​​As New Orleans makes its comeback, fall 2021 will deliver nearly a year’s-worth of events in a few short months. At the City's request, FQFI organizers have consolidated festival activities into an action-packed three-days in order allow the city to focus its security and safety resources on the New Orleans Saints home game on Sunday, October 3. 

FQFI has shifted programming in order to maximize the concentrated schedule and present time-honored festival traditions, stages, and performances. The event will bring regional cuisine from more than 50 local restaurants, hundreds of Louisiana musicians on 19 stages, and special events that celebrate New Orleans’ diverse, unique culture. The festival will operate from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. Thursday, September 30 through Saturday, October 2.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT FRENCH QUARTER FESTIVAL
WEBSITE: frenchquarterfest.org
FACEBOOK: fqfest
INSTAGRAM: FQFEST
TWITTER: FQfestNOLA

Music Midtown will begin on Saturday, September 18th and end on Sunday, September 19th at Piedmont Park in Atlanta, Georgia.

​Waiting to snag your tickets for this year's festival? Here's your chance! 2-Day GA, GA+, VIP and Super VIP Tickets are on sale now.

With so many events being cancelled in 2020, it is super exciting to announce that Jazz In The Alley is coming back to Norcross, Georgia this summer!!!!

​Jazz at its best will be taking over Betty Mauldin Park late summer thru early fall from 7:30 – 9:30 p.m. Local eateries are jazzing things up with some delish chef specials to-go that make it a perfect date night or girl’s night out. During the band breaks, take an easy stroll and check out the deals in our downtown shops! Bring chairs, a cooler (no glass, please) and come chill.

We absolutely love us some Porsha Williams from Real Housewives of Atlanta.  We've only been in the same room with her once, at the 2019 Black Music Honors in Atlanta during the red carpet interviews, so hopefully soon we will meet her formally but anyway.......
In the video, Porsha hits us with the Megan Thee Stallion's Body dance challenge and well......all we can say is What's that Sound?

KEYWORDS
Porsha Williams Williams - RHOA - Megan Thee Stallion - porsha williams body challenge - megan stallion - body challenge tiktok - Real Housewives of Atlanta -  Porsha Williams instagram - Jermaine Sain - When We Speak TV

Many of you many know Gizelle Bryant from the reality tv show, Realhousewives of Potomac.  In addition to being a reality star, Gizelle is also making her mark as an author, with her new book, My Word.   

Thank you Kandi Burruss for supporting When We Speak TV, we hope to speak with you soon!!!

Talk show host Wendy Williams executive produces the biopic on her life, revealing the highs and lows she has experienced throughout the years. 

2020 has definitely brought with it some financial stresses that we did not anticipate.  Many people are struggling financially, particularly some of our friends in the arts.   

Americans for the Arts
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource and Response Center 
​
Arts Education Partnership
COVID-19 Resources  
Status of Arts Education Provisions in State Reopening Plans
​
National Assembly of State Arts Agencies
Coronavirus Resources
State Arts Agencies & Regional Arts Organizations Contacts
​
For Freelance Artists
COVID-19 & Freelance Artists
​
AIGA
Community Resource Hub

Alliance of Artists Communities
Blog post on COVID-19 Preparedness for Residencies

Alternate ROOTS
COVID-19 Resource Page

American Alliance of Museums
Information for the Museum Field

American Association of Community Theatre
COVID-19 Response
Resource Roster

American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association
Survey on Impact of COVID-19 on Indian Country Tourism

Art House Convergence
list of resources for art house cinemas and theaters

Artist Relief
Funds for Artists

A.R.T./New York
Resources for Responding to COVID-19 in New York City

Arts Extension Service - UMass Amherst
AES Resource list during COVID-19

ArtsReady
Information During the Impact of the Coronavirus

Artwork Archive
Financial Relief Resources for Artists During COVID-19

Association of Art Museum Directors
Museums and COVID-19

Association of Performing Arts Professionals
Emergency Reposnse Page

Backstage
COVID-19 Resources for Actors, Creators + Performing Artists

Billboard
Coronavirus Resources

Chamber of Commerce
Coronavirus Small Business Issues and Solutions Guide

Center for Cultural Innovation
COVID-19 Resources

CERF+
The Artist’s Safety Net

Chamber Music America
COVID-19 Resources for the Chamber Music Community

Chorus America
Blog Post
On June Conference & Other Registrations

Common Field
COVID-19 Resources for the Artist Organization Field

Creative Capital
Arts Resources During the COVID-19 Outbreak

CultureSource
COVID-19 Response Resources

Dance/USA
Resources for Preparing for the Potential Impact of the Coronavirus
Coronavirus and Your Insurance Program
Dance/NYC Coronavirus Dance Relief Fund

Documentary Producers Alliance
COVID-19 Resources

Drama League
COVID-19 Resource List

Dramatists Guild
COVID-19 Resources

Early Music America
COVID-19 Resources for Artists and Arts Organizations

Film Festival Alliance
COVID-19 Pivoting & Planning Calls for Festivals

Grantmakers in the Arts
COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and Arts Funding

International Association of Blacks in Dance
IABD Emergency Fund

International Documentary Association
Applying for Federal Coronavirus Relief as a Filmmaker

Kickstarter
COVID Artist Resources and Funds

Lawyers for Good Government
Nationwide Small Business Legal Clinic Project

League of American Orchestras
Coroavirus resource page
Webinar: Your Orchestra and COVID-19 Federal Relief (4/1: 1:00pm to 2:30pm EST)

Lifetime Arts
Supporting Creative Aging Programming during COVID-19 Crisis

Mayors’ Institute on City Design
Resources for cities responding to the COVID-19 crisis

MusicCares®
MusicCares COVID-19 Relief Fund

MusicCovidRelief.com
Benefits made available by the CARES Act

NALAC | National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures
Arts Resources & Field Survey

National Alliance for Musical Theatre
COVID-19 Resources

National Art Education Association (NAEA)
Tools for distance learning/preparing for the 2020-21 school year

National Association for Music Education
NAfME COVID-19 Resources & News

National Black Arts
Donate to the Artist Fund
Apply to Artist Project Fund

National Performance Network
Statement and Resources

NDN Collective
COVID-19 grant opportunities for Indigenous organizations and artists

New York Foundation for the Arts
Emergency Resources - includes national level resources

OPERA America
COVID-19 Resource Hub

Poets & Writers
Resources for Writers in the Time of Coronavirus

State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education
Arts Instructional Resources

Sundance Institute
Curated COVID Resources & Emergency Funds

Theater Communications Group
COVID-19: Prepare, Mitigate, Recover

The Recovery Village
Resources for Substance Abuse Treatment During Coronavirus

TYA/USA
TYA Response to COVID-19

University of Florida Center for Arts in Medicine
Arts & COVID-19 Response

Western Governors’ Association
Coping with the Realities of COVID-19

WomenArts
Emergency Funds - All Art Forms ​

KEYWORDS
covid-19 resources - resources for artists - film festival alliance - covid 19 resources for arts organizations  - cares act - resources for musicians - filmmakers - resource hub for artists - resource hub for creators - Jermaine Sain - When We Speak TV - covid support for artists - artist relief grants -  help for artists - covid grants for artists​

The Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA) announces the recipients for the 2020-2021 Contracts for Arts Services (CAS) awards.
Each year, CAS awards general operating and project support to non-profit arts and community organizations, as well as project support to individual artists based and producing work in the City of Atlanta.
​The program, initiated in 1982 to support Atlanta’s thriving arts community, awards annual contracts related to the production, creation, presentation, exhibition, and managerial support of artistic and cultural services in the City of Atlanta.

​During the fiscal year 2021, the City of Atlanta, through the Contracts for Arts Services program, will provide municipal support for the arts totaling over $1.7 million to 13 individual artists, 76 arts organizations, and 14 community and neighborhood organizations in the city of Atlanta.

The Black American Music Association (BAM) and the Georgia Entertainment Caucus (GEC) has announced the formation of the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame (WOF) which will be installed in downtown Atlanta starting in January 2021.

​
The WOF will reside on the sidewalks of Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive and Northside Drive, 1 AMB Drive, NW, Atlanta, GA 30313. 

This year’s ELEVATE Art Festival examines arts and culture through the lens of our changed reality due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We have experienced racial unrest, economic recession, isolation due to social distancing, and a divisive political climate. The festival theme is Equity, Activism, Engagement, and through our programs we seek to provide hope, inspiration, and food for your soul. Join this year’s free virtual programs from Sunday, October 4 through Saturday, October 10.  It’ll be streaming live via Facebook, YouTube and website. Check elevateatlart.com for details.  Below is the music lineup.

This year’s ELEVATE Art Festival examines arts and culture through the lens of our changed reality due to the COVID-19 pandemic, racial unrest, economic recession, and a divisive political climate. Dance performances being presented are dazzling, dreamlike, and defiant. They provide insight into issues that we, and our communities, are dealing with including inequity, food insecurity, and isolation, but also seek to inspire hope, resilience, and activism as we move forward. Join this year’s virtual programming from Sunday, October 4 through Saturday, October 10.

NEWS SOURCE:  Hatchett PR

​The City of Atlanta - Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs will bring its annual ELEVATE public art festival to Atlanta’s historic West End neighborhood from Sunday, October 4 to Saturday, October 10, 2020. This year’s festival events will be virtual. 

​• Musical performances by Kebbi Williams and The Wolf Pack, The Royal Krunk Jazz Orkestra, Gritz and Jelly Butter, Tony Hightower, and Julie Dexter. 
​• Mural installations honoring civil rights leader Reverend James Orange and Black women activists from the West End community. 
• An online and in person voter registration event at the West End MARTA station. 
• A conversation with New York Times best-selling authors Pearl Cleage and Tayari Jones, who frequently feature Atlanta’s West End community in their work.  
• The opening of Hammonds House Museum’s exhibition Elements of A Revolution. 
• A conversation between the executive directors of Atlanta Contemporary and Les Abattoirs/Toulouse to discuss challenges of promoting art during COVID-19, issues of gender equality and racism in their field. Since 1974 Atlanta and Toulouse have been Sister Cities. 
• A screening of the stirring new documentary, “John Lewis: Good Trouble,” an intimate account of the legendary U.S. Representative’s life, legacy, and more than 60 years of extraordinary activism. 
• An Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performance of Lazarus created by acclaimed hip-hop choreographer Rennie Harris. The ballet connects the past and the present in a powerful work that addresses racial inequities America faced when Mr. Ailey founded his dance company in 1958 and still faces today.
• Renowned artist Carrie Mae Weems, in collaboration with SCAD, will launch RESIST COVID/TAKE 6, a public art initiative raising critical heath awareness about COVID-19 and the ways racial inequities have manifested in the pandemic.