Mix It Up Project Report: Building New Audiences - Multicultural Arts ...

Mix It Up Research Project 2006
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Centre For Leisure Management Research
Establishing relationships with the various stakeholder groups… it was a completely new area
for a lot of us. (Marketing, the Arts Centre)
Relationship marketing identified the importance of Arts Centre and Multicultural Arts Victoria staff establishing
on-going networks with people in multicultural communities. Relationships established by the Arts Centre with
multicultural communities instill a sense of pride in those communities. Pride means that the multicultural
communities want to ensure the program with which they are associated is a success. For example, the Turkish
community invited Arts Centre staff to a community dinner which will potentially lead to a significant program for
the Turkish community in 2008, celebrating 40 years of immigration to Australia. In this way, informal networks
are established between traditional institutions, key arts organisations and communities. These tactics ensure
that a better sense of the approaches that lead to success of a multicultural arts program are conveyed to all
stakeholders. In other words, advocate a multicultural arts program through the loose network; use community
networks to promote the program; and instill cultural pride in the community for the program.
The evaluation has revealed that Mix It Up:
- attracted new audiences to the Arts Centre;
- provided opportunities for multicultural artists to perform at the Arts Centre;
- cemented the Arts Centre’s role as both iconic venue and nurturer of emerging talent;
- developed new ways of working across cultures in partnership with Multicultural Arts Victoria;
- provided a benchmark study that can be used as a model for multicultural audience development
in other states;
- established a professional platform for multicultural artists;
- dispelled stereotypes of multicultural artists as ‘folkloric’ art;
- created opportunities for new work; and
- created opportunities for sponsorship.