It’s time to speak out

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Besides providing art at the highest levels to your community, what does your cultural organization stand for?

Does it matter?

“It’s no longer a question of whether to, but how to take a stand,” says Amanda Glasgow, U.S. chair, Brand, of global communications firm Edelman.

One thing is certain: organizations that speak out on pressing social issues are rewarded by consumers. A recent Edelman study revealed that nearly two-thirds of consumers make purchasing decisions based on shared values. Today’s consumers are trying a brand for the first time solely because they agree with its position on a societal issue.

That's huge. Does your community know where you stand on today’s pressing issues?

Sure, millennials are not a monolith, but millennials are unquestionably more socially progressive than previous generations. So progressive that, for 68% of them, creating change in the world is something they actively pursue. Standing for something provides an opportunity to help your audiences create that change—serving as their partner as they make progress on one of their “jobs to be done.” And a majority of consumers say brands should make it easier to see their values and positions on social issues.

The same Edelman study also revealed that 50% of consumers believe brands are a more powerful force for societal change than government. Are cultural organizations rising to the challenge? Are we bold enough to follow in the footsteps of for-profit companies that have spoken out on pressing issues?

What if arts organizations followed the lead of the New York Yankees, who recently devoted their social media feeds to the issue of gun control? “These things are bigger than baseball,” said Jason Zillo, the Yankees’ vice president of communications. “As citizens of the world, it’s hard to process these shootings and just slip back into a regular routine,” he added. “For one night, we wanted to reflect and draw attention to statistics that carry so much more significance and weight than batting average.”

What if arts organizations followed the lead of Patagonia, who ceased all advertising activities on Facebook in 2020 as part of the Stop Hate for Profit campaign, and called on other businesses to do the same? "We believe Facebook has a responsibility to make sure its products do no harm, and until they do, Patagonia will continue to withhold our advertising," Patagonia CEO Ryan Gellert said in a statement to CNN. "We encourage other businesses to join us in pushing Facebook to prioritize people and planet over profit."

What if arts organizations followed the lead of Nike, whose ads featuring activist Colin Kaepernick led to calls for a Nike boycott? The aftereffect of this move confirmed Edelman’s research: there was some backlash—but a week later, Nike’s market value was even higher than before the Kaepernick ad campaign began.

What if all major U.S. orchestras banded together and spoke out in one voice for common sense gun control measures?

 

 

Baby Steps

While the research shows that consumers are embracing companies that are boldy speaking out, the tenuous financial circumstances that many arts organizations are facing may give them pause about inviting backlash. They may be more comfortable using their art form to influence change.

It’s a good place to start.

As Nina Simon (The Art of Relevance) writes, works of art have the potential to act as social objects that can, just like a dog or a baby, bring people together and spark conversations. But, of course, the kinds of social experiences that people can have around works of art are much bigger than the ones we have around our dogs and babies. They have the power to catalyze the crucial conversations we as a society need to be having—conversations about where we’ve been, where we are now, and where we’re going.

Take, for example, the powerful new opera about the violent Partition of India by the up-and-coming composer Omar Najmi. Confronting a difficult subject through the medium of opera, This is not that dawn (which premiered in Boston on May 27, 2022) provides an opportunity to create connections, heal trauma, and strengthen understanding of other perspectives through storytelling.

Art that tackles controversial issues also provides an opportunity to engage members of the community who wouldn’t normally attend a classical music performance. When Opera Theatre of Saint Louis staged Adam’s The Death of Klinghoffer in 2011, then General Director Timothy O'Leary reached out to local faith leaders and asked them to help the community engage with the content matter, which centered around the complex issues behind the conflict in the Middle East.

O’Leary wrote, “Sometimes, art’s role is to delight and entertain. Sometimes, it is to make us think about— and feel—important things that can be otherwise hard to deal with. Works for the stage have always been a way to confront what is frightening about humankind through three-dimensional portrayals of characters who do evil.”

With the help of the Jewish Community Relations Council in St. Louis, the opera company organized several interfaith discussions aimed at helping the production “inspire the kind of informed, thoughtful dialogue among diverse groups that the arts have a special power to help create.” In preparation for attending the opera, members of the teen interfaith discussion group, JAM (Jews and Muslims) toured the St. Louis Art Museum, examining works of visual art that deal with issues of conflict and loss. The interfaith committee also crafted a study guide on Klinghoffer, which the opera company encouraged audience members to read.

Community engagement was strong; one outcome was an interfaith concert commemorating the anniversary of 9/11—a concert that became an annual event involving Jewish cantors, gospel choirs, and members of the Osage Nation, Mormon, Baha’i and Muslim ensembles. St. Louis Rabbi Susan Talve referenced the intense criticism received by the Metropolitan Opera when they announced plans to stage Klinghoffer. “They’re missing an opportunity for dialogue [in New York],” she said. “If they won’t even talk about it there, they’re missing an opportunity to grow, to make connections with people that have different ideas. That’s what happened here.”

Accessibility

Taking a stand on an issue doesn’t have to be controversial. Sometimes, it simply looks like bringing your art to people who can’t come to you.

In the 5-minute video below, Alyssa Stone describes how San Francisco Opera engaged in a social issue in their community in a project that transformed both the performers and the listeners.

How is your organization engaging with today’s socially progressive audiences? Is the community you serve clear on your values? Do you demonstrate these values through action?

How can you use your art form to tap into the millennial generation’s desire to create change in the world? What works of art have done this successfully?

What arts organizations are boldly speaking out on issues that their communities face?

I’d love to hear from you.

Ruth Hartt

Former opera singer Ruth Hartt leverages interdisciplinary insights to champion the arts, foster inclusivity, and drive change.

Currently serving as Chief of Staff at the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation, Ruth previously spent nearly two decades in the arts sector as an opera singer, choral director, and music educator.

Merging 23 years of experience in the cultural and nonprofit sectors—including six years’ immersion in innovation frameworks—Ruth helps arts organizations rethink audience development and arts marketing through a customer-centric lens.

Learn more here.

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