Beth Malone

Audience is something we think about every moment. How are viewers engaging with our exhibitions? How are they responding to the organization’s methods of outreach? Are they even showing up in the first place?

From very early on, Dash has had a large outpouring of community support. My partner and I are both Atlanta natives and were lucky enough to leverage relationships we had with press, artists, and musicians in the city. As we continued to grow within our mission, we cultivated (and continue to cultivate) a solid, committed constituency. Efforts to engage an audience outside the traditional art-viewing public such as university students and faculty, small businesses, and city government, paid off. Quite literally, we were networking – meeting with leaders in these industries to explain our work and ask for their support via their own promotional tools like social media, web links, etc.

While this leg of our outreach strategy was taking off, we remained cognizant of our need to maintain a stronghold in the art community. We continue to pay very dear attention to this particular audience while branching out into the general public. We use various lists when sending out newsletters and alter the content slightly for each to make sure we’re highlighting points of interest for, say, a property owner vs. a sculptor. We stay very plugged into the work of our artists after their stint with Dash to make sure we’re up to date with their most recent interests and outputs. Our staff and board are all individually philanthropic – understanding the need to invest in the work of our friends. We show up. We go to openings, events, parties – we interview and have gotten to know an older generation within the community and embrace the youngest one.

While we maintain close tabs on the art-viewing audience, we continue to reach out to a broader public. It’s important for the health of the institution – both financially and artistically – to have a broad understanding of the city we live in and serve. My partner and I both participate in professional development programs for Atlanta’s young leaders and are often surrounded by professionals who never engage with the art community. We participate in these programs, obviously, to improve our individual skills, but also to advocate for the city’s vibrant art scene to this potential audience.

Beth Malone will be doing one-on-one coaching at the 2014 National Arts Marketing Project Conference in Atlanta, Nov. 7 – 10.

The Arts Marketing Blog Salon is generously sponsored by Patron Technology.