Jojo Goerner and Ben Aultman-Moore have been posting videos of their musical performances to the Haines Community Open Mic page. (Image captured from Facebook page)
Live shows and performances across the globe have been postponed until further notice, but that doesn’t mean that creatives have stopped sharing their art. They have just moved their shows and performances online.
Back in August, Haines School art teacher Giselle Miller began planning for a First Friday art show at the Haines Brewing Company. Jeanne Kitayama, one of the brewery’s co-owners, penciled her show in for April. Miller worked on her paintings over the winter and had everything ready to go.
A few weeks before the event, the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
“We found out that school wasn’t going to come back into session for those first two weeks that Friday that spring break was starting,” Miller said. “That was kind of when I was like, ‘Well, maybe I’ll be able to do my show, but probably not.’”
Kitayama suggested that she hang her paintings in the brewery and post a virtual art show online.
Miller posted a live stream on Facebook and walked people through the exhibition. Her show featured topographic maps of local areas with some creative twists thrown in. They’re still on display at the brewery and people can check them out when they stop by to fill a growler, but the video allowed Miller to make the show more accessible.
“I have grandparents in Arizona that watched the whole thing, and they would’ve never seen that artwork,” Miller said. “You know if it were a regular First Friday I would’ve had a local gathering, but with a virtual it obviously extended my outreach.”
Miller said she’s been engaging with people online more than usual. She’s had to connect with her students’ parents on social media, put out video lessons for her art classes, and she’s planning to organize a school art show online.
She’s also been watching more of what her own friends are posting on social media.
“I did it and now it’s funny to watch, I’ve seen all of these people start doing Facebook live videos. I’m more engaged in it myself because I did one,” Miller said.
More and more performances are popping up on social media.
For example, the open mic night that used to take place at the Pioneer Bar on Friday nights has found a temporary home on Facebook.
Jojo Goerner has been hosting open mic night at the Pioneer Bar on and off for a couple years. A few weeks, ago she set up the Haines Community Open Mic page on Facebook. People have been posting videos and live streams of their performances on the page.
Goerner said in some ways there are advantages to hosting open mic night online.
“You have less pressure if you’re a person who maybe has a fear of public speaking. You can do this with your dog watching you. I think there’s an advantage of having the safe space of your home,” Goerner said.
Also when it’s not hosted at a bar on a Friday night, kids can get involved.
But Goerner admitted that she does miss performing for people in person.
“You just don’t have the same in-person exchange of energy because you don’t necessarily see the emotion from people’s faces,” Goerner said. “As a musician I actually have a harder time performing for a camera.”
Miller agreed that a certain connection is lost when artists aren’t in the same room as their audience. Even so, she said when people start hosting public shows again she will be game to make them available online.
“Some day down the road when we’re doing another First Friday where we’re not social distancing and we’re hanging out, it would be really fun to do a live feed of a Haines First Friday,” Miller said. “I don’t think it would take away; I think it’s just more celebratory of that event.”
Miller’s virtual art show, “Meandering” is available to watch on Facebook. You can also find the open mic page on Facebook by searching Haines Community Open Mic.
