Upcoming Projects: Unmasked Match-Ups

While most of us double-vaccinated folks are tentatively inching our way out of isolation, attending the first in-person meeting in over a year, or even making the scene at a poetry reading or music event, there is always the familiar refrain of the virtual contingency plan. For the inhabitants of hospitals and long-term care homes who are particularly vulnerable, virtual programming remains an especially important social tool. Many people in care remain isolated due to illness or lack of mobility. Our upcoming initiative Unmasked Match-Ups, a personalized concert series for people in care, was conceived of with this in mind.

Unmasked Match-Ups will create intimate virtual experiences, in which patients or residents can choose from a menu of musicians, playwrights , actors, storytellers and spoken word artists for one-on-one recitals on tablets or laptops. All the artists selected for this project have a performance history but also a background working in the community with vulnerable people. Performers of a variety of genres and cultural backgrounds are part of the crew. With the help of healthcare staff, families of people in care, the artists and participants will be paired for unique experiences which will hopefully evolve into conversations and later post-pandemic in-person engagements.

Prior to these personalized virtual concerts, healthcare workers and artists will meet in a series of salons to discuss participants’ needs, share knowledge gleaned from past experiences working with vulnerable and equity seeking groups, and exchange tips on setting up the best quality virtual performances. These virtual concerts are an opportunity for artists to connect with an audience who can’t access their performances in typical contexts, like concert halls or cafes, and for people in care to reconnect with the world of the arts.