Charles Donelan, Arts Advocate
An editor at the Independent since 2004, Charles Donelan splits his time between covering a wide range of arts and entertainment for the paper while teaching high school students at Laguna Blanca. He wrote this week’s cover story about the future of live performance in Santa Barbara.
How’s teaching going during the pandemic? The pivot to remote learning was challenging in many ways. Fortunately, I had a great team supporting me, and my students responded to the crisis with grace and courage. In the end, we learned a lot and definitely discovered some things that we will keep when we are back on campus in person.
Top takeaway? The biggest lesson was that anything is possible with sustained individual attention. I am still Zooming with students almost every day.
What’s your hope for live arts? I’m optimistic by nature and look forward to discovering new ways of experiencing Santa Barbara and the arts. I’m spending more time than ever in, on, and under the water (see photo), and I’m embracing the opportunities presented by innovations in digital media.
