What Does Audience Engagement Really Mean?

January 23, 2012 by

I think arts organizations and the arts sector at large throw around the term “audience engagement” quite irresponsibly, using it as the new buzz word that makes us feel like we are doing something. It is no longer apropos to just focus on putting “butts in seats” or the more delicate euphemism “derrieres in chairs” or having educational programs that focus on the K-12 space with the hope it will pay off in developing audiences twenty years into the future. In this day of fast moving innovation, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Follow, Monday, The Debate

Art with a Point of View

January 23, 2012 by

Think about it. Great art in any genre succeeds because it has a unique point of view and has been elevated from obscurity to accessibility by virtue of advocates, be they organizations, cultural taste makers, or the public. Who would want to read a piece of literature where there is no clear point of view from the author, or go to a play with no dramatic arc or plot, or listen to a piece of music that was a random collection of notes assembled by a community of amateurs with no set of rules … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Lead, Monday, Uncategorized Tagged With: , ,

Kelly Tweeddale

January 23, 2012 by

Kelly Tweeddale is Seattle Opera’s Executive Director. She plays a key role in organizing and supervising the Opera’s daily operations, in generating and overseeing the company’s budgets, and in developing and implementing the Opera’s strategic long-range plan. She is overseeing Seattle Opera’s future development project—consolidating the company’s operations including administrative, rehearsal, production, educational, technical support, costume and scenic assembly spaces—into one building … [Read more...]

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