My purpose is to bring audiences and artists together for meaningful life experiences. My values define what for me, makes a life experience meaningful. And although meaningful life experiences happen every day in many different ways, I'm drawn to the communal experience of live performance. I think part of it is the value of living in the moment, as I believe this moment is all we have. The formalities and rituals of participating in a performing arts event provides an intensified communal life event that explores ideas and relationships in a safe and supportive environment
We each experience the moment as individuals. Being with others influences our perceptions but each experience is unique and as valuable as any other. Perception is not reality, but our perceptions are the only reality we can know in the moment. There is a time to entertain, educate and enlighten as well as challenge and disrupt.. The choices made will differ by purpose, audience, artist, resources and location.
Frugality and altruism are key values for going forward responsibly. Frugality is at the core the concept of lean management, creating the greatest value for least amount of inputs. By consciously working to do more with less, we create the opportunity for altruism. For individuals, organizations and society, there is no other way to sustain our collective lives and provide opportunities for those that follow us.
20120420
"Counting New Beans"
A Wolf/Brown study commissioned by the Theatre Bay Area has been published in a new book called Counting New Beans: Intrinsic Impact and the Value of Art, which I look very much forward to reading. In the meantime I did have a chance to read the Executive Summary which concludes with this diagram:
Similar to the participation model first presented A New Framework for Building Arts Participation, the diagram develops understanding of the relationships between factors.
It would seem that the symbol in red is a critical factor of any presenting programs' success, repeat attendance represents both a leading and lagging indicator of performance. Fortunately, with computerized ticket systems and supporting databases it's an easy metric to track across presenting niches. But as the diagram indicates, there seems to be some question as to what really drives repeat attendance. Its not always the impact of the experience.
The study found that infrequent attendees experience higher levels of impact, but that impact did not necessarily increase their frequency of participation. On the other hand, frequent attendees often experienced lower levels of impact. Familiarity and understanding of the dynamics of a live experience increase with participation, so do expectations.
I think some of the differences in continued participation can be also be contributed to lifestyle. Going to the theatre appeals to ones innate intelligence and social expectations, not unlike frequent participants in the many other leisure activities available. It's what we enjoy when we want a night out. For me, its also the opportunity to experience that special moment when artist and audience connect creating a perfect world. For me it's Nirvana.
It would seem that the symbol in red is a critical factor of any presenting programs' success, repeat attendance represents both a leading and lagging indicator of performance. Fortunately, with computerized ticket systems and supporting databases it's an easy metric to track across presenting niches. But as the diagram indicates, there seems to be some question as to what really drives repeat attendance. Its not always the impact of the experience.
The study found that infrequent attendees experience higher levels of impact, but that impact did not necessarily increase their frequency of participation. On the other hand, frequent attendees often experienced lower levels of impact. Familiarity and understanding of the dynamics of a live experience increase with participation, so do expectations.
I think some of the differences in continued participation can be also be contributed to lifestyle. Going to the theatre appeals to ones innate intelligence and social expectations, not unlike frequent participants in the many other leisure activities available. It's what we enjoy when we want a night out. For me, its also the opportunity to experience that special moment when artist and audience connect creating a perfect world. For me it's Nirvana.
20120409
Richard Dare Article
Richard Dare, CEO and Managing Director of the Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra has written an interesting article Paradise Lost - Can We Keep Non Profits from Failing on the Huffington Post. His premise is that the funding model for the arts is broken. His description of the current model as "relentless begging" and a result "one is not really in the art business anymore" resonates from my perspective. I'm looking forward to his thoughts and those of others how to best fund the arts, with the arts as the focus and not the "loss leader."
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