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Arts Inspires Change
Here in the Orange Mound community, WE ARE FULL OF PRIDE AND ARE SOULFUL PEOPLE, but sometimes life and circumstance can get in the way of vision, and what better way to inspire positive change, than through the arts.
- Orange Mound Community Activist
The State of Affairs
• Community Engagement is an important challenge amongst many arts organiza;ons
• Specifically, how to reach out and connect to communi;es in a way that’s relevant and resonant
• But the approach of “If you build it they will come” may not necessarily be the best and only way to reach audiences
What We’ll Cover Today
• A model for effec;ve community engagement • A Community-‐centric approach • The importance of branding and marke;ng in community engagement
The Challenges Were Obvious
• Poor program aNendance • Issues of poverty, equity, and access in communi;es
• Arts organiza;ons’ lack of knowing how and where to market programs
• Minimal communica;on with neighborhood residents
• And the list goes on…
PRE-FELLOWS APPROACH: TRADITIONAL ARTS OUTREACH
NEW BALLET
• In-‐school instruc;on at neighborhood elementary school, Dunbar Elementary.
PRIZM ENSEMBLE
• PRIZM in the schools arts educa;on and outreach programs
• Summer programs that take the student out of his/her neighborhood for music educa;on.
THEATREMEMPHIS
• School performances and outreach to youth in-‐school and a\er-‐school programs.
THE FELLOWS PROGRAM AT ARTSMEMPHIS
EDUCATE Seminars for arts groups with thought leaders
ENGAGE Held community conversa;ons and listening campaigns
EQUIP Provided arts groups with strategies to increase overall effec;veness
A BRAND is a collec.on of percep.ons (which ul.mately creates an EXPERIENCE) in the
minds of your donors/subscribers/communi.es based on every in-‐person and
online contact they have with your organiza.on
Percep;on is Reality
Building a Brand Takes Research
Audience What emo;onal experience do communi;es need/want
Marketplace What emo;onal experiences don’t exist
Organiza:on What emo;onal experience can we deliver on.. new or beNer
Brand Posi;oning!
A Community-‐Centric Approach Means “Lecng Go” • Build programs based on their interests • Listen à Town Halls, Facebook, Surveys, etc.
POST-‐FELLOWS : A COMMUNITY-‐CENTRIC APPROACH
Lack of access to resources
• New Ballet School and Ensemble:
• Parent Resource Center : GED classes, access to computers and Internet, etc.
Disjointed community: Seniors and youth aren’t
talking
• Theatre Memphis and Blues City Cultural Center:
• Storytelling project partnering youth and seniors to pass on the the community’s legacy
Life skills; lack of job training
• PRIZM Ensemble and Visible Community Music School
• Provide life skills to aid youth in staying in school, applying for college and/or job applica;ons and employment.
Bring & Reflect Arts to the People
• Don’t just try to get people to come to the Arts, bring the Arts to THEM too! – Conduct programs in neighborhood venues familiar to the people
– Show them Arts that reflects who they are (let them see themselves and relate)
“I don’t travel outside my neighborhood”
Localize and Relate Your Brand • Align your brand via
strategic partnerships: Community Groups, Schools, Local Businesses, and Universi;es – Sponsor a local youth baseball team
– Conduct workshops on applying to college
– Scholarships for aspiring ar;sts in communi;es
“I can’t relate to what they do”
Go from Audiences who don’t engage
“Arts is for old folks” “Why should we
donate?”
“How does Arts benefit my family?” “I cant afford to buy
;ckets. ”
“My ;me is limited.”
“I can’t relate”
“What is Opera?”
“I want to play sports a\erschool,
not music.”
WHAT ARE ARTS GROUPS SAYING ABOUT THE NEW APPROACH?
So many times as arts educators our first step forward is to push the programming as we are most comfortable executing, rather than responding to the needs of a community. The Fellows program leveraged our time to listen and learn - a most important stage that rarely makes our budgets.
-Visible Community School
WHAT ARE ARTS GROUPS SAYING ABOUT THE NEW APPROACH?
The Fellows program has helped us to take an approach that is more inclusive as well as creative. Although we seldom look at presenting art for art's sake, I have had to take a step back to study what the community considers to be important and how our company can increase its offerings to satisfy what the community seeks....
- Blues City Cultural Center
What have we learned?
Ø This is hard work Ø Requires a mind shift
(for artists and funders) Ø Time-consuming Ø Requires ongoing financial investment
Ø Human capital