • Manchester International Festival – List of resources for artists and freelancers in the creative industry
  • Live Art Development Agency – Information to support artists and art workers affected by the pandemic
  • Creative Review – Guide for creative support
  • #CovidCreativesToolkit – A set of curated mostly free & open source resources to support creative practitioners
  • #CreativeNetwork – Daily online get-together by Voluntary Arts open to anyone involved in the arts to talk to others about dealing with the current situation
  • Guild from East Street Arts – An open resource for artist and arts organisations during COVID-19
  • If self-employed and concerned about paying tax, HMRC have a new helpline: 0800 0159 559
  • Manchester City Council – Help with debt, bills and borrowing (Manchester)

Financial aid for artists and individuals working in the arts sector (UK):

Racism during COVID-19:

Mental health during COVID-19:

Community volunteering: 

Last edited: 31/3/2021