For many people, July 13-17 might not be a standout week, but for NIAD it’s been momentous. 

This week, following the orders of our health officers, we moved back our target date for reopening from August to September – but maybe longer, depending on health and safety. 

And so, this week marks another new chapter in the new world of uncertainty we’re navigating.  Giving up even a hazy vision of reopening requires a lot of coming to terms with how much we can’t control. There’s a lot of learning on the horizon, the kind that comes with confronting new challenges, even when we think we’ve had enough. 

And we know for sure there are two ways we’ll continue working with the skills we’ve gathered so far.  We’ll be taking lots of breaks, turning off our cameras, emphasizing self-care with movement, mindfulness, and conversation.  And we’ll be looking for those tiny openings that become pathways to innovation, since the Virtual Studio has to grow more to hold all of our practices full-time, over time. 

We hope you will too – be easy on yourself, and notice how much you bring just by staying with these challenging times. This is innovation – when you stay with us, we grow. 

In appreciation, 

Amanda Eicher, NIAD Art Center Executive Director

(image: work-in-progress, Janay Futch)