Audience Development

Arts managers in the past had art and artists as a priority.

Arts managers got confronted with demands from politics and sponsors alike to grow audiences. But audience development is not the same as audience engagement.

Arts managers were asked to make sure the mix of high and low visual culture got on the agenda. The difference between populism and popularisation got blurred.

Demographic, technological and social transformations change the demands of arts users.

Developing new, diverse audiences requires new, diverse marketing strategies – also product/program policy is not a taboo anymore.

Working with new audiences is offering new chances for change management processes of traditional arts institutions.

Intense visitors, not-at-all visitors, potential visitors: These groups can be divided in two other groups – not-more-visitors and not-yet-visitors.

To reach a bigger audience we should not only concentrate on the core benefit but also on others.

We can segment our visitors concerning according behavior, but we can segment them also according their different lifestyles.

When you rethink your audiences DNA, you build sustainable relationships to the audiences you know and to the audiences you do not know yet.

Audience-building strategies can be successful when you focus on a larger framework, inclusiveness and creative ways of participation.

Digital technologies may be helpful in building successfully sustainable audiences – but they also can constitute a limitation to access.

Collective work and sharing skillsets in independent cultural organisations.

Audience development through network-building, interdisciplinary approaches to artistic contexts and active international partnerships in South Asia.

The increasing role of private patronage in building a cultural landscape.

Jean-Luc Nancy’s worlds creating – agency and engagement.

Building ownership by the audiences – Public space as a forum of discussion, rehearsal for action.

Engaging the artists, beyond commodification into the space to create “nothing”.

How do you define communities?

The mission and ethos of arts and cultural organizations.

Overcoming cultural barriers.