Art Smarts June 2011
In the news
Twitter as a Performance Art Platform
Crystal Wallis, Technology in the Arts, May 25 2011
Social media artists Man Bartlett, David Horovitz and Jill Magrid explore using the microblogging site Twitter to engage audiences in performance art. Now Creative Time has commissioned a series of Twitter performances that expands the definition of performance art. These pieces, the first commissioned works of their kind, will explore the intersection of real places and in-person interactions with virtual spaces and digital conversations.
Digital Technology and the performing arts
AMPAG 2011
AMPAG has recently completed a Scoping Paper on the impact of digital technology in order to bring all companies up to speed with new technology developments and to explore different models. A forum is being planned later in 2011 which will be co-hosted by the Australia Council. The paper is also being used to inform government about the issues and ensure that the arts are not left out of discussions about the future of the NBN.
The Price of Our Great Digital Divide
The Australian, 14 May 2011
The cultural divide is starkly revealed in the first detailed "cultural price index" constructed for Australia. We estimated the full cost of a standardised basket of six cultural consumption items for a representative Australian household at 30 Australian locations in all states and territories. The sample was a mix of metropolitan cities, regional centres and country and remote towns.
The purpose of this research was to estimate the differences in real prices faced by a representative consumer of culture at different Australian locations. We used a full-cost method that included direct costs, such as tickets, plus indirect costs, such as travel. We expected cities would be more affordable and regional and remote towns less so, as indeed we found. What was surprising was the extent of the divide between urban Australia and regional and remote towns.
Research
Review of Private Sector Support for the Arts 2011
Department of the Prime Minister & Cabinet, Office for the Arts
The review will identify any barriers or impediments that may exist in Australia with respect to private sector support for the arts. The findings of this review will assist in the development of policy options with respect to enhancing the private sector’s contribution to the arts. The review will also be an important element in the development and implementation of a national cultural policy. On 19 April 2011, the Minister for the Arts, the Hon Simon Crean MP, announced that Mr Harold Mitchell AC will chair the review.
State of Uncertainty
Hasan Bakhshi, Alan Freeman and Jason Potts
This paper proposes a new model for innovation policy that clearly distinguishes it from industrial policy. The authors challenge the idea, implicit in much existing practice, that governments operate levers that affect innovation in predictable ways, and argue that innovation policy should instead be conceived as a process of discovery, required because the creation and exploitation of new ideas by entrepreneurs is by nature radically uncertain.
Cultured people happier: study
SMH, 25 May 2011
People who go to museums and concerts or create art or play an instrument are more satisfied with their lives, regardless of how educated or rich they are, according to a new study.But the link between culture and feeling good about oneself is not quite the same in both sexes, according to the study, published in the British Medical Association's Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
Culture for Development Indicator Suite
UNESCO
The UNESCO Culture for Development Indicator Suite is a pioneering research and advocacy initiative that aims to establish a set of indicators highlighting how culture contributes to development at national level fostering economic growth, and helping individuals and communities to expand their life choices and adapt to change. This project contributes to the implementation of Article 13 (Integration of Culture in Sustainable Development) of the Convention for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.
Beyond the box office: understanding audiences in a multi-screen world
Screen Australia
In April 2011, Screen Australia released Beyond the Box Office. The report analyses patterns of screen media consumption in Australia, helping to understand shifts in media penetration and offering never-before-published insights into consumption of DVD/Blu-ray and online video. Focusing initially on feature films, Screen Australia also released a new standardised audience metric, designed to evaluate the number of times a film is viewed across its first-release lifecycle.
Nielsen 2011
The Australian-first study, commissioned by social networking technology company Community Engine and conducted by research company Nielsen in February and March this year among 347 organisations, sought to determine, for the first time, how businesses were using, budgeting for and measuring social media.
Practical resources
Pay Attention to Millennials - They're the donors of the future...
According to the second annual Millennial Donors Report from consulting firms Johnson Grossnickle Associates and Achieve Guidelines for Boards of Producing Theatres Appointing Artistic Leaders this generation (defined as 20-35 year olds) are givers-93% of the 2,953 survey respondents from seven nonprofits made a charitable contribution, although most of the contributions were small and spread out among many organizations.
Opinion
The Top 10 Reasons to Support the Arts (from Arts Watch)
Americans for the Arts, 20 April 2011
Randy Cohen, Vice President, Research and Information, Americans for the Arts: I was recently asked by a major biz leader for “10 reasons to support the arts.” He needed the points to help him pull an 8-figure inve$tment for a new arts center…Make it compelling to government and business leaders, he asked.
Social media