BUILDING AUDIENCES OR BUILDING DEMAND? · Ben Cameron Program Director for the Arts Doris Duke...

BUILDING AUDIENCES OR BUILDING DEMAND?

Ben Cameron Program Director for the Arts

Doris Duke Charitable Foundation

CREATIVITY (Angeles Arrien)

! Show Up ! Listen Deeply ! Speak the Truth ! Let Go of

Predetermined Results

Doris Duke

DECLINING AUDIENCES

WHAT THE PUBLIC WANTS

! “We are out in a country that has no language, no laws…The maps they gave us are out of date by years….”

! - Adrienne Rich, Dream of a Common Language

OBJECTIVE TERM OBSTACLES SOLUTIONS (Examples)

Increase # of times current audience attends

Deepening •  Opportunity •  Money •  Awareness

•  New social programs •  Ticket discounts •  Newsletters and

targeted email

Increase # of people like current audience

Broadening •  Logistic •  Money •  Awareness

•  Provide transportation •  Change curtain times •  Ticket Discounts •  “Bring a Friend” offers •  Change of venue •  Expand marketing

Attract people not like current audience

Diversifying Relevance •  Relationships with, not marketing at

•  Change content •  Change staff, board,

artists

NEA Chair Rocco Landesman: “We need to reduce the number of arts organizations in America.”

Doris Duke Charitable Foundation: “Can we grow demand?”

Building Demand Increasing the number of

people who voluntarily give time, money and/or energy to

the arts

Performance/

Exhibition

Performance /Exhibit

Elaborated Performance/

Exhibit

Performance /Exhibit

Elaborated Performance/

Exhibit

Co-Curation

Performance /Exhibit

Elaborated Performance/

Exhibit Co-Curation

Co-Creation

Performance /Exhibit

Elaborated Performance/

Exhibit Co-Curation Co-Creation Surrender

Performance /Exhibit

Elaborated Performance/

Exhibit Co-Curation Co-Creation Surrender

Professional Artist Control Decreases

Public Participation Grows

Audiences only 1 indicator of demand

" Avocational Practice " Arts Education Program " Public Referenda " Editorial space " And more…..

EXPLORATION IMPLEMENTATION

Grant Recipients Artist(s) and arts organization teams

Artist(s) and arts organization teams

Grant Amount 35,000 Euros 97,000 Euros

Grant Distribution

50% Artist/ 50% organization

50% Artist/ 50% organization

Maximum Grant Period

15 months 36 months

Artist on Site 30 days minimum 90 days minimum

Additional benefits

•  Webinar convenings

•  Technical assistance

•  4,400 Euros for evaluation

•  Webinar convenings •  Overall program

evaluation by Wolf/Brown

" Building demand takes time " Building demand in 21st Century

can require: ! Embracing technology ! Thinking across disciplines

" Building Demand means changing behavior

!  Thinking beyond art-making residencies

!  Thinking outside single discipline !  Thinking beyond audiences !  Thinking strategically !  Thinking specifically !  Measurement and evaluation

!  Is this a flawed idea? !  Is this an important idea that simply needs

more time? !  Are professional arts organizations the wrong

groups to build demand? !  Are we trying to build demand for

experiences we want audiences to have and ignoring where demand is already growing?

! Shifts from short-term advocacy to long-term expectation

! Centered in values and ideas held by advocate public, not by professionals

Our language is

deeply alienating.

Social bonding is the most deeply held

value.

Those who care most are people of color

under 40.

NEW QUESTIONS !  WHAT IF OUR MISSION IS

SOCIAL ORCHESTRATION? !  WHAT IF OUR ROLE IS

PROVIDING SPRINGBOARDS TO OUR PUBLIC’S CREATIVITY?

!  WHAT WOULD WE DO DIFFERENTLY IF WE THOUGHT

OF OURSELVES—NOT AS ORGANIZATIONS BUT AS

PLATFORMS?

WHAT IF PEOPLE LOVE THE ARTS—

BUT SIMPLY DON’T LOVE OUR ARTS AND THE WAY WE DELIVER

THEM?

BUILDING AUDIENCES OR BUILDING DEMAND?

Ben Cameron Program Director for the Arts

Doris Duke Charitable Foundation