“And the Hook Brings You Back”: Technology for a Younger Generation in the Arts*

Posted by Meredith Hull on February 18, 2009 in Uncategorized

In times of financial crisis, it has been a proven successful tactic to “reinvent the wheel.” Just days after Black Monday in 1929, the

Museum of
Modern Art opened with an exhibit focused on “living artists.” Instead of consistently looking backwards to “modern,” but nevertheless older French artists, the

Museum of
Modern Art chose to represent living American artists with great success during a time of trouble. Likewise, when we think generally about the culture of late 1920s and early 1930s
America it was being defined by the young and the innovative. When the 1930s were in full swing, the Public Works Projects made it a goal to feed “starving artists” by bringing Art to the masses. Again, the success of economic recovery was tied directly to the preferences of the youth and the innovative works of artists that defined the times.

Today, there is at least hope for the financial future of some organizations who realize that the past does, indeed, provide lessons. The new secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, Wayne Clough, who was previously the president of Georgia Institute of Technology, realizes that the only way to bring in the type of audience necessary to float the financial crisis is by making their services accessible to a broader population base. Clough said, “Our job is to authenticate and inform the significance of the collections, not to control access to them. It is no longer acceptable for us to share only 1% of our 137 million specimens and artifacts in an age when the Internet has made it possible to share it all.” Clough went on to indicate that education is the portion of their mission to be best served by technology updates. Although the services of the Smithsonian are intended to educate all, the primary individuals we think about when we target education are youth—the ones least likely to attend art museums of their own volition.

Several organizations have already taken the advice of Mr. Clough and the readily evident historical trend. Carnegie Hall, for example, has teamed up with YouTube to present the YouTube Symphony Orchestra. By first screening over 3,000 video submissions and then allowing the public to vote on the 200 best of these videos, the YouTube Symphony Orchestra will be announced and presented with great speed—compared to the average booking of an artist two years in advance. The YouTube Symphony orchestra will also have a broad appeal, really to anyone interested enough to engage in the act of voting for their favorite video online. This partnership not only increases the access to advertisements for the corporate side of YouTube but makes art accessible to those who would not otherwise have a chance to perform, select, or engage with it. Similarly there has been a movement within the Opera world to bring their skill to the masses—in movie theatres. Although some worry that the digitizing of music will destroy the live art form, programs such as The Washington National Opera’s school simulcast program and London’s Royal Opera House’s international transmissions have been quite successful. This past season the Metropolitan Opera’s live HD casts produced a net income of $1 million, although this is not a large portion of their budget, every dollar certainly helps, especially when it allows you access to new viewers and potential new donors.

“And the hook brings you back” is the famous title carrying line from the 1994 song “Hook” by Blues Traveler from their album “Four”

Sources:

Midgette, Anne. “YouTube Tunes for Carnegie.” The
Washington Post C01, 14 Feb 2009, 18 Feb 2009 <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/13/AR2009021303463.html?wprss=rss_print/style>.

Muchnic, Suzanne. “New Smithsonian chief sees technological future.” The Los Angeles Times 17 Feb 2009, 18 Feb 2009 <http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2009/02/new-smithsonian.html>.

Spears, Dorothy. “Tough Times Call for Shrewd Artists .” The New York Times 13 Feb 2009, 18 Feb 2009 <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/arts/design/15spea.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=arts>.

Wakin, Daniel J.. “Verdi With Popcorn, and Trepidation.” The New York Times 13 Feb 2009, 18 Feb 2009 <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/arts/music/15waki.html?ref=arts>.

2 Comments on “And the Hook Brings You Back”: Technology for a Younger Generation in the Arts*

By Meredith Hull on February 18, 2009 at 11:43 pm

Sorry the formatting got all messed up, I have no idea what happened!!! I have terrible luck with computers!

By Lindsey Lowe on February 19, 2009 at 12:14 am

This is the exact ‘out of the box’ thinking arts organizations need to be following. We’ve seen the same trends in the dance world as well. To reach a broader audience, companies are combining their different productions into one - to include works by established choreographers all the way to pieces by those new in the dance world. This is not only helping the company budget, but is offering a sampling of dance for all those intereseted, no matter what the style or era you follow. Younger audiences following contemporary choreographers can appreciate the older, well-known ballets. While those accustomed to classical ballet have a chance to view something new and fresh.

Although the classical ballet world has not ventured into the technology world like the Opera, I don’t see it too far in the distance. What a great way to share the performing arts with schools, children, or population who don’t/can’t go to the ballet/opera/symphony.