…We’re prepared!!

Last March we were ordered by State and Local officials to “Stay at Home” for 15 days to “flatten the curve.”  Like the responsible people we are, we all followed suit, we hunkered down, wore masks and gloves, wiped every surface with rubbing alcohol, and stayed home.  However what was supposed to be 15 days soon turned into a month, then 3 months, followed by severe limitations on how we could return to our lives.  This has deeply impacted all of our personal lives and threatened our group survival.

Now, 9 months later we are being forced to do it again.  As of 11:59 pm tonight (12/6) we again are being ordered to close all of our studios to all in-person classes.  While this time the order is supposed to last only 21 days, our experience of the past would indicate otherwise.  So this time – WE ARE READY FOR THE LONG HAUL!

Nearly 10 weeks ago, in anticipation of the potential for a future mandated closure, we designed and soon implemented a plan to deliver live, online instruction.  As I outlined in my previous post, we launched one of the most state-of-the-art, multi camera, online fine art studios ever conceived.

Over the last 6 weeks we have enrolled nearly 60 children who are now attending weekly classes.  These are students who either would not or could not return to in-studio classes, and who were either in our Drawing Basics or Watercolor Basics programs.  What is amazing is that 20% of these students are not in Southern California, in fact they range from Florida to Hawaii.

In my 28 years at Mission: Renaissance I have never seen an enrollment that grew so rapidly.

While this first “Zoom Room” proved effective from Day 1, know that the purpose of the room was to test the effectiveness of live, online classes should we again be faced with another forced closure.  

And here we are, once again, being forced to close all of our California studios.  

Now, you might be thinking “How is one Zoom Room going to make a difference?” Truthfully, it can’t.  

But, 7 Zoom Rooms can!

Once it was proven that we can deliver effective instruction via our state-of-the- art Zoom Rooms, we immediately prepared for what appeared to be inevitable – another closure.  

At this moment there are 5 independent Zoom Rooms set up in Pasadena that are fully operational and 2 more that can be quickly erected and ready go within 24 hours.  

Here is our survive plan: