A New Framework for Building Participation in the Arts

A New Framework for Building Participation in the Arts has to be the most comprehensive report I've read about audience participation.

Before you rush to it and have a heart attack, I want to tell you it's 118 pages long... but every page is well organized, well structured, and full of thoughtful and insightful discussion. It's not a difficult read, regardless of the fact it will contribute to your fitness regime by lugging it around.

This research paper comes out of the USA. We could really benefit in Canada from conducting our research similarly, to the benefit of our knowlege and critical development.

As it says in the conclusion of this paper,
"Information is essential to the alignment of goals, target populations, and tactics, and it must flow both from potential and current participants to arts organizations and from arts organizations to potential and current participants. Arts organizations cannot properly align their goals with their target populations and tactics if they do not have accurate information about those populations."

We must collect and analyze accurate information about our situation, because the longer we go without it, the longer we stay in the past. How can we be satisfied with basing our significant decisions and vital advocacy on outdated information?! No other sector would make do with this, and nor should we.

We must conduct research into our situation, and yet until this happens must keep reading, learning, and being responsive to our changing contexts.

- R