Arts participation incubator

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Interviews

Lisa Baxter,

UK arts marketing expert

1. What started your interest in arts participation?

I worked with a small arts centre in a working class area of England which was in danger of becoming purely ‘civic’ - meaning primarily commercial product of dubious quality to get people in. The arts development officer there, an inspirational woman, wanted to develop a strand of high quality artistic programming that genuinely connected with and engaged its communities and managed to obtain funding to that end.

The programme of work, across 3 years, included risk-taking audience engagement in order to provide contexts for the work to resonate. Her choices were brave, not obvious. My role, across the three year programme, was to evaluate the impact of the engagement programme and subsequent arts experience on all those who took part.

The results were outstanding. From teenagers working with professional dancers tackling the issues of street crime and performing their work to an invited audience of family and friends to middle aged empty nesters ‘finding themselves’ when they performed on stage with a professional theatre company, some changing their lives as a result … for me the transformative quality of engagement transcended that of ‘consumption’ . This observation is not made lightly. After 20 years of researching audience experience of ‘the art’, it was a revelation to get up close and personal with people for whom arts participation had impacted on them in a ways that were more immediate, deeper and potentially life changing or perspective altering than the hundreds of people I’ve spoken with about seeing a play or visiting an exhibition, for example.

Now, as an audience experience designer, I am actively seeking ways to bring arts participation into a model of strategic value creation that embeds it as a core function, rather than an add-on, to a venue’s arts programme.

2. Why does it matter?

It matters because we are becoming a global society of creators not consumers. We crave agency. We crave connection in an increasingly disconnected world. Arts participation, done well, can transform, connect, empower, activate and engage. Enough said.

It matters because there is a cliff in front of us - one down which traditional institutionalised arts practice will fall if it doesn’t surf the zeitgeist and compete in an experience economy that is rapidly overtaking it.

It matters because despite the great leaps made in technology, social media and entertainment contexts, there is still huge demand for engaged, meaningful transformational experiences where the public is an active agent, and the arts is best suited to deliver this.

it matters because in the future, it won’t simply be enough to buy a ticket, sit in a darkened auditorium and ‘receive’ a piece of work.

It matters because it is the future of the arts.

2 JULY PUBLIC LECTURE - Make Everything Risky: Theatre in the age of Google, Occupy and the Arab Spring

John McGrath, Artistic Director, National Theatre of Wales is the 2013 George Fairfax Fellow for Deakin University’s Arts and Entertainment Management Program.

John McGrath is leading great change in the UK theatre scene. At the National Theatre of Wales (NTW), John has been responsible for creating remarkable and innovative theatre by engaging local communities. The NTW production of The Passion (starring Michael Sheen) is a brilliant example of what can happen when arts organisations engage the creativities of audiences and communities.

‘One of the outstanding theatrical events of not only the year, but of the decade.’ - The Observer

‘The most extraordinary piece of community-specific theatre I’ve ever beheld – transcendent.’ - The Independent

At the lecture, John is discussing the urgent need for theatre practitioners and companies to find new ways to collaborate and produce work beyond the confines of the established arts world.

Come along and be inspired by John’s vision for a vibrant theatre of the future!

Tickets: $12 Independent artists/concession, $15 standard ticket

When: Tuesday 2 July 2013, 5.30–7 pm.

Facilitated by: Angharad Wynne-Jones, Creative Producer, Arts House Melbourne.

Where: ANZ Pavillion, The Arts Centre Melbourne

This event has been made possible by Deakin University, Creative NZ, and Vicki Fairfax.

Get your ticket Here:

http://www.deakin.edu.au/services/online-payments/cfrstart.cgi?TRAN-NO=010&EVENT=13MYER

Posted by Cultural and Audience Engagement

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2 JULY WORKSHOP - THINGS COULD GET MESSY: Making site-specific theatre

As part of the 2013 George Fairfax Fellowship Lecture Series, Deakin University is offering this unique opportunity to participate in a workshop with keynote speaker John McGrath, Artistic Director of National Theatre of Wales, and three local leading artists.

Directed at individual artists and people working in arts organisations, the purpose of this workshop is to provoke a critical conversation about the art of making site-specific work. Participants will hear from a panel of guest artists, followed by small group discussions. Each speaker is an experienced practitioner and will discuss the following questions:

- How do we build the relationship between the idea, the space and the audience?

- How do we deal with the space and allow the idea to be changed by the space?

- Is it possible to tour site-specific work, or does it by its nature become one-off?

- How does site-specific work develop audiences and engage communities?

Facilitated: by Erin Milne, Producer & Arts Management Consultant.

Speakers include: John McGrath, The National Theatre of Wales; Julian Rickert, One Step at a Time Like This; Willoh Weiland, Aphids; Madeleine Flynn and Tim Humphrey, cross-disciplinary site-specific artists.

When: Tuesday 2 July 2013

9.30 am-1 pm, including lunch by Kinfolk cafe

Tickets: $75 Funded Organisations, $45 Independant Artists

Where: Donkey Wheel House Depot, level 1, 673 Bourke St Melbourne VIC 3000

Tickets available here:

http://www.deakin.edu.au/services/online-payments/cfrstart.cgi?TRAN-NO=010&EVENT=13ARTSINC

Posted by Cultural and Audience Engagement