Art of Mass Gatherings

The Performing Arts Readiness (PAR) project is looking for two hosts for a day-long symposium around emergency preparedness for festivals and other outdoor events featuring the performing arts, including live music, dance, etc. We will assist any other interested sites in finding local, state, foundation, or other funding for self-funded Art of Mass Gatherings events. The symposia would occur before, during, and after your event, using your event as a means to teach up to 50 participants. PAR will provide financial support for the symposia. Additional information is provided below. If demand for symposiums exceeds PAR budget, we will assist any other interested sites in finding local, state, foundation, or other funding for self-funded Art of Mass Gatherings events.

The PAR project, funded by The Mellon Foundation, seeks to improve emergency preparedness among performing arts organizations through advocacy and outreach. The national PAR team works to raise awareness, increase resources, and provide training that addresses the unique needs of the performing arts industry. PAR also is developing tools to assist with planning and advocacy and is providing grants to support emergency response networks and develop institutional preparedness plans. As part of this project, PAR is working with Majestic Collaborations (MC) as an emergency preparedness consultancy to develop a curriculum and coordinate a series of symposia for the performing arts industry. Collaboration between the symposium sponsors and host organization will allow each host to highlight their approach and expertise, and the event curriculum will be dynamic with relevance to individuals, organizations, and businesses interested in the topics below (hosts may select some topics to suit their anticipated audience):

  • Life safety, health, and public welfare
  • Event waste reduction and management as part of emergency preparedness
  • Cultural placekeeping
  • Climate change resilience
  • Legal concerns and emergency plans
  • Mental and physical health first aid
  • Crowd management
  • Entertainment and emergency systems (waste, water, weather, power,interactive content/innovative audience communications to enhance safety)
  • Enhancing accessibility - physical and other
  • Transportation and tactical urbanism
  • Harm reduction, gender safety, and trauma-informed practices
  • Emergency planning for non-traditional venues, and immersive events

Organizations that are interested in hosting an AOMG symposium in their community and have a well-established event in which it could occur are encouraged to submit an interest form. More information about host site expectations, PAR guidance for events, and complete guidelines are in the downloadable interest form.

Details on the Art of Mass Gathering for Performing Arts project are available at the Majestic Collaborations web page: https://theartofmassgatherings.com/