Building Audiences for the Arts: Research from The Wallace Foundation
In This SectionThe Wallace Foundation supports audience-building efforts by arts organizations and commissions research to understand what works, what doesn’t, and why.
Among Wallace’s audience-building initiatives are The Wallace Foundation Excellence Awards and the six-year, $52 million Building Audiences for Sustainability program, which develops insights into how arts groups in multiple genres can achieve and sustain audience gains. Learn more about Wallace’s Building Audiences for Sustainability initiative.
Here’s a look at studies, articles, webinars, and more resources from The Wallace Foundation—with information that any orchestra can use to build audiences.
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March 16, 2021
Leaders of thriving arts groups of color identify keys to success
In March 2021, SMU DataArts in partnership with The Wallace Foundation issued The Alchemy of High-Performing Arts Organizations, Part II: A Spotlight on Organizations of Color, a new report that explores how leaders of arts organizations of color view the reasons for their success, along with challenges they face.
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October 22, 2020
Wallace Foundation publishes scenario-planning toolkit to help arts groups cope with pandemic and other challenges
The Wallace Foundation has released Navigating Uncertain Times: A Scenario-Planning Toolkit for the Arts and Culture Sector, developed by AEA Consulting and designed to help arts and culture organizations approach planning for a future marked by uncertainties, including the COVID-19 pandemic, social justice movements, climate change, emerging technologies, and other unforeseen circumstances.
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February 4, 2020
How new media got new audiences at Seattle Opera, with Wallace support
Can technology enhance the classical music experience for today’s connected audiences? Seattle Opera, which produces five operas each year for an audience of more than 100,000, began using digital and social media to engage audiences several years back, with a boost from a $750,000 Wallace Foundation Excellence Award, which provided funds for four years of experimentation between 2009 and 2012.
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September 5, 2019
Discovering what it takes to attract—and keep—young audiences
How does a performing arts group draw younger audiences and build loyalty? A case study in the September 2019 issue of American Theatre magazine reports how Portland Center Stage in Oregon used support from The Wallace Foundation to experiment with its marketing and engagement programs for new theatergoers—and gained insights that are relevant to orchestras seeking to strengthen their own audience-building efforts.
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March 31, 2019
World Music/CRASHarts Tests New Format and Name To Draw New Audiences
How does an arts presenter increase name recognition and attract younger audiences? An article and video from The Wallace Foundation’s Building Audiences for Sustainability initiative show how the Boston-based World Music/CRASHarts built loyalty and name recognition among younger audiences by creating a new annual festival, rebranding, and using creative marketing techniques to encourage repeat attendance during its regular season.
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November 29, 2018
Think Opera’s Not for You? Opera Theatre of Saint Louis Says Think Again
How can performing arts groups use market research to develop programs that appeal to new audiences? A just-released study and video from The Wallace Foundation’s Building Audiences for Sustainability initiative show how the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis used market research to understand and reach new audiences—with lessons that orchestras can apply.
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October 16, 2018
Read The Audience Journey—three new blog posts incorporating data from The Wallace Foundation
Three new blog posts by noted arts writer Judith H. Dobrzynski outline The Audience Journey, a conceptualization of the decision-making process of potential audience members. The posts, written for American for the Arts' Optimizing Your Arts Marketing Practice blog salon, incorporate data from The Wallace Foundation's Building Audiences for Sustainability program.
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August 22, 2018
Research and Self-Reflection Help Strengthen Community Ties (Post by Bob Harlow from The Wallace Foundation's blog)
Find great ideas applicable to orchestras in this blog post by market-research expert Bob Harlow about how the Fleisher Art Memorial connected with newly-arrived young immigrants in its South Philadelphia neighborhood.
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October 31, 2017
Understanding Audiences, Building Connections: How the Seattle Symphony Uses Market Research
Downtown Seattle is changing rapidly, with new residents, new buildings, and new affluence. To connect with the newcomers, the Seattle Symphony launched a wide-ranging audience-research program, with support from The Wallace Foundation’s Building Audiences for Sustainability Initiative.
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February 28, 2017
Building Millennial Audiences: Barriers and Opportunities
Arts organizations could help attract millennials by clarifying pricing and better explaining the value of the arts, suggests this Wallace-commissioned synthesis of market research.
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January 31, 2017
Symphony Magazine: #Hashtag Orchestra
How can orchestras attract—and keep—millennial audiences? Experimentation abounds.
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May 31, 2016
Converting Family into Fans: How the Contemporary Jewish Museum Expanded its Reach
"The Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco moves to a larger space and secures a nine-fold increase in family visitors of all backgrounds." – Author(s): Bob Harlow and Cindy Cox Roman
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August 31, 2015
Opening New Doors: Hands-On Participation Brings a New Audience to The Clay Studio
"Short classes, flexible schedules, new communications and “Date Nights” help Philadelphia’s The Clay Studio attract new, younger audiences." – Author(s): Bob Harlow and Tricia Heywood
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June 30, 2015
Taking Out the Guesswork: A Guide to Using Research to Build Arts Audiences
Market research expert Bob Harlow shows how arts organizations can use qualitative and quantitative research to attract and retain new audiences.
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March 31, 2015
Extending Reach with Technology: Seattle Opera’s Multipronged Experiment to Deepen Relationships and Reach New Audiences
"To engage audiences, the Seattle Opera used technology including simulcasts, interactive lobby displays and behind-the-scenes videos." – Author: Bob Harlow
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March 31, 2015
Getting Past “It’s Not For People Like Us”: Pacific Northwest Ballet Builds a Following with Teens and Young Adults
"A Seattle-based ballet company garnered new interest in traditional and contemporary ballet among teens and adults under the age of 25." – Author(s): Bob Harlow and Tricia Heywood
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December 31, 2014
Someone Who Speaks Their Language: How a Nontraditional Partner Brought New Audiences to Minnesota Opera
"Learn how an opera company found new audience members among women ages 35 to 60." – Author(s): Bob Harlow and Cindy Cox Roman
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October 31, 2014
The Road to Results: Effective Practices for Building Arts Audiences
This report identifies and examines nine practices of arts organizations that successfully expanded their audiences.
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November 30, 2011
Attracting an Elusive Audience: How the San Francisco Girls Chorus Is Breaking Down Stereotypes and Generating Interest Among Classical Music Patrons
"Learn how the San Francisco Girls Chorus broke down stereotypes of girls’ choirs to generate interest from classical music patrons." – Author(s): Bob Harlow, Thomas Alfieri, Aaron Dalton and Anne Field
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November 30, 2011
Building Deeper Relationships: How Steppenwolf Theatre Company Is Turning Single-Ticket Buyers Into Repeat Visitors
"To address the problem of falling subscription rates, the Steppenwolf Theatre Company took steps to turn single-ticket buyers into repeat visitors." – Author(s): Bob Harlow, Thomas Alfieri, Aaron Dalton and Anne Field
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November 30, 2011
Cultivating the Next Generation of Art Lovers: How Boston Lyric Opera Sought to Create Greater Opportunities for Families to Attend Opera
"Learn about the Boston Lyric Opera’s efforts to increase opportunities for families to attend opera performances with the goal of engaging future audiences." – Author(s): Bob Harlow, Thomas Alfieri, Aaron Dalton and Anne Field
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November 30, 2011
More Than Just a Party: How the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Boosted Participation by Young Adults
"Learn how the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum boosted participation among young people through innovation and a commitment to its longstanding values." – Author(s): Bob Harlow, Thomas Alfieri, Aaron Dalton and Anne Field
These resources are made possible by The Wallace Foundation. The League is pleased to be working in partnership with the Foundation to help share ideas and practical solutions to problems in building audiences for the arts.
Banner: A standing ovation for the Grant Park Orchestra in Chicago’s Millennium Park. Photo courtesy of Grant Park Orchestra.
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