2008-03-25
Interview: Building relationship and creating access to the arts
An interview with Donna Walker-Kuhne, an accomplished arts administrator and adult educator, who has devoted her professional career to increasing the accessibility and connection to the arts by our Nations rapidly growing multicultural population.
AMN: How do you see Audience Development? Is it more about a product or a relationship?
D. Walker-Kuhne: Relationship. It is definitely about relationship building and creating an access to the arts. The very reason we have it is because there has been a mentality, that the arts are only for a privileged population or for the elite, and so this development kind of changes that dynamics and suggests that everyone should have access to the arts. But because there has been such a conscious effort to keep certain communities out we need to have a strategy to embrace them because those communities now make other choices about what to do with their leisure time. Now we realize we need them, because the first generation of supporters for the arts is dying. They are much older, in their 80s and 90s now and also because of the changing demographics in the U.S., the picture is not the same as it was 50 years ago, so the arts are compelled to reach into new communities.
AMN: The next question would concern the strategies you apply in targeting new audience. Are there major strategies, and if yes, what are they, in particular I would love to make stress on a diverse audience, lets say Asian Americans, African Americans, Hispanics or immigrants from European countries.
DWK: Id say the most important strategy is to build a relationship and not just to assume people get it, in other words, the strategy is not to mail a brochure or to send an e-blast, and be waiting for them to come. The strategy is to find out where they are, find what they like, put that information together with the art product and have a dialog. So I do lots of events in shopping malls, in boutique for women, art galleries, community centers. I go to where people are and then talk about the arts. And then give them a sample of it because the other half of the challenge is that often these communities dont know what it is.
AMN: In other words, you are creating a bridge by saying there you are and here I am.
DWK: And I am coming to you.
AMN: So that you could come back to me.
DWK: Exactly. And here is a fun thing along the way because you are going to enjoy the journey. This should always be done with respect. Very important because it is a very classicist element in the art that is invisible but it exists. And it still suggests that unless you are from a certain family of a certain amount of income, you really dont have a privilege to enjoy the arts, which is why urban culture is so popular, because it is for everyone. Hip-hop is for everyone, and thats why it is a ten billion dollar industry because it evolves out of a basement. So we want to create some music, that everyone could relate to no matter where you went to school and what your father does. And thats why hip-hop is universally appreciated and it is translated not just into music but to clothes, fashion, and perfume. It is a life style. And if I were to say that one indicator how Jim Y unites is through hip-hop music. Thats the glue.
AMN: We can take hip-hop as an example in the arts industry.
DWK: And utilize it in our industry. Not that we change our programming and expect Philharmonic to start playing JayZee but the Philharmonic could have a panel discussion that examines cross points, you know, what is the nexus between spoken word and classical music. Why are we still doing Beethoven three hundred years later and what do we think is a long lasting ability of some of the spoken word music today. Just dialog about it because that becomes a point of venture. People need portals. How do we come through the front door? Get you from outside the door inside the door. And also kinds of programming have a lot to do with it so look at the bright promising programming that would inform, educate, excite.
AMN: We would very much like to get a short review of your book Invitation to the Party
DWK: I wrote my book because I see the arts experience as a party. I feel that the arts are celebratory and engaging and that there is an experience. It is not always fun but certainly it is an experience. And that is how the parties are. It is an invitation and for everyone to be able to have this experience and opportunity. Thats why I called it that. The book is written to give an overview of a strategy, case studies, my experience and building multicultural audiences. When you finish reading the book you can walk away with tools, which you can apply instantly to try to build these community. I demystify that process. And people ask me how I am doing that. I actually show them how I do it through my own work. I want to impact the field. The reason I teach it at three universities is to develop the next generation of arts administrators who inherently incorporate audience development in all of their institutional efforts. It is not just relegated to marketing but development, management, programming. All of the components of an arts organization should have a consciousness of how we are engaging new audiences. Thats why I teach to touch those different departments.
AMN: It doesnt carry main function with itself but at the same time it is in all those main functions.
DWK: Yes, audience development is a thread.
AMN: I quote you: I firmly believe that the arts is the only pure vehicle that crosses cultural and ethnical boundaries. It does remind me of I have a dream
DWK: Thats the first time someone said that.
AMN: What inspired you to write that?
DWK: My mentor. He is a Buddhist philosopher in Japan. I am a member of a Buddhist organization SGI-USA. Our philosophy is very much about respecting the dignity of life and connecting heart to heart. We have a very active arts component and so we believe that the arts is the platform in which people can meet and not be restricted by history or by what we think about each other because we are looking at the beauty of the art. So for that moment we are both standing next to each other we are not concerned about what the person looks like we simply enjoy the arts together. In theater for two hours, we can transcend our differences and we can seat next to someone and both enjoy what is on stage. It is the art that created that environment in which we can transcend those bound reason issues. Our work is to keep furthering that experience so when the curtain comes down we can still take that with us. Thats the goal.
AMN: At the same time, we feel the same.
DWK: Which makes us realize how unique we are, together as human beings.
AMN: How do you see yourself, more as a reformist or how would you rather put yourself?
DWK: Well, definitely a pioneer and a leader and innovator. I am always thinking of new ways and how to make it happen.
AMN: What are the challenges that audience development faces today?
DWK: Money. There is an expectation that we can do it for free. There is a misconception that you would do it for free. The same way you wouldnt ask someone to build a set for 5 $ why would you expect someone to cultivate a brand new community with 5 $. So there is a misconception that there is a monetary value towards the campaign itself. Everyone is so concerned about the outcome so that we could see all these new audiences and increase in income but there has to be a financial investment to make it happen. That is the main obstacle. This perception that it is for free, like a social work. The social work doesnt have a dollar value; you just do it because you feel good. No. This is marketing. We need money to advertise. We have to print out materials, do newspaper, radio adds.
AMN: And at the very end, it is also your time that you invest.
DWK: Exactly.
AMN: I think this problem doesnt apply only to audience development but exists overall in cultural world.
DWK: True. There is a perception that it is fluff.
AMN: People have to learn how to appreciate the arts because someone was working on it.
DWK: A long time.
AMN: What about audience development activities addressing young generation?
DWK: There is an increase in the scouting initiative in the US. Boy scouts and girl scouts are becoming very involved as audiences for arts and culture because they have to earn a badge that they get for arts participation and so finally cultural institutions are realizing that every contact with boy scouts and girl scouts we can fulfill that badge requirement at the same time cultivate them for audiences for us for now and the future. Thats becoming very active. The whole arts and education initiative always continue, because frankly that is one of the most easily fundable departments in a cultural organization. People like to give money to people and they like to give it to kids. I think that is pretty healthy. What is unfortunate, if not in many of our public schools is that unless you are part of an active school program or your parents actively take you to places young people might miss the whole cultural experience and think that watching MTV is culture and that is not. Thats entertainment but not a culture. Thats a difference.
AMN: Thank you very much for such a great interview.
Acknowledged as the nations foremost expert on Audience Diversification by the Arts & Business Council, Donna Walker-Kuhne, an accomplished arts administrator and adult educator, has devoted her professional career to increasing the accessibility and connection to the arts by our Nations rapidly growing multicultural population. Since 1984 Ms. Walker-Kuhne has been President of Walker International Communications Group. She conducts seminars and workshops while providing marketing consultation services to arts organizations, performing and visual artists, dance companies, Broadway and off Broadway productions, and non-profit groups. From 1993 through 2002, Ms. Walker-Kuhne served as the Director of Marketing and Audience Development for the New York Shakespeare Festival/Joseph Papp Public Theater located in New York City (The Public Theater). In the summer of 2005, Ms. Walker-Kuhnes first book, Invitation to the Party: Building Bridges to Arts, Culture and Community was published.
More information: http://www.walkercommunicationsgroup.com
D. Walker-Kuhne: Relationship. It is definitely about relationship building and creating an access to the arts. The very reason we have it is because there has been a mentality, that the arts are only for a privileged population or for the elite, and so this development kind of changes that dynamics and suggests that everyone should have access to the arts. But because there has been such a conscious effort to keep certain communities out we need to have a strategy to embrace them because those communities now make other choices about what to do with their leisure time. Now we realize we need them, because the first generation of supporters for the arts is dying. They are much older, in their 80s and 90s now and also because of the changing demographics in the U.S., the picture is not the same as it was 50 years ago, so the arts are compelled to reach into new communities.
AMN: The next question would concern the strategies you apply in targeting new audience. Are there major strategies, and if yes, what are they, in particular I would love to make stress on a diverse audience, lets say Asian Americans, African Americans, Hispanics or immigrants from European countries.
DWK: Id say the most important strategy is to build a relationship and not just to assume people get it, in other words, the strategy is not to mail a brochure or to send an e-blast, and be waiting for them to come. The strategy is to find out where they are, find what they like, put that information together with the art product and have a dialog. So I do lots of events in shopping malls, in boutique for women, art galleries, community centers. I go to where people are and then talk about the arts. And then give them a sample of it because the other half of the challenge is that often these communities dont know what it is.
AMN: In other words, you are creating a bridge by saying there you are and here I am.
DWK: And I am coming to you.
AMN: So that you could come back to me.
DWK: Exactly. And here is a fun thing along the way because you are going to enjoy the journey. This should always be done with respect. Very important because it is a very classicist element in the art that is invisible but it exists. And it still suggests that unless you are from a certain family of a certain amount of income, you really dont have a privilege to enjoy the arts, which is why urban culture is so popular, because it is for everyone. Hip-hop is for everyone, and thats why it is a ten billion dollar industry because it evolves out of a basement. So we want to create some music, that everyone could relate to no matter where you went to school and what your father does. And thats why hip-hop is universally appreciated and it is translated not just into music but to clothes, fashion, and perfume. It is a life style. And if I were to say that one indicator how Jim Y unites is through hip-hop music. Thats the glue.
AMN: We can take hip-hop as an example in the arts industry.
DWK: And utilize it in our industry. Not that we change our programming and expect Philharmonic to start playing JayZee but the Philharmonic could have a panel discussion that examines cross points, you know, what is the nexus between spoken word and classical music. Why are we still doing Beethoven three hundred years later and what do we think is a long lasting ability of some of the spoken word music today. Just dialog about it because that becomes a point of venture. People need portals. How do we come through the front door? Get you from outside the door inside the door. And also kinds of programming have a lot to do with it so look at the bright promising programming that would inform, educate, excite.
AMN: We would very much like to get a short review of your book Invitation to the Party
DWK: I wrote my book because I see the arts experience as a party. I feel that the arts are celebratory and engaging and that there is an experience. It is not always fun but certainly it is an experience. And that is how the parties are. It is an invitation and for everyone to be able to have this experience and opportunity. Thats why I called it that. The book is written to give an overview of a strategy, case studies, my experience and building multicultural audiences. When you finish reading the book you can walk away with tools, which you can apply instantly to try to build these community. I demystify that process. And people ask me how I am doing that. I actually show them how I do it through my own work. I want to impact the field. The reason I teach it at three universities is to develop the next generation of arts administrators who inherently incorporate audience development in all of their institutional efforts. It is not just relegated to marketing but development, management, programming. All of the components of an arts organization should have a consciousness of how we are engaging new audiences. Thats why I teach to touch those different departments.
AMN: It doesnt carry main function with itself but at the same time it is in all those main functions.
DWK: Yes, audience development is a thread.
AMN: I quote you: I firmly believe that the arts is the only pure vehicle that crosses cultural and ethnical boundaries. It does remind me of I have a dream
DWK: Thats the first time someone said that.
AMN: What inspired you to write that?
DWK: My mentor. He is a Buddhist philosopher in Japan. I am a member of a Buddhist organization SGI-USA. Our philosophy is very much about respecting the dignity of life and connecting heart to heart. We have a very active arts component and so we believe that the arts is the platform in which people can meet and not be restricted by history or by what we think about each other because we are looking at the beauty of the art. So for that moment we are both standing next to each other we are not concerned about what the person looks like we simply enjoy the arts together. In theater for two hours, we can transcend our differences and we can seat next to someone and both enjoy what is on stage. It is the art that created that environment in which we can transcend those bound reason issues. Our work is to keep furthering that experience so when the curtain comes down we can still take that with us. Thats the goal.
AMN: At the same time, we feel the same.
DWK: Which makes us realize how unique we are, together as human beings.
AMN: How do you see yourself, more as a reformist or how would you rather put yourself?
DWK: Well, definitely a pioneer and a leader and innovator. I am always thinking of new ways and how to make it happen.
AMN: What are the challenges that audience development faces today?
DWK: Money. There is an expectation that we can do it for free. There is a misconception that you would do it for free. The same way you wouldnt ask someone to build a set for 5 $ why would you expect someone to cultivate a brand new community with 5 $. So there is a misconception that there is a monetary value towards the campaign itself. Everyone is so concerned about the outcome so that we could see all these new audiences and increase in income but there has to be a financial investment to make it happen. That is the main obstacle. This perception that it is for free, like a social work. The social work doesnt have a dollar value; you just do it because you feel good. No. This is marketing. We need money to advertise. We have to print out materials, do newspaper, radio adds.
AMN: And at the very end, it is also your time that you invest.
DWK: Exactly.
AMN: I think this problem doesnt apply only to audience development but exists overall in cultural world.
DWK: True. There is a perception that it is fluff.
AMN: People have to learn how to appreciate the arts because someone was working on it.
DWK: A long time.
AMN: What about audience development activities addressing young generation?
DWK: There is an increase in the scouting initiative in the US. Boy scouts and girl scouts are becoming very involved as audiences for arts and culture because they have to earn a badge that they get for arts participation and so finally cultural institutions are realizing that every contact with boy scouts and girl scouts we can fulfill that badge requirement at the same time cultivate them for audiences for us for now and the future. Thats becoming very active. The whole arts and education initiative always continue, because frankly that is one of the most easily fundable departments in a cultural organization. People like to give money to people and they like to give it to kids. I think that is pretty healthy. What is unfortunate, if not in many of our public schools is that unless you are part of an active school program or your parents actively take you to places young people might miss the whole cultural experience and think that watching MTV is culture and that is not. Thats entertainment but not a culture. Thats a difference.
AMN: Thank you very much for such a great interview.
Acknowledged as the nations foremost expert on Audience Diversification by the Arts & Business Council, Donna Walker-Kuhne, an accomplished arts administrator and adult educator, has devoted her professional career to increasing the accessibility and connection to the arts by our Nations rapidly growing multicultural population. Since 1984 Ms. Walker-Kuhne has been President of Walker International Communications Group. She conducts seminars and workshops while providing marketing consultation services to arts organizations, performing and visual artists, dance companies, Broadway and off Broadway productions, and non-profit groups. From 1993 through 2002, Ms. Walker-Kuhne served as the Director of Marketing and Audience Development for the New York Shakespeare Festival/Joseph Papp Public Theater located in New York City (The Public Theater). In the summer of 2005, Ms. Walker-Kuhnes first book, Invitation to the Party: Building Bridges to Arts, Culture and Community was published.
More information: http://www.walkercommunicationsgroup.com
An article by Altyn Annamuradova, editor, Arts Management Network, Weimar
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