For all the anticipation and excitement around Taylor Swift’s Eras tour this summer, fans have been reporting something strange. They can’t remember the show. Time and Psychology Today wrote articles about the phenomenon of Taylor Swift fans forgetting the experience of attending the concert itself. In the Time article, Ewan McNay, a psychology professor at SUNY Albany, attributes the phenomenon to the fans’ brains producing too much norepinephrine, as happens when we get too emotionally … [Read more...] about Forgetting Taylor Swift
Rush Seats Series: Arts Explainers on TikTok
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
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?
“Audiencing”: Introducing the Routledge Companion to Audiences and Performing Arts
Row X blog by Hannah Grannemann I wish I had known the term “audiencing”[1] during my arts management career. Fumbling with my words in meetings, I tried to get others to see audiences as more than ATMs, obstacles to work around, or sleepy citizens in need of moral awakening. Joining a noisy, packed lobby, I also couldn’t find words to describe the buzzy post-show feeling of elation on opening night after having been present when performers and audience had become enmeshed, creating a new … [Read more...] about “Audiencing”: Introducing the Routledge Companion to Audiences and Performing Arts