About three days into the virus becoming prevalent in New York City, a friend called me with an idea. The theatre and entertainment industry was just starting to feel the effects of Covid-19 and productions were starting to shut down one by one. He wanted to keep artists working and fill the void of live performances that we knew was rapidly approaching. After making a few more calls, we had assembled a team.
It was decided that this would be a virtual space for artists to collaborate on primarily new work. At Home Artists Project (AHAP) is a collective of artists cultivating work while at home. Our goal is to fill the vacuum of live performances and cultural gaps currently at hand, while supporting working artists of all kinds as well as resourceful charitable organizations.
By the second week of May, AHAP had produced 6 productions and 1 compilation video. We had worked with 36 different artists comprised of actors, directors, playwrights, musicians, visual artists, and designers, and raised over $200 to be donated to The Actors Fund. My part in these projects would not be fruitful if not for the equal efforts made by the other members of the creative admin team. They have been collaborators of regard and friends alike. One of my favorite things about theatre is that it works the same way everywhere you go. It turns out, this is true in the virtual realm as well. In a time when the community I love most is hurting, I feel very grateful to have landed amongst a team of go-getters who wanted to help by continuing to put some art into the world and offer a support system for artists in the meantime. My other favorite part about theatre is feeling apart of something, and that feeling has been invaluable at this time. If you’d like to work with us or learn more, please visit https://www.athomeartistsproject.com/.
After graduating in 2016 with a concentration in Scenic Design, Jacquelyn moved to LA, where she freelanced across entertainment genres. She worked multiple times as a props production assistant for tv and film, as a props master and scenic designer for several 99 seat theatres, and regularly painted for Center Theatre Group and a few more commercial theatre companies. Jacquelyn relocated to New York in September 2019 where she began work as a digital marketing analyst for non-profit arts organizations and continued freelancing scenery work on the side, including painting Soft Power at The Public. Currently, Jacquelyn is part of the creative administrative team of At Home Artists Project, which was founded in the wake of Covid-19.