March 2020

In a time of social distancing, the arts are still our best tool for social cohesion. So, if you find yourself with an adjusted daily routine, and in need a creative palate cleansing, how about reacquainting yourself with your artistic roots, renewing your connection to how and why you embraced them in the first place. To get you started, we have curated a list of ideas that have come across our desktops as virtual resources have multiplied. (For recovery and response information, please see our COVID-19 Resources page.)

Also, please share with us the art you are creating and enjoying that is helping you through this most unusual time by sharing via Facebook or emailing us at CreativeSonoma@sonoma-county.org. This list will be updated continuously, under the following headings. 

LOCAL (BOTH GENERAL AND ARTS EDUCATION)

GENERAL

ARTS EDUCATION

NEWS STORIES AND ARTICLES

LOCAL (BOTH GENERAL AND ARTS EDUCATION)

Announcing Creative Sonoma’s new Creative Calendar – newly launched with listings for local streaming and online events. Register or Login to post your Sonoma County events!

GENERAL

Discover a community, share your work, or find inspiration.

Google Arts and Culture: Take virtual tours of cultural landmarks, museums, or examine famous artworks up close.  

The Kennedy Center Digital Stage: Access music, dance, and theater performances from the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts and beyond. 

Literary Hub: The Virtual Book Channel: Readings, Launches, Conversations, Community

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo): Join or create an online writers group, or find inspiration prompts and writing tools. 

NPR Music: “A List of Live Virtual Concerts to Watch During the Coronavirus Shutdown”  – to watch, and musicians may also submit their virtual events for potential inclusion (constantly updated)

Playbill: “15 Broadway Plays and Musicals You Can Watch On Stage From Home”

Smithsonian Open Access: Download, share, and reuse millions of the Smithsonian’s images—right now, without asking. 

The Social Distancing Festival: This is a site for celebrating artists (all disciplines) and the work that has been cancelled/delayed/disrupted. Submit your video to be included on an international platform!

Yo-Yo Ma’s Songs of Comfort: Yo-Yo Ma is posting a daily piece; join him by posting videos of you making music on Twitter, or Instagram, Facebook, wherever and tag them #SongsofComfort

ARTS EDUCATION

Many of these resources are appropriate for both teachers and parents (and the young at heart) to utilize.

Amazing Educational Resources: “Education Companies Offering Free Subscriptions Due to School Closings” – search for “Fine Arts.”

Arts Education by the Kennedy Center: Explore the Kennedy Center’s exceptional repository of arts lessons for educators, parents, and students.

Cornerstone Connections: “Ultimate List of Online Music Education Games”

Institute for Arts Integration and STEAM: Free arts integration lessons to get started with arts integration and STEAM, available for Grades K-12. 

LUNCH DOODLES with Mo Williams: Learners worldwide can draw, doodle and explore new ways of writings (video archive available)

Operation Storytime: Your favorite authors and illustrators read a selection of children’s books. Find them via #operationstorytime on Instagram.

PBS Resources for California Educators: Bring dance, music, theater, and visual art into your classroom with these standards-aligned resources. Includes 1600+ videos!

Story Online: The SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s award-winning children’s literacy website, Storyline Online, streams videos featuring celebrated actors reading children’s books alongside creatively produced illustrations. 

NEWS STORIES AND ARTICLES

Disclaimer:  Some newspapers and journals have a limit on free articles that you may access without registering or subscribing.

HowlRound Theatre Commons | “Loving Theatre in the Time of COVID-19: A Playwright’s Response”

New York Times | “Looking at Art”  Before coronavirus concerns closed down many cultural institutions, four photographers explored how people in New York look at, interact with and sometimes ignore art in the city.

New York Times | “She Went Blind. And Then She Danced.” “We’ve got to keep moving. You know why? Because we’re alive! As long as we’re alive, we have to keep moving.”

Washington Post | “So you’re stuck at home. Here’s a guide to finding great art while in isolation.”