CMU School of Drama


Sunday, January 27, 2013

How Are Arts Organizations Using Digital Technologies?

Watch How Are Arts Organizations Using Digital Technologies? on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.

Art Beat | PBS NewsHour | PBS: Have you ever live-tweeted during a classical music performance? Used a museum's mobile app? "Liked" a cultural event on Facebook? Done a yarn bombing? A new study, "Arts Organizations and Digital Technologies," published Friday by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, looks at the ways in which cultural organizations -- theater companies, orchestras, museums -- are using the Internet, social media and mobile apps to grow, promote and enrich the things they do. The survey, taken by 1,244 arts organizations that have received funding by the National Endowment for the Arts, examined everything from budget demands and staffing to live-tweeting events and cell phone interruptions.

2 comments:

Cat Meyendorff said...

I'm so happy that Pew did a study like this. I know that this discussion has been going on among the arts community for some time now, and to have a more comprehensive study done that can collect everything in one place can be something that arts organizations can look at and use as time goes on.

Something I hadn't thought a lot about was the idea that more and more people are expecting art to be free and so theatres and arts organizations are having trouble dealing with that. I'd be very interested to know if there are ways that organizations are dealing with this (lowering prices, offering more perks, etc).

I do disagree with the idea that art is being diluted ins ome way by the explosion of technology and social media. I prefer to think that art is being expanded to include many more things and ideas than before. I think that technology and all of the different art it's led to has given theatre artists more freedom to explore performances that maybe wouldn't have been as accepted in the past because there was a preconceived idea of what art was and is.

Akiva said...

I think it's really interesting that they talk about a "need" to use some sorts technologies to get your word out. It's interesting to me that they feel like people are forced to "keep up with the times". I think it's very cool that art's groups are using social networks more then most groups because art should be social and the interactions between the artists and the views are important. I've used some amazing technology that was connected to art, but I have also seen very bad uses of technology in art. It's important that art groups aren't just using technology to "feel hip".

Something that really bothered me was the idea that perhaps because to many people are able to make art, art is being lessen over all. And that people are able to pretend that they are artists.

I agree with what they say about the technology-art relationship being very young. I think that this needs to be explored and that right now a lot of good and a lot of bad is going to happen until we find a nice medium.