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Engaging Matters

Doug Borwick on vibrant arts and communities

Cutting Back

September 28, 2022 by Doug Borwick

Greetings. Very long time, no post. And I'm going to address that. Ten years ago I began focusing full time on issues related to the arts and community engagement. My work has involved authoring two books–Building Communities, Not Audiences: The Future of the Arts in the U.S. and Engage Now! A Guide to Making the Arts Indispensable–and authoring/editing this blog, Engaging Matters. Through my company, ArtsEngaged, I have provided advocacy, … [Read more...]

We Wish (A Lot of Things)

May 11, 2022 by Doug Borwick

As is fairly common for me, I've been thinking recently about Stephen Sondheim lyrics. The Prologue to Into the Woods contains long lists of wishes. Here's just one list from Jack (and the Beanstalk)'s mother: I wish my son were not a fool.I wish my house was not a mess.I wish the cow was full of milk.I wish the house was full of gold-I wish a lot of things... There are so many things for which we wish. We wish: Everyone (or at least … [Read more...]

Assume . . . ?

April 27, 2022 by Doug Borwick

We take care of our three year old grandson on Thursdays. Being "that kind" of grandparents we tend to buy things we think he might like. Our most recent purchase was a streetscape rug (see photo) where he can play with his prodigious quantity of cars and, especially, trucks. We had just gotten it out of the box the last time he came to our house. He thoroughly enjoyed it. And when it was time to go we told him we would lay it out flat on the … [Read more...]

Shoes

April 20, 2022 by Doug Borwick

I was recently involved in a conversation in which the topic of shoes came up. (Yes, shoes.) Someone said they had read an article that the first thing people notice about someone else was their shoes. Shoes. Really? To be honest, I don't remember ever noticing someone's shoes, unless it was a clown with giant floppy ones. Years ago I had a friend who had said that was true of them but I sort of wrote that off as an odd idiosyncrasy. But … [Read more...]

Assessing Engagement

April 13, 2022 by Doug Borwick

I have spent most of the last twelve years advocating for a robust understanding of the nature and value of effective community engagement for arts organizations. While much (much) work remains to be done, there does seem to be greater acceptance of the need for substantive relationship building on the part of arts organizations. AssessmentAssessment is another matter. There remains a lack of common understanding of community engagement. That … [Read more...]

Air Fryers: II

April 6, 2022 by Doug Borwick

Last time (Air Fryers: I) I discussed the difficulty (and time-consuming nature) of "selling" things (whether air fryers or the arts) to people who did not understand the need for them or appreciate their value. This time I'd like to address a related but potentially uncomfortable topic. How much more difficult is it to sell things when the consumer's view of the maker/seller of the product is negative? There are people who, because of their … [Read more...]

Air Fryers: I

March 23, 2022 by Doug Borwick

Bear with me. I'll explain this. :-) There are some things that we don't need to learn more about to know that we need. Refrigerators, for instance. When we need one, we know it and don't have to be convinced of the fact. Other things are either new or unfamiliar and it takes some explanation and experience to see why we would want them. As but one example . . . the air fryer. Several years ago my children were raving about them. I … [Read more...]

Do We Want Them?

March 9, 2022 by Doug Borwick

This is by far the longest period that Engaging Matters has been "dark" since its beginnings over ten years ago. And as time has passed the negative inertia has gotten overwhelming. As a result, in attempting to resume my writing I've been thinking I should find a way to ease back in. Fortunately, Seema Rau at Museum 2.0 recently wrote a post (Do We Really Want People to Visit?) that makes it possible for me to venture back largely by … [Read more...]

Getting It Right

November 17, 2021 by Doug Borwick

As part of Engaging Matters' 10th Anniversary, we are highlighting important and/or popular posts from the past. In reviewing such posts it became clear that many were grouped thematically. As a result, this Anniversary series will, for the most part, present the theme with links to relevant posts rather than simply re-posting individual items. Early this year, looking/hoping for a light at the end of the COVID tunnel, I wrote a series of … [Read more...]

Marketing and Engagement

November 10, 2021 by Doug Borwick

It has been some time since I have had the courage to discuss marketing here. When I first did so many years ago I quickly learned that my view was hopelessly colored by the unfortunate marketing habits of many arts organizations–self focus, ignorance (sometimes willful) of the interests of the people they were trying to reach, and an elitist use of "inside baseball" language in promotional materials. I think I've learned a lot since then about … [Read more...]

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About Doug Borwick

Doug Borwick is a past President of the Board of the Association of Arts Administration Educators and was for nearly 30 years Director of the Arts Management and Not-for-Profit Management Programs at Salem College in Winston-Salem, NC. He is CEO of Outfitters4, Inc., providing management services to nonprofit organizations and ArtsEngaged providing training and consultation to artists and arts organization to help them more effectively engage with their communities. [Read More …]

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About Engaging Matters

The arts began as collective activity around the campfire, expressions of community. In a very real sense, the community owned that expression. Over time, with increasing specialization of labor, the arts– especially Western “high arts”– became … [Read More...]

Books

Community Engagement: Why and How

Building Communities, Not Audiences: The Future of the Arts in the United States Engage Now! A Guide to Making the Arts Indispensable[Purchase info below] I have to be honest, I haven’t finished it yet because I’m constantly having to digest the ‘YES’ and ‘AMEN’ moments I get from each … [Read More...]

Gard Foundation Calls for Stories

The Robert E. Gard Foundation is dedicated to fostering healthy communities through arts-based development, it is currently seeking stories from communities in which the arts have improved the lives of citizens in remarkable ways. These stories can either be full descriptions (400-900 words) with photos, video, and web links or mini stories (ca. 200 words) […]

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Archives

Recent Comments

  • Doug Borwick on Cutting Back: “Thanks for the kind words. Hope you are well.” Oct 2, 06:58
  • James Undercofler on Cutting Back: “Miss you, Doug! Good heavens, 70! Thank you so very much for what you stand for, and what you have…” Oct 1, 16:28
  • Doug Borwick on Cutting Back: “Thank you for your incredibly kind words. I’m deeply moved. And thanks for your investment in keeping our industry vibrant.” Sep 30, 12:32
  • Melissa on Cutting Back: “Thank you so much for all you have done to get us where we are, and enjoy your hard-earned “Doug…” Sep 30, 12:07
  • Drew McManus on Cutting Back: “Thanks so much for the shout out Doug, that means a great deal. Thank you for all you’ve done over…” Sep 29, 11:00

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