there is also the question of what audiences in a post-covid world are looking for. calgary arts development has teamed with the rozsa foundation and alberta for the arts, among other funders, to get a clearer view of audience expectations. the research began in 2020 to determine audience perception about returning to live performances and other artistic endeavours after the pandemic. released just last month, the most recent research shows that, while calgarians are still interested in engaging in the arts, audiences are much more selective about what they attend. affordability is an issue, but so is the amount of discretionary time available to take in the arts.
“during covid, people still found ways to fill their time and discovered that they liked it, whether it was at-home watercolour pursuits or going out camping or other types of outdoor pursuits,” pon says. “so the arts are having to come back and break through that.”
art commons new ceo alex sarian poses for a photo on monday, january 20, 2020. azin ghaffari/postmedia
azin ghaffari
/
azin ghaffari/postmedia
alex sarian, who became ceo of arts commons at the beginning of 2020 just before the pandemic hit, spent the last few years writing a book about the “ability for arts organizations to grapple and make change in times of disruption,” reflecting on how groups are coming out of the pandemic.
arts commons has eight venues under its umbrella that present music, dance and live theatre and is home to resident organizations such as theatre calgary, alberta theatre projects, calgary philharmonic orchestra, one yellow rabbit and downstage performance society
. he says companies are being forced to re-evaluate their business model and programming, citing theatre calgary’s $39 ticket campaign and the cpo’s inventive programming as examples of success.