Counting New Beans: Intrinsic Impact and the Value of Art

A discussion about Counting New Beans: Intrinsic Impact and the Value of Art, livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network on Thursday 22 March 2012 at 10 a.m. EDT (Washington, DC) / 9 a.m. CDT (Chicago) / 7 a.m. PDT (San Francisco) / 2 p.m. GMT (London) / 3 p.m. CET (Berlin).

Join arts researcher Alan Brown and project director Clayton Lord as they discuss Counting New Beans: Intrinsic Impact and the Value of Art, a new book that examines the ways theatre artists, administrators, patrons and funders value and evaluate the art they make and consume.

The Impact and Value of Art

We make art because we believe it makes better human beings.
We make art because we believe it makes being human better.

So why do we spend so much energy quantifying the economics of what we do and so little quantifying the impact?

Be among the first to hear the results of a two-year, nationwide research study called Measuring the Intrinsic Impact of Live Theatre that looked at eighteen theater companies across the country, fifty-eight productions, and over 20,000 survey responses—all in an effort to increase the field’s understanding of what seeing a piece of theater actually does to someone emotionally, intellectually and empathetically.

Along with the final report on that national study, the conversation will also include a discussion of the twenty-four interviews with artistic leaders and patrons included in the book about the changing relationship of artists and audiences.

This research, a comprehensive and expansive attempt to understand and quantify the impact of a piece of art on an individual (and the impact of that individual on the art), has the potential to really change the conversation about evaluating art.

• We need a new way to measure and talk about the intrinsic impact of an arts experience on an individual.
• We need a new way to articulate our value to ourselves, our patrons, our funders and society-at-large.
• We need to bridge anecdote and numbers.
• We need new beans to count.
   

Alan Brown is a leading researcher and management consultant in the nonprofit arts industry. His work focuses on understanding consumer demand for cultural experiences and helping cultural institutions, foundations and agencies see new opportunities, make informed decisions and respond to changing conditions. His studies have introduced new vocabulary to the lexicon of cultural participation and propelled the field towards a clearer view of the rapidly changing cultural landscape. Alan serves in a volunteer capacity on the Research Advisory Council of the League of American Orchestras, and has served on the organizing committee of the National Arts Marketing Project annual conference since its inception. Prior to his consulting career, Alan served for five years as Executive Director of the Ann Arbor Summer Festival, where he presented Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn and many other artists. He holds three degrees from the University of Michigan: a Master of Business Administration, a Master of Music in Arts Administration and a Bachelor of Musical Arts in vocal performance.

Clayton Lord is the director of communications & audience development at Theatre Bay Area, one of the country’s largest regional arts service organizations, which is devoted to uniting, strengthening, promoting and advancing the theatre community of the San Francisco Bay Area. At Theatre Bay Area, he oversees communications, marketing, audience development, research and advertising. He also runs Bay Area Free Night of Theater, the Bay Area Arts & Culture Census and the Leveraging Social Media program with Beth Kanter. Clay was a founding member of Project Audience and currently sits on the conference planning committees for the National Arts Marketing Project and the Association of Performing Arts Service Organizations. He holds a BA from Georgetown University in English and Psychology. You can read his blog, New Beans, on new art for new audiences here and follow him on Twitter @claytonlord.

About HowlRound TV

HowlRound TV is a global, commons-based, peer-produced, open-access livestreaming and video archive project stewarded by the nonprofit HowlRound. HowlRound TV is a free and shared resource for live conversations and performances relevant to the world’s performing-arts and cultural fields. Its mission is to break geographic isolation, promote resource sharing, and develop our knowledge commons collectively. Anyone can participate in a community of peer organizations revolutionizing the flow of information, knowledge, and access in our field by becoming a producer and co-producing with us. Learn more by going to our participate page. For any other queries, email [email protected] or call Vijay Mathew at +1 917.686.3185 Signal. View the video archive of past events.