Every day on Art&Seek, we’re talking to people who have tips on art in the time of social distancing. Share yours with us on Facebook, Instagram or @artandseek on Twitter. Click above to hear Charles Santos of TTIAS/DANCE UNBOUND share his tip with KERA’s Nilufer Arsala. 

Dallas Startup Week, organized by The Dallas Entrepreneur Center Network, returns for its sixth annual conference virtually. This year, over 100 free sessions will cater to help entrepreneurs who face challenges during COVID-19.

The event started on Aug. 30 and will continue until Sept. 3., covering over 16 topics, including arts and entertainment, fashion, virtual reality, coding, healthcare, cybersecurity and gaming. 

One of the main panels covers the lasting effects of the pandemic on local arts. Charles Santos, executive and artistic director of TITAS/DANCE UNBOUND will sit on the panel, along with Lauren Smart, arts writer/critic and journalism professor at SMU, Jess Garland, performing artist and founder of Swan Strings and Damany Daniel, founder of The Event Nerd and creative director of Bomb Factory. The four will speak on Sept. 2 at 2 p.m.

Arts and cultural organizations have lost nearly $68 million since venues were forced to close in March, according to the latest survey done by arts leadership groups. Santos said every day there’s another issue to solve, whether it’s figuring out social distancing in venues or payroll. 

“All these issues, things that we never thought about, are a part of our daily conversations about how to work in this current environment,” he said. 

Charles Santos, Jess Garland, Damany Daniel and Lauren Smart.

The panel called “Postpone and Pivot: How the Local Arts are Surviving (and Inspiring)” will also discuss the creative ways organizations have brought the arts into homes — holding virtual events, performances and classes.

TITAS, for instance, has a new series called Virtual Santos Salon. The Facebook live discussion brings the arts community together while talking to artists about their work or having deep conversations with leaders in the field. 

“I’m realizing that we have the ability to really share information on a much bigger platform,” Santos said.  

But he does not want to train a new generation to skip live experiences.   

“We have to be very careful with a virtual platform,” Santos said. “They are vital to the way we live today but there is nothing like the live experience and seeing a great performance live. And you can’t replace that with the experience on a device.”

Other sessions include How Women are Leading Innovation in DFW, Mental Strength Strategies – Surviving Startup Surprises and How EarthX Put Dallas on the Map for Environmental Change. 

Dallas Startup Week, powered by Capital One, was originally scheduled for late April, but organizers postponed the conference until August. With the coronavirus still lingering, the event was moved virtually. 

Last year, more than 100,000 people attended Dallas Startup Week. This year, attendees can join a Dallas Startup Week slack channel to find resources and important announcements.

Got a tip? Email Mia Estrada at mestrada@kera.org. You can follow her on Twitter @miaaestrada.

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