Help us keep the arts alive during these uncertain times when we need them most

Due to COVID-19 the ZACC closed our doors to the public on Monday, March 16, for the foreseeable future. We have had to cancel all upcoming classes and events through April, sadly including The Mini Show. Like many other beloved Missoula institutions, the ZACC is not in a financial position to be closed to the public, cancel events, or postpone fundraisers. We just opened our new downtown facility in late October, and we’re not yet done with our capital campaign. Our organization is heavily dependent on the income these canceled events and classes would have generated.  We are facing huge losses of $100,000 or more over the next few months and we would so appreciate your help at this unprecedented time. 

Since closing our doors to the public the ZACC has created a ‘Messages of Hope to our Community’ call to homebound artists of all ages and all abilities to create art and send it to us digitally. We will be printing and displaying them in the ZACC’s downtown windows (we have four giant ones facing Main Street) and online. We have launched a curbside paint-your-own-pottery and take home art kit service on our website, and released a printable design for local community members to print and hang in their windows to promote hope and connection during these difficult times.

With hours significantly cut back, ZACC staff are still working to find creative ways to serve our community through the arts. As await an uncertain future, art is keeping us sane. Music, dance, drawing, reading, writing, movies, TV, painting. Without art we are left alone and without inspiration, without hope. Art brings us together when we are apart, and ignites our spirit when the flame is low. Art is what makes us human, and what helps us keep our humanity through trying times.

While we are closed to the public to promote public safety and encourage social distancing, the ZACC is still committed to providing accessible arts experiences for all people, and encouraging the arts in all forms. We are dedicated to eventually reopening our downtown space, and rebuilding our community once this storm has subsided.  Thank you for helping us make sure we can be a beacon for art and community when this ends, because it will end. And we have to protect the things we hold dear until it does.