Constructing the New Normal: Creative Arts in the Wake of COVID-19

Collection Title: Constructing the New Normal: Creative Arts in the Wake of COVID-19

Description: Alexis Zilen interviews two young adult women who were actively involved in the creative arts and find themselves facing unemployment and uncertainty in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. These interviews were conducted as part of American University's Fall 2020 Oral History Class. Due to the pandemic, the interviews were conducted virtually via TheirStory.

: Ashlie Gorman Interview, October 18, 2020; The idea of a “new normal” has become common rhetoric within the United States as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This new normal includes not only updated health consciousness but larger structural transformations in economics and politics. This project will focus on a few microcosms of transformation; the rise of unemployment and the impact of the creative arts, and the effects of mental health during the ongoing pandemic. Overall, this interview between Ashlie Gorman and Alexis Zilen will provide insight into the new normal and the transformation of American creative culture during the pandemic.

: Nicole Williams Interview, November 10, 2020; The idea of a “new normal” has become common rhetoric within the United States as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This new normal includes not only updated health consciousness but larger structural transformations in economics and politics. This project will focus on a few microcosms of transformation; the rise of unemployment and the impact of the creative arts, and the effects of mental health during the ongoing pandemic. Overall, Alexis Zilen's interview with Nicole Williams will provide insight into the new normal and the transformation of American creative culture during the pandemic. This interview was completed virtually.