COVID-19 Statement

“Eyebeam has been supporting artists working with technology and political waves for two decades. We need artists at the center of conversations. Artists are futurists and innovators–they are always finding ways to peek around the next corner.” Darren Walker, President of the Ford Foundation.

Dear Friends,

We hope you are all well. We want you to know that the Eyebeam team is hard at work finding new ways to uplift artists and engage with the public. As our physical space temporarily closes, the team is creating ways in which artists can build new and better relationships between technology and society. We know how difficult maintaining normalcy is at this moment, but we also want to create a communal space for connections and innovation.

We are deeply committed to supporting the groundbreaking work of artists during this crisis. As such, we want to know what you need. We want to know: How can we support you in this time?

For more than 20 years our artists have explored the intersection of art and technology, and produced works that engage viewers in radical ways. As populations move out of the physical sphere, take shelter in private homes, and maintain social distancing, the need to connect with one another has become increasingly important—as will our need for art to help us connect, manage our anxieties, and sustain our humanity. If there was ever a time for technology to connect us rather than distract, it is now.

This Friday, from now until June 1st, we will host “open hours” with Roderick Schrock, our Executive Director, a time for all of our community and friends, as well as the general public, to share learnings with each other and for us to be transparent about the organization’s future in the new realities of our world. Sign up here.

This week we will be thinking about these issues:

How do we create real and virtual spaces where artists can flourish in the time of pandemic?

What does a residency look like in an age of enforced isolation?

Stay tuned for how we plan to keep supporting you:

Resources: We continue sharing resources and fundraisers for artists, information about COVID-19, links to open source projects that you can do from home, live-streams to tune in to. We will continue to share how Eyebeam’s artists have explored prescient topics such as surveillance technology, artificial intelligence, and creating community virtually.

Connect: We will be rolling out new programs to engage artists, technologists, thinkers, and those interested in learning more about the diverse community of makers in the Eyebeam community.