{"id":4629,"date":"2016-08-24T02:00:08","date_gmt":"2016-08-24T06:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/?p=4629"},"modified":"2016-08-24T04:12:25","modified_gmt":"2016-08-24T08:12:25","slug":"fifth-anniversary-highlights-the-pandering-straw-man","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/2016\/08\/fifth-anniversary-highlights-the-pandering-straw-man\/","title":{"rendered":"Fifth Anniversary Highlights: The “Pandering” Straw Man"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"FiveCandles\"During the month of August, Engaging Matters is republishing some of the most widely read articles from the five years this blog has been in existence. The criticism that community engagement is “just giving people what they want” is, in some circles, as pervasive as it is maddening. A February 2014 post, The “Pandering” Straw Man<\/a> addressed that issue.<\/em><\/p>\n

This post is not part of a series, so it may seem a bit out of context. I\u2019ve addressed the issues of quality and community on numerous occasions previously. (The Pursuit of Excellence<\/a>, Quality and Community<\/a>, Quality and Community-2<\/a>) However, the issue comes up so often in Q&A sessions, it\u2019s probably good to share this as I write it in the context of a larger project.<\/p>\n

Critics (and uncomfortable observers) of community engagement in the arts world often assume that the effort to reach those without a background (or current interest) in the arts demands pandering\u2013presentation of inferior or simplistic work\u2013a prospect that is, rightly, rejected out of hand.<\/p>\n

This is, however, a remarkable and, upon brief consideration, terrifying conclusion. The current base of support is insufficient to sustain the arts establishment. If the only way to achieve viability is to present work that is incompatible with arts missions, the industry is truly doomed.<\/p>\n

\u201cPandering\u201d is such a powerful accusation that it can distract from efforts to reach the community and thus reinforce artcentricity. It is, to be frank, a pernicious charge intended as a conversation stopper that undermines the humility and respect I\u2019ve cited as essential for making essential connections with our communities.<\/p>\n

Discomfort with the prospect of change is a principal catalyst for this argument. Granted, a lack of awareness of good examples of engaged programming can be another contributor, but both are rooted in satisfaction with the status quo (at least with respect to artistic content) and a failure of imagination.<\/p>\n

The pandering charge is<\/i> a straw man, although it is true that some programmers do not understand this and\u2013either cynically or with misguided good intent\u2013present work they deem inferior in an effort to \u201cengage.\u201d As has been demonstrated previously and will be again, those who desire to do so can uphold standards of artistic excellence while providing content that is deeply meaningful to the public.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Engage (authentically and without shame)!<\/p>\n

Doug<\/p>\n

Photo:\"Attribution\"\"No<\/a><\/span> Some rights reserved<\/a> by torbakhopper<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Those who desire to do so can uphold standards of artistic excellence while providing content that is deeply meaningful to the public.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4603,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Fifth Anniversary Highlights: The \"Pandering\" Straw Man\u2013excellence and engagement are fully compatible.","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5],"tags":[53,12,13,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-4629","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-principles","8":"tag-artcentricity","9":"tag-arts","10":"tag-community-engagement","11":"tag-excellence","12":"entry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/FiveCandles.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1G6h9-1cF","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3441,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/2014\/02\/the-pandering-straw-man\/","url_meta":{"origin":4629,"position":0},"title":"The “Pandering” Straw Man","author":"Doug Borwick","date":"February 19, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Critics of community engagement often assume it demands pandering. Those who desire to do so can maintain artistic excellence while providing content that is deeply meaningful to the public.","rel":"","context":"In "Principles"","block_context":{"text":"Principles","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/category\/principles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"StrawMan","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/StrawMan.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4839,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/2017\/02\/engagement-is-not\/","url_meta":{"origin":4629,"position":1},"title":"Engagement Is Not . . .","author":"Doug Borwick","date":"February 22, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Taking a poll of what works a community unfamiliar with an art form wants should be ludicrous. It would be artistically irresponsible, disrespectful of the community, and just plain lazy.","rel":"","context":"In "Principles"","block_context":{"text":"Principles","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/category\/principles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/WhatTheyWantTransparent-e1486672457368.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2575,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/2013\/04\/excellence-to-what-end\/","url_meta":{"origin":4629,"position":2},"title":"Excellence\u2013To What End?","author":"Doug Borwick","date":"April 3, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Taking a time out from mainstreaming engagement and questions of diversity (although both really are related to this), I feel a need to revisit (briefly) the \"question of quality.\" This is something that needs to be done with some regularity by anyone advocating for a community-oriented perspective in the arts.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Principles"","block_context":{"text":"Principles","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/category\/principles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"ExcellenceSign","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/ExcellenceSign-300x148.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5047,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/2017\/10\/excellence-and-engagement-ii\/","url_meta":{"origin":4629,"position":3},"title":"Excellence and Engagement: II","author":"Doug Borwick","date":"October 18, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Excellence and Engagement: Participatory activities, community benefit, and personal meaning.","rel":"","context":"In "Principles"","block_context":{"text":"Principles","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/category\/principles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/ExcellenceSign.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":452,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/2011\/10\/engagement-uber-alles\/","url_meta":{"origin":4629,"position":4},"title":"Engagement Uber Alles?","author":"Doug Borwick","date":"October 15, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"To date I've avoided a direct answer to the unspoken question some of you may have about all of this. Even if engagement is important for some arts organizations, do I really think it is essential for all? After my Quality and Community posts (Quality and Community; Quality and Community-2),\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Principles"","block_context":{"text":"Principles","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/category\/principles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Excellence.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3146,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/2013\/10\/the-pursuit-of-excellence\/","url_meta":{"origin":4629,"position":5},"title":"The Pursuit of Excellence","author":"Doug Borwick","date":"October 23, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"In Excellence-To What End? I made the case that serving people\u2013all of them, from artists to \"the great unwashed\"\u2013was the purpose of seeking excellence. In the months since that post, I've reflected more on this issue, one that is central to our field and of vital importance to all of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Principles"","block_context":{"text":"Principles","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/category\/principles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"ExcellenceSign","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/ExcellenceSign-300x148.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4629","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4629"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4629\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4650,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4629\/revisions\/4650"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4603"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4629"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4629"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4629"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}