Blog Posts for National Arts Marketing Project Conference

Thank you to the many people who have been blog contributors to, and readers of ArtsBlog over the years. ArtsBlog has long been a space where we uplifted stories from the field that demonstrated how the arts strengthen our communities socially, educationally, and economically; where trends and issues and controversies were called out; and advocacy tools were provided to help you make the case for more arts funding and favorable arts policies.

As part of Americans for the Arts’ recent Strategic Realignment Process, we were asked to evaluate our storytelling communications platforms and evolve the way we share content. As a result, we launched the Designing Our Destiny portal to explore new ways of telling stories and sharing information, one that is consistent with our longtime practice of, “No numbers without a story, and no stories without a number.”

As we put our energy into developing this platform and reevaluate our communications strategies, we have put ArtsBlog on hold. That is, you can read past blog posts, but we are not posting new ones. You can look to the Designing Our Destiny portal and our news items feed on the Americans for the Arts website for stories you would have seen in ArtsBlog in the past.

ArtsBlog will remain online through this year as we determine the best way to archive this valuable resource and the knowledge you’ve shared here.

As ever, we are grateful for your participation in ArtsBlog and thank you for your work in advancing the arts. It is important, and you are important for doing it.


Ms. Ruby Lopez Harper

Who are you?

Posted by Ms. Ruby Lopez Harper, Oct 14, 2019 0 comments


Ms. Ruby Lopez Harper

Who are you thinking about when you’re activating audiences? Who are you inviting to the conversation with your marketing campaign? Who are you missing? Who are you leaving out, intentionally or not?

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Judith H. Dobrzynski

Taking Down Practical Hurdles

Posted by Judith H. Dobrzynski, Oct 16, 2018 0 comments


Judith H. Dobrzynski

Try taking a youngster to a museum. It’s not easy. Where will you put the stroller? What about the crackers and the Cheerios? Such practical thoughts, and others like them, run through the minds of people who are interested in participating in the arts—but haven’t yet committed.

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Judith H. Dobrzynski

The Arts Experience and Reducing Audience Churn

Posted by Judith H. Dobrzynski, Oct 16, 2018 0 comments


Judith H. Dobrzynski

If you could attract neophyte audience members and get them to return by buying them a glass of wine, wouldn’t you do it? And if it was even easier to get them to the next step, becoming regulars—say, all it took was greeting them by name—wouldn’t you do that?

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Mr. Mark A. Cardwell

The Case for Comprehensive Marketing Planning; and/or, Know Your Consumer—or Else

Posted by Mr. Mark A. Cardwell, Oct 17, 2018 0 comments


Mr. Mark A. Cardwell

Comprehensive marketing planning will help you know your consumers better, which will help you maintain deeper connections and relationships with them. The process, while rigorous, provides the best way forward to understanding all the issues surrounding marketing efforts.

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Devon Virginia Smith

Get to Know Your Audience: A Human-Centered, Data-Driven Approach

Posted by Devon Virginia Smith, Oct 17, 2018 0 comments


Devon Virginia Smith

To communicate effectively, it really helps to know who you’re communicating with. As an arts marketer communicating on behalf of an organization, audience research is one of the most important tools we have to understand who our audiences are and what they want.

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Ms. Sarah Rucker

Striving for Positive Change through Arts Programming

Posted by Ms. Sarah Rucker, Oct 18, 2018 0 comments


Ms. Sarah Rucker

An honest, unreserved commitment to community collaboration brings healing and positive growth. If your arts organization feels like their outreach and engagement is not as successful as they had hoped, remember these four key approaches to bring you back to the root of meaningful arts programming. 

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