Theory of Creativity
Ideas, tools and techniques for a stronger culture sector. Join me as I pick the brains of experts in research, business, economics, technology and policy. We talk about the challenges of reaching new audiences, securing funding and amplifying the positive impacts of our work.I want to make sure arts & culture professionals have access to the best quality thinking and insights. My goal is to help grow your organisation bigger, better and stronger, so collectively, we can do even more good in the world.
Theory of Creativity
Audience feedback and artistic reflection with Alan Brown and Wendy Were
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Tandi Palmer Williams, Patternmakers
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Season 1
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Episode 1
What is the role of audience feedback in an artistically-driven organisation?
In this episode Tandi is joined by renowned audience researcher Alan Brown, and Executive Director of Arts Development at the Australia Council, Wendy Were. They discuss how to gather insight from audience surveying, why negative feedback can be for fuel decision-making, and the use of feedback data by funding bodies.
This episode covers:
- The role of audience feedback in artistic decision-making
- Whether arts managers should be required to be researchers
- How to prepare yourself for negative feedback from audiences and what it means
- Why some artistic leaders are hungry for audience input, and others aren’t
- The potential for audience feedback data to be misused by funders and funded organisations
- Why achieving a state of flow is the gateway to impact for audiences
- Where it's really helpful to get audience feedback, and where it isn’t
- Why building the critical skills of your audience is a long-term investment in your organisation.
Alan Brown is a leading researcher and management consultant in the non-profit arts industry. His work focuses on understanding consumer demand for cultural experiences and helping cultural institutions, foundations and agencies see new opportunities, make informed decisions and respond to changing conditions. His studies have introduced new vocabulary to the lexicon of cultural participation and propelled the field towards a clearer view of the rapidly changing cultural landscape. Alan is the founder of CultureLab, an international consortium of arts consultants who aim to build a bridge between academic research and everyday practice, and to speed the diffusion of promising practice into the cultural sector.
Prior to his consulting career, Alan served for five years as Executive Director of the Ann Arbor Summer Festival, where he presented Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn and many other artists. He holds three degrees from the University of Michigan: a Master of Business Administration, a Master of Music in Arts Administration and a Bachelor of Musical Arts in vocal performance.
Dr Wendy Were was appointed the Executive Director, Strategic Development and Advocacy at the Australia Council for the Arts in 2014. Previously CEO at West Australian Music, Business Advisor with the Creative Industries Innovation Centre, Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Sydney Writers’ Festival. Wendy also holds a PhD in Literature.
Wendy has wide-ranging experience in arts management, curation and business development and a track record in championing the development of sustainable career paths for Australia’s artistic workers. She has worked in the sector for 20 years.
For more details, including the full transcript of the conversation, you can head to the episode webpage: https://www.thepatternmakers.com.au/podcast-episodes/episode1
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/tandi_will
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