The official ArtBeat 2020 graphic, designed by Paula Champagne, seems appropriate for this year’s ArtBeat theme, “Chance.”

By Rachel Berets

In past years, Somerville’s ArtBeat festival has filled Davis Square, Elm Street, and beyond with dancing residents, music makers, stilt walkers, and colorful crafts. This year, due to COVID-19, the festival, put on by the Somerville Arts Council, will continue in a different form as a large portion of the events will take place online.

The ArtBeat festival, which is normally scheduled as a one-day event that attracts some 10,000 people, will run this year from Friday, July 10 to Saturday, July 18 and will feature a mix of virtual performances and real life installations around Somerville.

The “Chance” themed festival which “explores all things fluky, unexpected and unplanned,” according to the Somerville Arts Council website, will kick off with a virtual dance party on Friday, July 10. Although the format will be different, the goals of the festival remain the same – to share art, engage with the community, and support artists.

“I think we feel it’s more important than ever to bring culture into the streets. It’s a way to bring the community together and show hope, address mental health issues and financially support artists,” said Rachel Strutt, the Cultural Director of the Somerville Arts Council.

While residents will be able to see some art in-person, including a floral installation and an art piece in the Inside-Out Gallery, located in the CVS Window in Davis Square, some musical performances, a puppet show, a poetry reading, and a dance party will be featured online.

A number of the musical performances have been pre-recorded in Somerville’s music venues, including ONCE Ballroom. “We wanted to support the local club scene because I think music venues almost more than any other type of business are going to be the hardest hit. It’s going to be so long before you can have a lot of people in a crowded rock club,” said Strutt.

While a virtual festival may not be able to replace the hustle and bustle of an in-person experience, Strutt and Somerville Arts Council Office Manager Heather Balchunas see a few unexpected positives. “Usually, ArtBeat is concentrated in a specific area. This has been an opportunity to allow us to engage the community in different ways,” said Balchunas. “Instead of a Davis Square event, this is a city wide event, and it becomes even more of a people’s festival.”

Strutt admits that the half-virtual, half in-person festival may not be as well attended as previous years, but she hopes the festival can bring art to the people and promote change nonetheless. “I think we are all so tired of the internet,” said Strutt. “But on the other hand I think if we didn’t have the internet it would be that much harder to share arts and culture, so I think we are very lucky.”

For more information or a full schedule of events, visit http://somervilleartscouncil.org/artbeat/2020.