Audiences and Stakeholders

Our research found that the audiences who value arts, culture, and creativity most include: millennials, people of color, women of all ages, and parents of younger children.

In identifying these audiences, we sought people who hold values consistent with arts, culture, and creativity being part of their everyday lives, even if they are not currently participating in formal arts activities or do not self-describe as an arts enthusiast.

Source: Creating Connection: Research Findings and Proposed Message Framework to Build Public Will for Arts and Culture. Arts Midwest and Metropolitan Group, 2015.

What’s next: Toward authentic and inclusive engagement

To be successful in engaging these demographic groups more fully or more often in our organizations, we must offer experiences that align with their values and expectations around what arts and cultural experiences can add to their lives. (Hint: in general, individuals in these demographic groups are looking for active, social opportunities to connect through creative experiences.)

In addition to values-aligned experiences, our work toward making more inclusive environments will be stronger when we have representation in our programming choices, our communications, our hiring practices, and our decision-making.

See how Teatro Visión is thinking big about how to include the community in the artistic process.

At Teatro Visión in San Jose, art is not just about the final product, it is also about the collective process. So when the theater began designing their audience engagement plan for their performance of La Muerta Baila, they knew it needed to incorporate community voices. Watch the video and learn more about how Teatro Vision is embracing inclusion.