Ben Cameron: The Arts Reformation

But in a world of arts participation—a time in which participation is growing while traditional attendance is declining, and in which technology has democratized the means of both artistic production and artistic distribution for the first time in human history—how do we recognize the impulses and expectations that the internet promotes-expectation of transparency and participation, of personalization and customization? How do we think, not only about presentation, but about engagement—about interacting with this growing tsunami of creative energy that typically exists beyond the purview of our classrooms, our buildings and our performing arts centers? How do we engage audiences in the creative process, not merely in the finished work? How do we expand our vision beyond producing to be the orchestrators of social interaction-interaction in which a performance is a piece but only a piece of what we are called to do—or of moving past concerns about products to be consumed to focus instead on providing experiences that will serve as springboards to our communities’ own creativity?

Many of the groups I find inspirational today are embracing these changes and inviting them into their institutions. The Baltimore Symphony’s Rusty Musicians Program, inviting formerly trained but avocational citizens to play alongside the professional artists, is a great case in point. How could we change if we saw our facilities, not as concert halls dividing audience from artist, but as symphonic centers where we maximized every opportunity to embrace the full range of symphonic activity, including but not limited to the traditional concert?

—Ben Cameron

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