Radical Imagination...

The arts as we knew it was transformed in March 2020 as theaters and concert halls across the globe began to shut their doors, Broadway went dark, students and teachers catapulted to remote learning, choruses were branded as super-spreaders, and performing artists watched their livelihoods disappear instantly before their eyes. Covid-19 brought us a new reality, one that we were entirely unprepared for. 

Yet, despite these intense and unrivaled challenges, resilient artists of all kinds found new ways to express themselves through their work. Beginning with humble virtual performances created on cell phones, artists and arts organizations began to lean into new collaborations and found ways to present productions and exhibits during this time of isolation. Art demands imagination. Radical Imagination.  

Modfest is proud to support virtual programming featuring WAMC Northeast Public Radio’s “A Face for Radio Video Series with Sarah LaDuke.” Sarah will interview artists and faculty; Mexodus: A New Musical, was inspired by enslaved people in the South who pursued a journey into Mexico instead of looking north; and An Indigeneous Artists Panel exploring the complicated relationship between land and art, land acknowledgements, and other current issues facing institutions and indigenous artists. Modfest concludes with a performance by the  Grammy Award-Winning Attacca Quartet, followed by a Q&A discussing the challenges of being performing artists during a pandemic.

Christine Howlett & Tom Pacio, Modfest co-directors