Community response to covid-19

To the immersive creative community,

The proactive response to the unfolding COVID-19 pandemic by immersive and experiential creators and producers have made us proud to be part of this community. 

We know that difficult choices and real sacrifices are being made by many of you in order to protect the most vulnerable among us, and to ease the burden on our nation’s health care system as it braces for what may be an unprecedented event. 

We do not know how long the current situation — restrictions on public gatherings, closed theaters, canceled projects — will last but we do know that now is the time to take action: 

Community Discussions: Now is the time for facilitated discussions to address problems like lost wages, adopt standards around sanitation, and to prepare for welcoming guests back into our work once the current crisis has passed. We also want to keep the community together in a less formal way, and will be establishing online “Office Hours” events. The first of these Office Hours will be March 16th at 7:00PM PDT. Platform to be announced.

Financial Aid: We have begun work on a campaign to address the short term financial needs of artists and artisans in our community who will be in financial distress because of postponements and closures. Please, track your lost gigs and wages.

Back to Work Messaging: When the time of greatest crisis is over, audiences will be hungry for in-person interaction. We will be ready to help lead a public campaign on behalf of immersive and experiential creators to usher in the “new normal” and create audience awareness of and access to experiences that will be more important than ever.

We call upon our community to continue working together in the spirit of collaboration and creativity that underpins all immersive and experiential projects. 

No one knows what the full impact — economic, social, personal — of the current crisis will be. However, we believe that together we can not only blunt that impact in our community, but take this as an opportunity to create an even stronger foundation for immersive and experiential work for years to come. 

If you are interested in taking part in our organizing efforts, including facilitating discussions, donating, or in our public relations campaign please email us at response@leia.design.
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Signed,
The LEIA Founding Committee