So I thought I would discuss the idea of digital integration of arts education through participation both onsite and on the web. I am a firm believer in the idea that engagement and participation are the key to effective arts education programming. In the past few years, performing arts organization have begun utilizing technology in order to accomplish this. I have heard of some very interesting examples (via the National Arts Marketing Project Conference), including The Signature Theater and The Pacific Symphony.
The Signature Theater has interactive screens that allow the audience to curate their own experience, putting the theater go-er in control. Audiences love to play with interactive screens because it allows them to digest information in an easier way through fun, educational, and social engagement.
The Pacific Symphony is another great example. They created a Jeprody like game in the lobby of their concerts that allowed people who were not in the lobby at the time to use facebook to interact with the game. This I find particularly interesting because it combines physical interaction at the performance space AND digital participation through social media.
These two examples are great ways that performing arts organizations, which usually do not lend themselves to audience participation and interaction, have been engaging with their visitors and their communities. However, these technological advancements in arts education programming seem like they are very expensive. Do you think, thus, that these are viable options for the average performing arts organization? Or are there lower cost ways to implement participation and engagement through the digital sphere as well as physically in the arts space?
Hi Lauren, I totally agree with you. and I think the reason why these technological advancements in arts education programming are expensive is that they created the whole brand new platforms for audience to participate. The Signature Theater created an interactive screen to curate their own experience; the pacific symphony created a game. They are both excellent ideas and practice., but a less expensive way would be to take advantage of the existing platforms, like Twitter. Some Boston-area theaters now offer " tweet seats" for patrons who feel the need to tweet what they are seeing during the show, not just after it. Of course, some may say the distraction to others would arise as a primary concern. If so, we can scale back to a "twittermission". Huntington Theater Company offer this interactive conversation that will take place on lobby screen during intermission among the audiences, artists and tweeters from around the world. It's particularly efficient to attract young patrons, who are the majority of social media users. and I believe this kind of arts education through participation and interaction has none/minimal cost. I guess my point here is- take small steps, think about what you can do based on what you have now.
I'm a huge fan of Tweet Seats for education, if only because I love learning trivia and mindless facts. I know Wolf Trap had a production where they tweeted facts about the piece during its performance. I wonder if this is really effective engagement though. I tend to forget these factoids I get over Twitter almost immediately. Maybe a gamification element would encourage those in tweet seats to retain the information.
So -- 'arts education' versus 'engaging in the conversation post-show' versus 'engaging in the process of making the art' -- there are many facets to online 'engagement'. And -- there are various modes of free tools depending on your target age and complexity of the material. Creating an app costs around $10K. Creating an interactive website maybe only 2K, especially with wordpress plugins. The struggle is to what end? What are the goals, how many people need to engage to consider the investment worthwhile? To what end?
Definitely the 'gamification' environment makes the arts fun and allows for learning. The technology is one path to that experience.
Rachael, don't hate me! I am not keen on twitter, texting, etc. during performances. I understand how this can be beneficial for education and even for marketing/outreach purposes. However, I believe that there is something lost when audiences are allowed or encouraged to break away from the magic happening onstage. I love how Signature Stage and the Pacific Symphony have used technology to enhance their organization's engagement, but without sacrificing the quality of their artistic product (such as twitter seats do -in my opinion).
As for Lauren's question about engagement technology costs: I believe that arts organizations should most definitely consider non-traditional ways of engagement via online and other technology resources, but it is important to consider the cost vs. the quantity and quality of the resulting engagement. For example: facebook and twitter are both free services, but someone from the organization has to manage them. If the time to manage these sources takes away from "real-life" engagement, then it may not be worth the commitment. Which leads me to my next point, "real-life" engagement is often more engaging and affective than online sources. That said, technology integration is necessary for every organization, but it should be a way to attract audiences to the brick-and-mortar performances and education without replacing it.
We all want to jump on the technology bandwagon, but remember to balance it with the organization's mission!
Lauren, I love that you brought up gamification. The problems you raise are real but may be able to be mitigated if you plan on monetizing the products. Using the 'freemium' model or the value added model an organization may be able to entice patrons to buy content.
I would argue that the end of offering this content through applications or online is expanding audiences and deepening the demand for your particular art form. With a presence through electronic media an organization can broaden their potential audience far beyond normal geographic bounds. If the content is good enough they may even find patrons that find them through their electronic presence will begin to shell out the money to travel and visit (example: Jacob's Pillow Dance Interactive).
Hello Everyone!
ReplyDeleteSo I thought I would discuss the idea of digital integration of arts education through participation both onsite and on the web. I am a firm believer in the idea that engagement and participation are the key to effective arts education programming. In the past few years, performing arts organization have begun utilizing technology in order to accomplish this. I have heard of some very interesting examples (via the National Arts Marketing Project Conference), including The Signature Theater and The Pacific Symphony.
The Signature Theater has interactive screens that allow the audience to curate their own experience, putting the theater go-er in control. Audiences love to play with interactive screens because it allows them to digest information in an easier way through fun, educational, and social engagement.
The Pacific Symphony is another great example. They created a Jeprody like game in the lobby of their concerts that allowed people who were not in the lobby at the time to use facebook to interact with the game. This I find particularly interesting because it combines physical interaction at the performance space AND digital participation through social media.
These two examples are great ways that performing arts organizations, which usually do not lend themselves to audience participation and interaction, have been engaging with their visitors and their communities. However, these technological advancements in arts education programming seem like they are very expensive. Do you think, thus, that these are viable options for the average performing arts organization? Or are there lower cost ways to implement participation and engagement through the digital sphere as well as physically in the arts space?
Let me know what you think!
Hi Lauren, I totally agree with you. and I think the reason why these technological advancements in arts education programming are expensive is that they created the whole brand new platforms for audience to participate. The Signature Theater created an interactive screen to curate their own experience; the pacific symphony created a game. They are both excellent ideas and practice., but a less expensive way would be to take advantage of the existing platforms, like Twitter. Some Boston-area theaters now offer " tweet seats" for patrons who feel the need to tweet what they are seeing during the show, not just after it. Of course, some may say the distraction to others would arise as a primary concern. If so, we can scale back to a "twittermission". Huntington Theater Company offer this interactive conversation that will take place on lobby screen during intermission among the audiences, artists and tweeters from around the world. It's particularly efficient to attract young patrons, who are the majority of social media users. and I believe this kind of arts education through participation and interaction has none/minimal cost. I guess my point here is- take small steps, think about what you can do based on what you have now.
DeleteI'm a huge fan of Tweet Seats for education, if only because I love learning trivia and mindless facts. I know Wolf Trap had a production where they tweeted facts about the piece during its performance. I wonder if this is really effective engagement though. I tend to forget these factoids I get over Twitter almost immediately. Maybe a gamification element would encourage those in tweet seats to retain the information.
DeleteSo -- 'arts education' versus 'engaging in the conversation post-show' versus 'engaging in the process of making the art' -- there are many facets to online 'engagement'. And -- there are various modes of free tools depending on your target age and complexity of the material. Creating an app costs around $10K. Creating an interactive website maybe only 2K, especially with wordpress plugins. The struggle is to what end? What are the goals, how many people need to engage to consider the investment worthwhile? To what end?
ReplyDeleteDefinitely the 'gamification' environment makes the arts fun and allows for learning. The technology is one path to that experience.
Rachael, don't hate me! I am not keen on twitter, texting, etc. during performances. I understand how this can be beneficial for education and even for marketing/outreach purposes. However, I believe that there is something lost when audiences are allowed or encouraged to break away from the magic happening onstage. I love how Signature Stage and the Pacific Symphony have used technology to enhance their organization's engagement, but without sacrificing the quality of their artistic product (such as twitter seats do -in my opinion).
ReplyDeleteAs for Lauren's question about engagement technology costs: I believe that arts organizations should most definitely consider non-traditional ways of engagement via online and other technology resources, but it is important to consider the cost vs. the quantity and quality of the resulting engagement. For example: facebook and twitter are both free services, but someone from the organization has to manage them. If the time to manage these sources takes away from "real-life" engagement, then it may not be worth the commitment. Which leads me to my next point, "real-life" engagement is often more engaging and affective than online sources. That said, technology integration is necessary for every organization, but it should be a way to attract audiences to the brick-and-mortar performances and education without replacing it.
We all want to jump on the technology bandwagon, but remember to balance it with the organization's mission!
Lauren, I love that you brought up gamification. The problems you raise are real but may be able to be mitigated if you plan on monetizing the products. Using the 'freemium' model or the value added model an organization may be able to entice patrons to buy content.
ReplyDeleteI would argue that the end of offering this content through applications or online is expanding audiences and deepening the demand for your particular art form. With a presence through electronic media an organization can broaden their potential audience far beyond normal geographic bounds. If the content is good enough they may even find patrons that find them through their electronic presence will begin to shell out the money to travel and visit (example: Jacob's Pillow Dance Interactive).