I have a quick response to the article “Why Don’t They Come?” by Createquity. It is fantastic that they are attempting to solve this puzzle as to why a certain demographic, lower income adults, do not attend the arts. Is it price, education, perception? This demographic has more free time, so this was not the answer.

A simple thought came into my head. It isn’t all that complicated. This demographic was not raised with the arts being a big part of their lives. Our upbringing makes a huge difference as to how we see the world, what we believe in, and what we decide to do in our lives.

Simply put, if you were not “cultured” when you were growing up, you are less likely to attend the arts.

This has nothing to do with socio-economics either. I once went to a lecture that was being given by a very successful businessman. I believe it was at a League of American Orchestras Conference. He admitted that he never had gone to the symphony before. He was given complimentary tickets to a performance, and he decided to give it a try. He is now a huge Mahler fan and attends the symphony regularly. It took a friend, colleague person in his life to open his mind to the symphony arts. It was not a part of his life up until this point.

I have mentioned the generation gap that is happening. If we ignore one generation, Generation X, the children that they raise will not be “cultured” either.

Sharing the love for the arts becomes one of the most important factors in audience development.

We can continue to research for the answers, but I believe the answer is staring us right in the face. Connecting again with people and getting them to enjoy the show is what matters.

Sure, lower the ticket price, advocate for the education, and program in ways that different types of people would start thinking about attending. The best campaign you could start though is one of genuine invitation to befriend and share your love for your art. This will make the changes we would like to see for arts attendance!

Cheers to happy and loyal audiences,
Shoshana

Shoshana Fanizza
Chief Audience Builder, ADS

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