A digital image featuring the logos of some well-known Winston-Salem arts organizations is hitting social media today, carrying a message of support during troubled times in the creative community.

Collaboration and crowds are a big part of the city’s arts scene. The pandemic and forced closures have eliminated those crowds for now. 

But Lawren Desai, executive director and curator of downtown’s Aperture Cinema, is hoping the collaborations continue as the city waits out its stay-at-home orders. She’s commissioned artwork by local artist Sean McNamara that will be shared online in a show of unity. 

She's sharing the image on Tuesday morning and is asking other art leaders in the community to do the same.

Desai says it’s a reminder of the importance of arts organizations and the creators behind them as they face an uncertain future.

“The idea is just to remember that when we get through this, when we come out of it, we’re going to need a lot of support to get us back to where we were,” she says.

The artwork depicts a woman standing behind a velvet rope looking at a wall of logos from city arts groups including Bookmarks, Reynolda House and the Winston-Salem Symphony.

"[McNamara] does a lot of artwork of locations around Winston-Salem and he just seemed like a natural fit because he'd already done a lot of pieces for arts organizations and artists," Desai says. 

Aperture Cinema, which celebrated 10 years in downtown in January, closed in mid-March amid requests to limit events and large crowds.

For the most up-to-date information on coronavirus in North Carolina, visit our Live Updates blog here.