Arts, diversity and a survey

Ian Hill / 209VibePosted May 7 at 06:06 PM

I spent the last few minutes writing a long blog about my skepticism of the online arts survey now being conducted for the Haggin Museum and the Stockton Symphony. The survey, which you can find here, asks about participants' likes, dislikes and behaviors when it comes to local arts and entertainment. The deadline for the survey is May 18.

In my blog I noted how much of the survey asks about classical arts and family activities and that it omits the Blackwater Cafe and Downtown Stockton Art Walk. I wondered if the results could then truly reflect Stockton and not just the opinions of the city's art establishment.

Then I took a deep breath, re-read what I had written, and deleted it all.

That's because the survey was designed to determine if the symphony and the museum were meeting the needs of its patrons. It's not meant to gauge the interests of the entire city.

And while I believe both the symphony and Haggin are good for the city's cultural climate, I'm not a frequent patron of either.

There's nothing wrong with that, just like there's nothing wrong with symphony season ticket holders avoiding punk shows at the Blackwater.

To put it bluntly, I don't care if the Haggin or symphony provide events geared toward me or the rest of the 16-34 demographic. There are other arts and entertainment activities for me in Stockton.

It speaks to a deeper truth about the local scene. Stockton is an incredibly diverse city, and its residents have diverse interests. There's little chance that any single arts organization will be able to provide entertainment for all of them.

So why try?

Instead, organizations and venues should be focusing on providing the best options within their specialties. The symphony should play Brahms, not Jay-Z. It should give young people a chance to appreciate classical for its virtues without worrying about reaching them through cheesy gimmicks.

Of course, the idea of a large audience of young people checking out Brahms on their own may be unlikely.

But it's good for Stockton to have the option.

(A quick follow-up: Some of you might believe I'm hypocritical for in the past criticizing the Stockton Arts Commission for not doing more to reach out to young people. However, the arts commission is a city government agency funded with public money and as a result, it has a responsibility to represent the interests all Stockton residents. The Haggin and symphony are private organizations and, as a result, they have no such responsibility.)