WEST HOLLYWOOD — The city of West Hollywood announced on Wednesday, June 17, artists can apply for its “#ArtfulDistancing” event. 

West Hollywood’s Acting Arts Manager Rebecca Ehemann told Canyon News the event’s goal is to inspire the community to “reconnect, recover and adjust to our new social distancing norms.”

“We have heard from our arts community that the negative economic impacts due to the coronavirus have been severe,” Ehemann said. “Artists, Musicians, and Performers in our community want to continue making new art work and we want to support them as much as possible.

The deadline to submit a project proposal is June 30, and the event will take place August–October, according to the city’s announcement.

In a press release, the city states that this temporary art project will infuse funding to the city’s arts economy. 

“Artists are invited to propose non-traditional artwork, experiences, and performances in the City of West Hollywood with the goal of helping neighbors stay connected and helping people reconnect, recover, and adjust to new social distancing conditions,” the release says. 

Artists who live in L.A County are eligible, and artists who live in West Hollywood are especially encouraged to apply.

The city encourages artists to take inspiration from artistic ideas seen around the world during the health crisis, such as the Italians’ balcony-singing and playing instruments.

Art proposals may be “visual, musical, performance-based, or streetscape/mural art,” the city says. Since projects that are approved will receive a $599 funding, they should be “low-impact” and artists should be able to perform or install their artworks without assistance.

The announcement reminds artists to adhere to L.A County Department of Public Health health and safety guidelines, and to “consider these guidelines in the development of their proposal.” 

The city’s Arts and Cultural Affairs Commission will meet on July 23 to approved proposed projects. Applicants will be notified the following day.

“All applications will be reviewed by staff on the completeness and quality of the content,” the release says. “Only those proposals that provide complete information will be considered for evaluation.”

The application can be submitted through the Temporary Art Project Proposal online application.