The need for transformation in art and cultural sector
The COVID 19 pandemic has had various impacts on several businesses and one of the most affected sectors being Art and cultural sector. COVID 19 has impacted job opportunities in art and cultural fields especially the performing arts as people going to watch the LIVE performance is not very normal. To adapt to these new situations, it is very essential for Art and cultural sector to stay updated with the changing requirements of the society and be able to transform their services and offerings in a way that make these services accessible to the audiences in the currently acceptable forms. However, as the art and cultural field has mostly always been carried out face to face, it might be a challenge for both audience, and artists to imagine it digitally. To help the art and cultural sector to reshape their services digitally, MUOVA in coordination with Humak is working on coaching the art and cultural sector regarding developing their digital services.
The Digimagia project aims to improve the operational capacity and earning potential of the cultural and artistic organization through Digitalization. To bridge the gap between the cultural sector and digital advances, digimagiia project will conduct interviews with the people from this sector to understand their current position and digitalization challenges faced by them. The insights from these interviews and research will support the formation of the coaching platform.
The coaching programs will include open training along with virtual think tank sessions which will make it possible for the participants to exchange ideas with each other. The coaching will make them aware of the tools and methods that will help them to smoothly switch to digital means.
Currently, the project is at the stage of interviewing people and simultaneously deciding on the course structure based on the needs of the art and cultural sectors.
While studying the digital shift, there were few challenges regarding audience and artists that we came across and would like address during the project. If you are looking for a digital shift, here are few points that might help you to build an inclusive service and build digital positivity
Digital inclusion:
– In this digital age, where most of our activities are carried digitally, how to keep the interests of the audience intact in the cultural services and at the same time how to attract new audiences?
– Taking into consideration different scales of cultural institutions and setting up policies and funding mechanisms linked with audience development
– Staying updated with relevant and recent methods of engaging participants
– Gamifying the platforms of online services to make audience engagement more interactive
Digital positivity:
– Making audience core of all the activities: This can help to ensure that we are designing for real needs and not superficial assumptions.
– Leadership: Transformation can be challenging and hence, we need sectoral leadership to initiate the mindset shifts in the society
– Partnerships: We are not alone in the process and building partnerships can help us to provide support to one another in the transformational journey. Not feeling alone in the process can help us to feel relieved and get through the change.
Transformations can be intimidating and challenging in the beginning, but with access to right tools and having an infrastructure to build the mindset that is open to change, we can overcome the challenges and adapt to the changing needs of the society.
For more information, stay tuned to the project Digimagia
