This week, we explore the devastating effects of the coronavirus (Covid-19) on art communities, and particularly the wealth of self-employed workers in the art world. We hear about the support packages for people working in the visual arts in Germany, we discuss the precarious position of artists in the UK and we hear about a petition highlighting the fact that galleries in New York and their teams of workers may not benefit from the relief initiatives for small businesses recently announced by the New York mayor Bill de Blasio. You can read our full free-to-read list on how to apply for financial aid if you're self-employed or a small business in the arts here.
Plus, we have the latest in our new series in which focus on works behind the doors of museums that have closed due to the coronavirus, this week with Zoe Whitley, the new director of the Chisenhale Gallery in London. Whitley discusses a springtime gem from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Alma Thomas's Wind and Crepe Myrtle Concerto (1973).
Alma Thomas’s Wind and Crepe Myrtle Concerto (1973) Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
The Art Newspaper Weekly Podcast is available every Friday on our website and all the usual places where you find podcasts. This podcast is brought to you in association with Bonhams, auctioneers since 1793 bonhams.com.
• Read all of our coverage on how the Covid-19 pandemic is affecting the art world here. You can find useful resources and creative inspiration, including a list of our favourite arty podcasts, here.