Walker International Communications Group

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INVITATION TO THE PARTY*

Written by Fotis Kapetopoulos, Director Kape Communications
Australia, June 2007

REFLECTIONS ON DONNA WALKER KUHNE’S 2007 AUSTRALIAN TOUR

‘Multicultural arts marketing’ is over-burdened ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
with notions of equity. So rather than the          + “We can no longer expect arts    +
necessity that it is, it is relegated by arts           + institutions to survive in the long-+
marketers and publicists at the expense of the + term without some sophisticated, +
artists, writers, venues and absent audiences. + well-thought-out plan to embrace+
Culturally diverse audiences, particularly          + diverse audiences. There is        +
youth, which abstain from what we generally     + tremendous competition, which  +
term the ‘arts’.                                                    + will only increase from our         +
                                                                          + techno society”                           +
Yet, given the numbers of arts professionals     + Donna Walker-Kuhne,               +
registering to hear Donna Walker–Kuhne,        + Invitation to the Party                  +
America’s leading expert in audience                + 2006                                           +
development for culturally diverse communities++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
and youth, there is stark recognition that the diversity of Australia’s streets is rarely reflected in box office takings.

Old thinking dominates the larger part, if not all of, the arts sector in relation to audiences. A conscious, or even subconscious, form of discrimination exists premised on false ideas that cultural groups other than Anglo are difficult to engage, are homogenous, that they are out of their depth at arts presentations. It’s a ridiculous idea as the world globalises at a rate not seen since the Elizabethan period which, incidentally, ushered in ‘the world’s first entertainment business’, with popular new plays by Shakespeare, and his peers, for the new classes and cultural groups of London reaping the benefits of a globalising economy. (Peter Hall,1998)

Culturally diverse communities comprise class and education, age, and other differentiations. With few exceptions, the 40-something non-Anglo middle classes, their children, the third generation in their late teens and twenties and the future generations have not been considered as serious audiences, patrons or sponsors for the so called arts industry.

Culturally diverse Australians frequent clubs, restaurants, live music events, cinema; they read literature, magazines; they watch television, download on their-Pods, use digital media, go to cultural and sporting events; they travel internationally. Greek, Italian, Indian and Chinese business leaders and professionals’ incomes eclipse those of most of their peers in the arts. They have no issue with Cirque du Soleil, a sporting or rock-pop event. So why would they encounter issues with a new play, or a dance production at an arts centre?

A non-Anglo friend in the building industry once responded to my taunts about why he spent $90,000 on a new car but had not been to an arts event, "Mate, I get free corporate seats for the AFL grand final, I just came back from the World Cup in Germany and I saw opera in Vienna and flamenco in Madrid, yet I never hear from your buddies in the arts!"

As Donna Walker-Kuhne alerts, he, and many like him, are not invited. President of Walker International Communications Group and one of the world’s leading authorities on audience diversification, Donna recently visited Australia from the US to talk about drawing more diverse crowds to our arts.

Suppose you hear about a party being held, but you are not invited, she says. Even though you are not given a formal invitation, you go because you like to party. When you get there you feel awkward. You wonder whether the hosts are whispering about why you are there. You wonder if other guests know you weren't invited. No one speaks to you or acknowledges your presence. For many audiences previously excluded from arts institutions, the experience is very similar. There is an art opening, a dance concert, a theater production and they were not invited.

It doesn't matter that your display advertisements appeared in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times or Chicago Tribune. What really matters is when your audience crosses the bridge you've built through your partnerships and accepts your invitation to attend an event. That's why making culturally diverse audience development an institutional vision is a critical component of its success. (Donna Walker-Kuhne, 10 Tools for Audience Development, 2006)

A large percentage of the audiences for theatre and dance come from within the arts sector itself. I saw one of Australia’s most compelling pieces of theatre, Honour Bound, dealing with the so-called war on terror yet in the audience, there was a distinct absence of Middle Eastern and other culturally diverse audiences, especially youth. Australia has large Middle Eastern communities, well educated, socially aware and with strong political views. Why were they absent? Where were the Greeks, Lebanese, Hispanics and Africans and others?

At the Adelaide and Melbourne Cabaret Festivals, I presented Dos Ostias, a cabaret piece about Australia’s anti-terror laws. While the piece needed work, my efforts snared a good number of Greek, Italian and other non-Anglo lawyers among the audience. These lawyers are not marginalised except, it seems, by the Australian arts industry.

Banking, communication, retail, health, educational and service industries focus on penetrating global markets, creating products, services and programs, make multicultural communications and culturally diverse human resource development a staple of their business strategies. Westpac for instance has introduced a strategy targeting the banking needs of migrants, including help with credit cards, home loans, insurance, pension transfers, foreign currency accounts, bank transfers.

There is an increase of culturally diverse artists, arts makers, administrators, bureaucrats, and thinkers in the arts – yet the audience development and, importantly, employment strategies in the arts sector remain woefully inadequate to accommodate the needs of contemporary non-Anglo Australian audiences. It seems that art is not for Ahmed. Ahmed can participate as an artist if he is up to the Australian standard of ‘good art’ but as a member of the audience, as a patron, a sponsor, he is best kept for special projects.

Ahmed Fahour, the Executive Director and CEO of the National Australia Bank thinks otherwise. "As a member of a migrant family in Australia who left Lebanon nearly 40 years ago to make a new life in Australia, I know something of aspirations. We live in the fastest growing region of the world surrounded by economic, entrepreneurial and cultural dynamism. China, India and Indonesia have enormous populations and all three offer unique cultural riches. What can we do with one or all three great nations? Do we have the people, the imagination, the cultural sensitivity and the demographic capacity to step forward confidently into the 21st century?"

Multiculturalism is being refined and restitution is occurring after years post-9/11 hysteria but it is doubtful that the re-emergence of nationalism will disappear quickly. Yet for those seeking social stability, economic development, environmental balance, skill development and a larger share of the global market, strong relationships with culturally diverse peoples has to be a priority.

In the words of Donna Walker-Kuhne, "the arts have the potential to heal division and create unity. We are at the outset of a new era in the history of civilization. Art is a vehicle, a tool for social change. In the wake of the 9/11 bombing, art has an even more vital role and the idea of community is even more important. Artists and communities have a responsibility to each other to form alliances, bridges and partnerships that will access both the art and audiences. As part of this new millennium of artists and audiences, we must share our vision with each other… We should consider art and culture as a pathway to peace in our communities."

References

1. Donna Walker-Kuhne: Invitation to the Party – Building Bridges to the Arts, Culture and Community, Theater Communications Group: 2006
2. Donna Walker-Kuhne: 10 Tools for Audience Development ArtsMarketing.org 2006
3. Donna Walker–Khune: Prescriptions for Engaging Audiences in Art and Culture ArtsMarketing.org 2006

Donna Walker Kuhne’s tour of Australian capital cities in June 2007 was managed by Kape Communications for the Multicultural Arts Marketing Ambassadors Strategy WA and the Multicultural Arts Professional Development programs. The tour was funded by the Australia Council for the Arts, with the support of the Department of State United States of America, Department of Culture and the Arts, Office of Multicultural Interests Government of Western Australia, Arts Victoria, the Victorian Multicultural Commission Government of Victoria, Arts Queensland, QUT and Arts SA.

Fotis Kapetopoulos heads Kape Communications which manages Multicultural Arts Professional Development (MAPD), an Australia Council professional development program for multicultural arts workers.

*Article first published in ArtsHub and reproduced with the author’s permission.