Speak Out: New Study Reveals Paradigm Shifts Among Cultural Audiences

Editors note: See response by Kathleen Arffmann, Metropolitan Museum's former General Manager for Visitor Services

by Lisa Buchman
(special to arttimesjournal)
arttimesjournal November 16, 2017

In mid-October, a new study was released that measures the changing behaviors of cultural audiences nationwide. It contained many surprises. Culture Track ’17 affirms America’s interest in cultural activities, but they have to be fun, relieve stress, be interactive and social. When respondents were asked Why engage in a cultural activity? their top choice was to have fun. That’s was an “ah-ha” moment, according to Arthur Cohen whose company LaPlaca Cohen, the strategy, design, and marketing firm for the cultural world, that commissioned the study, which was conducted by Kelton Global. He said that this was not a frivolous response but speaks to a very fundamental need in our social history for the other.

“People are carrying around so much stuff. There is this notion that the everyday experience is much more characterized by dislocation and anxiety, so the need for culture has to be the opposite of that.” (The study was conducted earlier this year, after the Presidential election. ) The study also finds greater participation in leisure time activities. “We are in a unique socio-political moment, well into the new administration and that reflects the zeitgeist,” he said.

Culture Track ’17 was fielded nationwide with more than 4,000 respondents, all of whom had participated in at least one cultural activity in the past year. Respondents were 18 years or older, U.S. citizens, and representative of U.S. population demographics. Besides its findings as to why people engage in cultural activities, the study also revealed that there is a “loyalty revolution” in play. Less than a quarter of cultural audiences hold either a membership or subscription to a visual or performing arts organization. While they regard themselves as loyal to these organizations, the highest percentages are more loyal to restaurants or bars (58%) and retail stores (48%), than to cultural organizations (27%), with 61% viewing their loyalty to an organization as a “personal relationship.”

According to Maggie Hartnick, Managing Director of LaPlaca Cohen, there’s been a paradigm shift in how the public views culture and the arts. “Audiences nationwide are breaking down cultural norms and redefining them. Now culture can mean Caravaggio, Coachella, Tannhäuser, or taco trucks.”

The study showed, for example, that:

More than a third of art museumgoers did not think art museums were a cultural experience; over half of theatergoers felt the same;
Audiences were more likely to consider a street fair or food and drink experience culture than an opera or ballet;
The most prevalent reasons why people donate to cultural organizations are because they “believe in the mission” (63%) and “want to support the community” (54%);

The lesson, Hartnick noted, is that the definition of culture has democratized, possibly to the point of extinction. Activities that have traditionally been considered “culture” and those that haven’t are now on a level playing field. “Therefore, museums and performing arts organizations need to change their ways of thinking. They must provide transformational experiences, build community, educate, and foster empathy. They also need to take a close look at how to best build loyalty. The subscription and membership models of the 1970s no longer resonate.”

Who’s Donating Where

Culture Track ‘17 also contrasted patterns of giving to cultural organizations against giving to other causes. According to the study, the top reasons for donating to nonprofit organizations are driven by their social impact, something that does not usually carry over to cultural audiences. The top three philanthropic causes are Children (42%), Religion (36%) and Health (35%), whereas Culture pulled in a mere 18%. Indeed, the two biggest reasons people gave for not donating to culture are that “other causes have greater impact” and “I only give to one cause” (both 25%).

What that means is that supporting culture for its own sake is no longer a given. “To inspire support, cultural organizations will need to work harder to measure, then articulate, what their distinct impact is on the community,” Hartnick explained. However, audiences still give consistently to cultural organizations, and the number seems to be growing: 41% of Culture Track ’17 respondents said they plan to donate to culture over the next 12 months, up from 33% of respondents in 2011. Perhaps surprisingly, a higher proportion of millennials’ (20%) donations to causes overall are higher than any other age group. However, Boomers give more to causes in terms of actual dollar amounts ($1,837 vs. $838.)

How Cultural Organizations Are Changing Their Models

Mr. Cohen noted that several organizations are creating new models of engagement based on consumers’ redefinition of culture. “Consumers continue to crave culture, but they want to consume it the way they consume other brands and experiences. They want culture to be more social and interactive, more relevant to them and their interests, and something new that broadens their perspectives.”

As a result, he pointed out that that many organizations are creating new models of engagement. For example:

The Indianapolis Museum of Art repositioned itself last month and named its campus, for the first time, in recognition of all the ways the community uses its 152 acres. It is now Newfields: A Place for Nature & the Arts, and it is using its entire campus to “offer guests of all ages, backgrounds, and interests, experiences that are dynamic.” In addition to an internationally renowned art museum, there is a beer garden, performance space, and, in the summer, mini golf (the holes are designed by artists). Inside the museum, there is a preschool on site. From November 19 through January 7, Newfields will present Winterlights, a dazzling, curated, outdoor lights experience.
By texting 572-51 with the words “Send Me” to SFMOMA, anyone can request and receive the image of a work of art chosen from the almost 35,000 works in the museum’s collection. As you stroll through the galleries, your smartphone uses a location-based appto determine what you are looking at, and narrates your visit. The app assembles a visual log of your visit, including audio tracks heard and photos taken, for you to remember your visit and to share on social media.
Last January, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston introduced the “What’s Your Pleasure” campaign to entice visitors to enjoy the museum’s environment itself. The museum is marketed like a spa, a mini-vacation, an experience to help people de-stress. Instead of promoting individual exhibits and events, the campaign entices visitors to enjoy the museum’s environment itself with a promise they’ll discover a trove of pleasurable experiences within its walls.
The Museum of the City of New York’s events are designed to convene diverse New Yorkers around topics relevant to the city, such as Uptown Bounce, a free summer block party series.
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, in partnership with the University of Maryland Baltimore County, is conducting a study funded by the National Science Foundation that involves a new concert-enhancing mobile application called Octava, an app for mobile devices that acts as a concert companion for audiences at orchestral concerts. It enhances the experience of listening for users interested in deepening their understanding of the music performed.
The Los Angeles Philharmonic, one of the top 10 orchestras in the world, goes on tour for two weeks, and invites the board and major patrons to go with it; their musicians meet concert-goers in the lobby after performances to chat.
Opera Memphis took to the streets—literally—to reach new audiences. Five years ago, it introduced “30 Days of Opera.” During the month of September, Opera Memphis vocalists and an accompanist travel to farmer’s markets, parks, and street fairs to give the public free “samples” of their work. During the regular season, they invite food trucks to set up next to the performance hall; encourage the audience to dress up in period costumes, and stage a two-week opera festival of small operas, serving cocktails after the performance so the audience lingers. Not surprisingly, Opera Memphis performs before sold-out audiences every time.
The Dallas Museum of Art has created a new audience outreach strategy based on the concept of “Show Me You Know Me,” that includes a rewards program.
The Minneapolis Institute of Art has created “My Mia” for donors, who get to choose which perks they want. They receive an insider eBlast, and a free app called Mia Journeys that allows you to create and share personal journeys through the museum. My Mia members can create their own journey, or adapt existing journeys.

Culture Track began in 2001 as a national research study of the changing behaviors of cultural audiences, developed pro-bono for the field by LaPlaca Cohen. Today, Culture Track has evolved to include a variety of different components (including online content at www.culturetrack.com, talks and panels, and more), but the research study—which has been fielded seven times since 2001—is still at the heart of everything Culture Track does.

Culture Track ’17 can be explored at 2017study.culturetrack.com or by visiting https://culturetrack.com. The recording filmed at the launch can be viewed at https://vimeo.com/239508238.