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Initiative Statement

COVID is not over. Through SCR and Art & Mind, we raise awareness about COVID and its ongoing effect on our communities - BIPOC, Disabled, and Queer. According to WHO, the international health emergency has ended, but COVID-19 is still an ongoing pandemic, with The Hill stating in their article, "Is Covid-19 Still a 'Pandemic?' (May 2024) that COVID is consistently present, but not limited to a particular area or population, which, if it were, would be 'endemic.'

 

COVID is a mass disabling event (according to WHO) that is airborne (according to the CDC), disabling those who weren't disabled previously and worsening the conditions of those who were already disabled. According to Forbes, 1 in 5 Adults with COVID-19 develop Long COVID, and according to the University Of Nebraska Medical Center, "each subsequent COVID infection will increase your risk of developing chronic health issues like diabetes, kidney disease, organ failure, and even mental health." We hope to raise awareness about the ongoing effects of COVID-19 while highlighting the threat of climate change accelerating adverse outcomes such as more illnesses, disability rights issues, displacement, and environmental damage. 

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CNBC news stated in 2021- "U.S. Covid cases need to fall below 10,000 a day to get to a 'degree of normality…' but Covid cases in the U.S. may need to fall as low as 3,300 per day for the nation to gain control over the virus."

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America has never reached this low level of infection. Infections finally lowered below 100,000 per day in April 2021. Viewing data scientist and infectious disease modeler JP Weiland's charts, we've continuously seen over 125,000 cases (at a minimum) per day, with the omicron strain reaching over 5,000,000. In many instances, we've reached over 100,000,000 COVID cases per day. JP Weiland references data from Biobot.io and NWSS (CDC Funded).

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We want to educate people on how these issues have isolated many disabled artists and how art can be used as a tool to empower and uplift others, fight against these injustices, and imagine an equitable and empathetic world.

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Through this theme, we feel it's imperative to highlight Indigenous experiences about COVID & Climate, with our artists underscoring the impact on Native American communities and the plight of Indigenous Palestinians as they suffer from loss of shelter, food, clean water, famine, rampant disease and loss of their ecosystem. We hope you can join us in understanding and hearing these stories and feel encouraged to take action for humanity to reach peace & prosperity through the arts.