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Engaging Matters

Doug Borwick on vibrant arts and communities

Connect

January 13, 2021 by Doug Borwick

The viability of our industry depends upon significantly expanding our base. To do so, we must connect with and come to matter to more and more people.

This post is a follow up to an earlier one, Getting the Question(s) Right. It would probably be a good idea to read that if you’ve not done so. Here is an excerpt from the close of that post:

So our questions should be, first, “What are our communities feeling/ experiencing?” and second, “How can we help them?” Once we have our questions right, we will need to position ourselves to be of help. In order to do that, we must first Connect and then Matter.

Connecting with new communities begins with a sincere desire to do so. This should be beyond obvious, but there are arts organizations that do not see “connecting” in the way I mean it here as critical to their work. They do not see expanding connections to communities as vital to their continued existence.

I know that, to some, an existential necessity is not as inspiring as is a lofty goal. So, to put this in a more positive way, we all should be heavily invested in connecting more and more people with the art we love.

After the desire to connect is established, the connection itself can begin. As with relationships between individuals this may necessitate an introduction and it will certainly require many conversations over time. One of my colleagues has observed that engagement requires “lots of coffee.”

But the bedrock of successful connections is respect–respect for those with whom a relationship is sought. If that respect is not present, the work will fail.

I have recently finished Barack Obama’s new book A Promised Land. In an entirely different context, he articulated the concept nicely:

To be known. To be heard. To have one’s unique identity recognized and seen as worthy. It [is] a universal human desire.

Barack Obama, A Promised Land

Along with respect, we must bring humility to the relationship. It is a challenge for the passionate expert to understand those who do not share their knowledge and point of view, and it requires almost superhuman effort for the expert not to be seen as condescending. This can be a serious impediment to engaging with communities. It is, therefore, incumbent upon the arts establishment, it is in its own self-interest, to learn and practice humility.

While arts professionals have expertise in things artistic (at least in the cultural traditions with which they are familiar), not a few are clueless or less than “clued” about the interests, needs, and modes of operation of communities outside the arts. This is one reason community engagement is so dependent upon collaboration with individuals or organizations external to the field. Arts savvy comes from our education and experience; external sources must provide understanding of and access to the community.

People are not, today, predisposed to give the aloof artist or arts organization much benefit of the doubt. In a time when expanding reach is critical, the first tool that needs to be mastered is the skill of relationship building, and a vital ingredient for success in that is humility.

Establishing a connection is good, but by itself it is insufficient. In order to achieve our goals we must also come to matter to people. That is where we will begin next time.

Engage!

Doug

Photo:

Some rights reserved by duncan

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Filed Under: Overview Tagged With: arts, community engagement, connections, relationships

Comments

  1. Alan Harrison says

    January 13, 2021 at 2:43 am

    Brilliantly put, once again. Thanks, Doug!

  2. Jerry Yoshitomi says

    January 13, 2021 at 9:24 pm

    Doug:
    Thank you again for this. You’re suggesting that we must develop new ‘capacities’ or ‘muscles’ in order to be successful in the future.

    I am thinking about fall 2021 as the ‘Big Reset” (a term used by our LEAP partners). Possibly a list of ‘best practices’ for the ‘Big Reset’ might be something that a group might work on together.

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

  • David Pankratz on Reimagine Yourself: “Hi Doug, Appreciated the library and automotive analogies. Here’s another from the world of public transportation. There’s an ongoing debate…” Feb 17, 11:22
  • Jerry Yoshitomi on Build Back Better: “Doug: Thank you again for this. Again, right on the mark. I’ve heard that rebuilding a house that has been…” Feb 4, 17:10
  • Alan Harrison on Build Back Better: “Excellent. If, in a year, the nation sees the arts as an elitist escape for the privileged – as they…” Feb 3, 03:01
  • Alan Harrison on Matter: “Brilliant once again. I think the issue of inward-facing acclaim (instead of outward-facing impact) being so prevalent among dying arts…” Jan 27, 07:17
  • Jerry Yoshitomi on Connect: “Doug: Thank you again for this. You’re suggesting that we must develop new ‘capacities’ or ‘muscles’ in order to be…” Jan 13, 21:24

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