The results of my RESEARCH INTO ARTS MARKETING ARE IN! It reveals critical issues for the Australian workforce and contributing factors pointing to industry practices, capacity and skills needing attention. You might find the report confirms your assumptions & experiences, perhaps holds surprises, and hopefully the ideas are valuable for driving change. https://lnkd.in/g6sVjJ_6 Big thanks to all who contributed insights, with special mention to Elliott Bledsoe, Amy Maiden, Ben Starick and Kevin du Preez. *If you require a different format for improved accessibility, please let me know. #artsmarketing #artsandculture #artsresearch #workforcedevelopment #audiencedevelopment
Suzanne Pereira
8mo
Thanks for publishing Penny...in response - I'd say your findings are the tip of the iceberg. As a sector, I think if we stopped for long enough to reflect deeply enough, we would find that we have been in crisis for the better part of a decade or more, and there won't be a labour market to keep us going if we don't demand of ourselves reform that leads to transformative change. And I'm with both you and Nichola Hall on that 'dichotomy' too. As a sector, we're going to need to take a long hard look at ourselves, otherwise we are going to continue in the loop that we've been in for decades - ambition, expectation, overworked, under-resourced, under-valued, burnt out, rinse, repeat... The S2M and M2L sectors of our industry are in critical condition, with a workforce that is on the brink. If we don't get the revolution soon, the pipeline of creative and operational talent that flows into the majors will dry up...or more accurately, leak away into industries that value their skills and creativity and pay them double and triple what they can earn in the arts. That said, there certainly are answers. The question is, who can afford to stop for long enough to find them and then act on them?
Georgia Malone
7mo
Thanks for this Penny, only getting a chance to read it now! It's such a big issue. I remember when I started my Arts Marketing career 20 years ago in Perth it was competitive and there was a pathway through organisations to develop and grow. Now, having had to recruit for the role, there are barely any applications and often you have to hire people outside the sector with little arts experience. I did the consultancy for 5 years before COVID really put an end to it but we worked a lot with small to medium companies to help them develop marketing strategies so they weren't just jumping from show to show, trying the same old thing and hoping it would work... I loved my career as an arts marketer and now is one who has jumped ship from working in the sector (sorry)... But I look on with hope for the future!
Nichola Hall
8mo
Much in here to digest and ruminate on. Thanks for putting this out there Penny to spark the conversation at a higher level. With 25 years arts marketing experience, I know I have almost stepped away from the industry so many times, particularly since moving from the UK to Australia. I am not sure I would ever recommend it as a career path to others knowing what I know...yet I do still love it so🤷
Annie Stephens
8mo
Thank you for sharing this big chunk of work. I look forward to sharing with my colleagues. Hope all is well in your word.
Elliott Bledsoe
8mo
Thank you for looking at the issues, Penny. They are complex at the macro and micro level and require a whole of sector response. It's both heartening and disheartening to see so much of the hope and concerns that I and others have for arts marketing laid out. But I'm so glad to see it!
Thanks Penny for sharing . Look forward to having a read .
Beck Grace
8mo
looking forward to reading this Penny!
Arts Management I Cultural Venues | Visitor Economy I Major Events
8moThis is a great read, Penny. I think we can learn a lot from our friends in adjacent Visitor Economy. Very clear split between supply side and market demand development with heavy emphasis on each. The arts do what they’d call ‘supply’ well enough (developing the artists, pipelining into festivals, venues, touring, major touring, etc) although I’d argue this needs a substantial amount of work too. But driving market demand, we absolutely suck at it (particularly on the subsidised side of the fence) from a very high national strategic level right down to the layer this report covers and beyond. When we look at the traditional staple audience segments coming towards the end of their life cycle or continuing to be very narrow, I think as a sector we’re in trouble if nothing majors shifts on the whole. At the end of the day, if we’re expecting individuals to expend discretionary income to experience the arts to ensure the viability of continuing to make the work - and a living - there needs to be a mammoth strategic shift right across the sector.