When I developed a timeline for the video production phase of this project in February 2020, I knew there might be unforeseen complications and challenges:

Time constraints, technical limitations, and the reality of scheduling and shooting interviews over an academic quarter must also be figured into the scope of the project....a three-part interview approach provides structure, and an acknowledgment that extenuating circumstances will invariably pop up leaves room for improvisation and creative problem-solving...

I never imagined that a global pandemic would be an extenuating circumstance. The coronavirus pandemic is an unprecedented event in modern history, and - it goes without saying - its effects have been, and will continue to be, devastating. Improvisation and creative problem-solving mean something very different now.

Synthesizing Practices was originally designed to be filmed in different places around Seattle - in studios, classrooms, offices, outdoor venues, and public spaces - in order to show how people actively use and engage in the discipline of art history.

Now, in April 2020, as we continually adjust to new health guidelines and social distancing, we stay in our homes. Our ubiquitous screens dictate how we connect to and communicate with our family, friends and colleagues. Video conferencing tools like Zoom dominate our work and school days. I could postpone my project for a time when in-person interviews are possible, or find a way to work now in this extraordinary situation.

I am using Zoom to record interviews for this project. It’s not ideal: internet connections are erratic, the audio is distorted, the video quality is choppy, and technical resources are limited. And everyone is exhausted.

Yet my participants, as tired, stressed, and overwhelmed as they are, still find time to meet with me. They max out their internet bandwidth to join Zoom meetings from the quiet space of a bedroom closet, a windy backyard, or a chaotic shared apartment. I’m editing this pixelated footage, adding in visual references, and weaving together a narrative about the relevance of art historical knowledge in different areas of work, study, or creative practice today.

Figuring out how to complete a humanities-based graduate project in the context of a global pandemic seems at times to be a futile endeavor. But when I ask students about the relevance of art (past, present, and future), they are adamant that making it and studying it has never been more important.

As economies and governments collapse under the pressure of COVID-19, as the long term effects of social distancing take a toll on our emotional health, art still connects us. Art documents society’s response to crises, bridges cultures, and ensures we continue to make meaning, question systems, disrupt power, and even find beauty in chaos.