Returning To “Normal”

As vaccine roll-outs continue across the world, arts organizations are starting to move more actively into "return-mode." But with the promise of large in-person gatherings comes the challenges of planning for both safety and org success. Our recent Arts Executive Poll surveyed leaders on a variety of topics related to bringing staff, artists, and audiences/visitors back.

Highlights from the survey include:

• Nearly 6-in-10 arts organizations are still operating with a reduced staff and anticipate it will take anywhere from a few months to a few years to return to full force

• Leaders are considering a variety of requirements to ensure safety including vaccines, negative tests, and temperature checks, most most aren't currently planning to demand proof of a COVID vaccine from employees or audiences.

• Confidence in the ability to host pre-COVID capacity in-door gatherings in 2021 is growing; leaders indicated more optimism about the possibility than they did in November 2020.