New Series I’m starting a new occasional series with this post: Rush Seats. These will be short posts sharing something I think you’ll find interesting and useful. I can see a few different types of posts fitting in this series: Let me know what you’d like to read in the Rush Seats series in the comments. First up in Rush Seats is a collection of people I’m following on TikTok sharing explainers that are friendly for new arts audiences and arts insiders alike. What I like about each … [Read more...] about Rush Seats Series: Arts Explainers on TikTok
Engagement
A Wordle Allegory: We Can’t Wait
Row X blog by Hannah Grannemann I’m not immune to clickbait, and I like to play Wordle, so of course I clicked on an article from Lifehacker that promised valuable Wordle news. Lifehacker told me that Wordle’s daily word are no longer randomly generated, but are now chosen by an editor, and may be themed. OK, no big deal, I thought. I enjoy whimsy. But I’m a relaxed Wordle player and I know there are some not-so-laid-back players. So I scrolled down to the comments. Which brings me to the … [Read more...] about A Wordle Allegory: We Can’t Wait
Are the arts “building back better” with new audiences?
Row X blog by Hannah Grannemann When arts organizations went into shutdown in 2020 and 2021, they asked audiences, donors, staffs, and their communities to continue supporting them even when they weren’t producing and open to the public because they were working hard during the shutdowns to improve themselves in myriad ways, including building new audiences. They weren’t going to let a good crisis go to waste, they said. In other words, they were going to “build back better”. I’m … [Read more...] about Are the arts “building back better” with new audiences?
“I don’t get it.” Or, The Mystery of the Orange Statues
Clicking through Facebook last month, I saw a photo of bright orange statues on a lush green lawn. 120 orange statues of women in STEM fields were going to be exhibited in the Smithsonian Gardens during March for Women’s History Month, an AP story by Ashraf Khalil read. My analytical mind kicked in and thoughts tumbled. First: “Why are they orange?” Second: “Is there a reason?” Then: “Surely there’s a reason. Bright orange wouldn’t have been chosen without a reason. Was it a … [Read more...] about “I don’t get it.” Or, The Mystery of the Orange Statues