Cultural Institutions Respond to Pandemic and Protests: Grants, Closures, and Statements

Critical Minded, an initiative by the Nathan Cummings Foundation and the Ford Foundation, is providing £500 hardship grants to critics of colour or those from underrepresented communities in the US. Eligible applicants must have published a minimum of three articles in English or Spanish this year across various art forms. Lonnie Bunch, the secretary of the Smithsonian, spoke out about the protests following George Floyd's murder, calling for a reckoning with America's racial history. The Brooklyn Museum is collaborating with The Campaign Against Hunger to transform its biergarten into a temporary food bank. Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Opera has canceled all performances for 2020 after furloughing its staff. Alister Warman, the former director of the Serpentine Gallery, has passed away. Additionally, three venues at South Korea's National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art are closing again due to COVID-19, and New Zealand's arts sector is receiving a NZ $57 million rescue package. Staff at Goldsmiths, University of London, are protesting against a hiring freeze.