A new year, again

I wonder what is to come for Seattle Arts Organizations this year, actually the arts everywhere. We are in the midst of tough economic times, but the organizations that make it use crisis as an opportunity. The trends I would like to see arts organizations adopt in the upcoming year are:

• Work together. Forge strategic partnerships with other organizations in your area. In November I saw an amazing, and controversial performance in one large performing arts venue, a week later I saw a performance by the same choreographer's protege. What a lost opportunity, for cross-pollinating audiences! As an audience member (at both) my experience could have been enriched, and an important relationship could have been cemented in two regional arts forums.

• Work cross-discipline. Know your neighbors and work together to engage your community. An art gallery and performance space can have some great cross-over.

• Use technology to engage new audiences. Most of the online tools are free- free for anyone to use, so why aren't you using them? Use them well, post often, use multi-media forms, let your audiences engage online without controlling content.

• Make your organizations community spaces. In economic hard times people are looking to connect with their community more, and our art spaces do have the unique opportunity to create that. Be open off hours, invite the community in and open the relationship.

• Engage volunteers and pay them handsomely with your appreciation and sense of belonging. Volunteers are your biggest fans- they can be your greatest resources too, and if you don't know something one of them certainly will.

• And finally, crisis is an opportunity. Use this time to really communicate with your patrons- they are worried too, so ramp up emails/newsletters and blogs.

Happy New Year!

Broadway is on myspace

This makes sense, but is it really the right audience? Would YouTube be a better fit?
What do you think?

Hope you are having lovely holidays!

Seattle Art Museum can lighten up, and other advice

PI Arts Reporter has some good advice for Seattle Art Museum, which comes off as a little uptight, especially in their pencil only rules.

My biggest pet peeve is the Olympic Sculpture park is their attendants (and imposing signage) to make sure no one touches the momentous steel, iron and rock pieces of public art. There has to be a way to avoid the graffiti and other destruction but also engage audiences with public art- some educational component that doesn't come off like a nasty librarian smashing knuckles with a ruler and saying shuuuuush repeatedly. I do believe we can live in a culture where everyday people know how to respect public art.

A great suggestion from the same article is for SAM to follow On the Boards in blogging, this would be even better combined with their 'My SAM Collection' feature. Imagine, amateur curators and art critics online everywhere (and gee, engaging with art while they are at it).

Google innovates classical music, mashup to come

Google had a brilliant idea, create an online symphony tryout to engage professional and amateur musicians and create a truly international symphony. This may benefit Carnegie quite a bit, who will be hosting all of the chosen performers (chosen by audiences on YouTube) but the opportunities for symphonies all over the world abound- because suddenly they have an opportunity to connect, jump on the bandwagon and get online!



Perhaps my favorite aspect of this project is it came from the outside- from outside the organization, from outside the nonprofit/arts sector and from fans who could do something. And this is for people who are not season ticket holders, not professionally trained, it blows the stuffiness of classic arts performance out of the water. I cannot wait to see the mashup and what is to come, perhaps the Opera is next?

Seattle organizations granted funds for online audience development

The Wallace Foundation gave $7.7 million dollars to Washington state/ Seattle arts organizations; the award is specifically regarding youth, young adults and diverse populations audience outreach. One significant component of the outreach is expanding the online presence and access through technology. The organizations that will be leveraging technology to engage these audiences are:

• On the Boards will receive $750,000 over a four-year period to producing performances online and building audience through community building tools online.

• Pacific Northwest Ballet will receive $750,000 to create a new company website to share content to “reduce practical barriers to participation and broaden participation among young adults”. Streaming video is already a component of their site to promote shows, but this project will increase the quality and encourage participation.

• Seattle Art Museum will use part of their $750,000 grant over four years to build partnerships with other organizations and explore communication options, including social networking.

• And finally, the Seattle Opera received a $750,000 grant over four years to increase accessibility to the Opera through technology.

Seven Seattle organizations are the recipient of the award, I cannot wait to see what these groups come up with (here is hoping it isn't just videos online)!

Some essential questions

Arts organizations are innovative, creative and connected- so why is it that so many organizations do not leverage free technology in order to engage existing and potential audiences? Over the course of the next year I am probing this question- why do we not leverage what already exists? What are the perceived barriers?

Some organizations are using existing tools to build constituents, engage new audiences, experiment with new platforms. Are these media tools useful, supporting their mission or is there something missing?

There is much information to distill, and I will do my best to post the most up-to-date information, but also include other resources as I prepare my research. Feed back is welcome!

Thank you,
Tara Sharp