Caleb Way

The Art of Balance: Recapping the Crain’s New York Arts & Culture Breakfast

Posted by Caleb Way, Sep 25, 2014 0 comments


Caleb Way

Caleb Way Caleb Way

Last Wednesday morning, New York City’s newly instated cultural commissioner, Tom Finkelpearl, greeted representatives from numerous local institutions for the Crain’s Arts & Culture Breakfast: A New Future for New York’s Culture Industry. Finkelpearl, formerly the executive director of the Queens Museum, opened the event with comments on the current landscape of the arts in New York City, a few of the challenges it is facing, and some of the “cultural perks” his office plans to introduce to address them. The commissioner touched on the roll-out of new Municipal ID Cards, saving the finer details for the Mayors announcement on Thursday, and commented on the newly allocated $23M to arts and cultural education throughout the city.

As the conversation segued into the morning’s panel discussion, the Arts & Business Council of New York, along with many of its partner organizations, was left with an optimistic and forward-looking view of the arts in New York City. One of the commissioner’s messages that resonated the most was that the arts community should work together to make the city sustainable and attractive to the next generation of artists, while ensuring that the arts become more accessible to all New Yorkers.

The commissioner’s emphasis on accessibility was also a focus of the event’s panelists, gathered from some of New York City’s most established cultural institutions to discuss the intersections of arts and technology. The group agreed that a delicate balance exists when institutions begin embracing new digital advancements that align and further the mission of an organization, without altering or confusing that message to patrons engaged in their work. Arts and cultural institutions were cautioned to avoid using technology solely for technology’s sake.

Fiona Romeo, director of digital content and strategy at the Museum of Modern Art, highlighted the importance of using technology to enhance ways that patrons are currently engaging with the museum. MoMA brought the use of technology by its visitors “in-house” by developing a mobile app that allows visitors to gain more in-depth information about MoMA’s current exhibits, while also providing a platform to connect and interact with the art and other patrons.

The panelists agreed that technology, when designed and implemented improperly, can have an adverse effect that ultimately distracts from the artistic experience. “We don’t want people walking around the museum with their faces buried in their phones,” commented Shelley Bernstein, vice director for digital engagement and technology at the Brooklyn Museum. She concluded that if organizations are able to harness the use of technology, define it within the context of their goals, and incorporate it not as a distraction but as a means to facilitate deeper engagement, they will discover the successful balance of a relevant and impactful patron experience.

Henry Timms, executive director of the 92nd Street Y, said “Humans have a need to engage with the arts.” In this age, digital tools are one of the primary ways this engagement happens. For Christopher Amos, director of educational media and technology at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute, the organization’s acceptance of video auditions has enhanced and expanded the Institute’s reach across the country. Bringing the online community into the picture has made their programs more accessible, especially to students in parts of the country where engagement in the arts is not a priority. “Technology invites us to reimagine our mission,” notes Amos. Through the application of technology, the Institute’s mission is not being changed or discarded, but enhanced through the use of new and relevant tools.

Amidst the exciting examples of technology that are being developed to enhance the artistic experience in all disciplines, the panelists also cautioned organizations as they consider incorporating digital tools. Starting small, evaluating consistently, soliciting buy-in from the top down, and foregoing social stereotypes emerged as themes on the other side of the double-edged sword.

For the arts and cultural institutions in the room, maintaining identity and integrity will prove to be a key challenge as we move forward in this digital age. Thanks to a cultural commissioner who understands the pitfalls that local institutions have begun to cautiously navigate, we may start to build a more digitally engaged (but smart) arts and cultural sector throughout the city of New York.

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