[Note to new readers: This is a very old and widely read post. In the interest of providing up-to-date information about thinking on this topic, you can find updated definitions of terminology related to community engagement and related arts management tools on the ArtsEngaged website here.]
Earlier (in Engagement Is) I introduced a chart I ran across last month at the American Association of Museums conference, prepared by Candace Tangorra Matelic, highlighting what engagement is and is not. I also promised a follow-up to that introducing Dr. Matelic’s analysis of the differences between Audience Development and Community Engagement. (I should point out that her work is geared very specifically toward museums.)
My post (One Way) on Michael Kaiser’s discussion of “audience engagement” garnered enough interest (and a little heat) to make this worthwhile. While some of Dr. Matelic’s language is a bit stronger–the left-hand column is a little too dismissive–than I would adopt in making the distinctions (I *do* understand the merits of audience development), her perspective is advocacy for robust engagement. Like her, I would prefer we not get stuck in the first door as there is so much of merit (though it will be long-term rather than immediate) to be found if we walk through it to pursue deeper relationships.
| Audience Development | Community Engagement |
| Short term marketing strategy to increase the number of people who visit your organization: builds and broadens your audience, which can turn into support for your organization | Long term strategy organizational development to build community ownership, participation, relationships, and support for your organization: builds a better community, which in turn, builds your audience and position of importance in the community |
| Looks at who is and who is not coming and why or why not; identifies potential audiences for marketing existing museum services | Looks at what matters to the community and how your organization is or is not responding; identifies how existing museum services are relevant or could become more relevant |
| Focus on increasing visitation numbers from existing and new groups, and building membership numbers, the relationship with community remains the same as it is currently | Focus on developing relationships and increasing partnerships and collaborations with a variety of community groups, benefiting all participating partners |
| Internally focused approach: how can the community serve us and our needs (this approach potentially closes doors as it does not address what other organizations need—it is all about your organization) | Externally focused approach: how can we serve the community’s needs, working with others (this approach opens doors as it is a shared goal with other community organizations—it is about what we all need) |
| Involves education, marketing and development staff members | Involves all stakeholders, including staff, trustees and volunteers |
| A consultant can complete the bulk of the work, working on your behalf, conducting interviews in the community and facilitating focus groups and then summarizing salient points (a consultant goes to the community and reports back to you) | A consultant can facilitate and guide the initial conversations and summarize the collective input from community participants, but your staff needs to be actively involved to make it work (a consultant helps to bring the community to you for collective dialogue) |
| Organizational identity, goals and priorities remain essentially the same, as does the organization’s current reputation, public service, value and standing in the community | Organizational identity, goals and priorities could be fundamentally transformed in response to community input and ideas, substantially increasing reputation, public service, value and standing in the community |
| A more conservative approach, with more predictable and focused outcomes, if completed thoughtfully, impacting a limited portion of the organization | A more risky approach, but if completed with sincerity and honesty, outcomes can far exceed initial expectations, impact all aspects of the operation and last longer |
Developed by Candace Tangorra Matelic, CTM Professional Services. Source: Comparing Audience Development and Community Engagement
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On a personal note, I am going out of the country on Friday to participate in the inaugural conference of the Asia-Pacific Network for Cultural Education and Research. I’ll be in Singapore next week. Since I’m certain that jet lag (Singapore is 12 hours ahead of the Eastern time zone) and conference activities will be conspiring against me, I’m going to take a week off. In the meantime,
Engage!
Doug
Real audience development incorporates community engagement. Her definition of audience development is not correct in my opinion.
I agree with Shoshana. “Community Engagement” and “Cultural Mediation” are indeed components of Audience Development (AD). When I prepare an AD strategy for a client, I do so along with him (her or them) so that by the time I submit my report, the client is already on board and ready to act. I also make it clear that while some benefits can be derived in the short term, AD is a long term process since it involves building relationships between arts organizations and their current and potential audiernces. Having said that, I appreciate Mrs. Tangorra Matelic’s passion and wish her all the best.
Shoshana and Denis-
I think perhaps in your response to Dr. Matelic’s chart, and Doug’s post, you miss the point. You are articulating your own values around Audience Development and Community Engagement, but I think she is using the terms as a polarized set of practices to call out the many arts organizations who use them interchangeably without attention to the deeper values and intentions that exist within these approaches. Clarifying these distinctions is hugely important in arts fields today, so people can make conscious choices amidst a sea of trends and jargon. Here is another post at another site that gets into similar issues.
http://www.howlround.com/translations-engaging-engagement-by-michael-rohd/
Michael,
Thanks for beating me to this and for making my point for me. And thanks for the link to your post. Good articulation of the issue.