An Inspiring Quotation

As mundane as it may sound, I've spent the better part of today getting my blogroll in order (check out the new additions in Links) and vetting my Google Reader. I had hoped to write some, but instead I spent a lot of time reading and exploring the dozens of blogs and websites I had bookmarked and saved for later browsing (speaking of which, I should really start using my Delicious account again...).

Just wanted to share an excerpt from a keynote address by Diane Ragsdale at the Australia Council arts marketing summit that I found particularly poignant:

Arts organizations need to find a way to assess their progress in—for lack of a better goal—making great art that matters to people—as evidenced, perhaps, by increased enthusiasm, frequency of attendance, the capacity and desire to talk or write about one’s experience, or in some other way respond to the experience, the curiosity to learn about the art form and the ideas encountered, the depth of emotional response, the quality of the social connections made, and the expansion of one’s aesthetics over time.
We can’t declare mission accomplished just because we get people in the door—we need to care about how the experience has affected them.

And...

The Internet has given everyone with access the tools to create and distribute their own art. Arts organizations could become mentors, resource providers, or sources of content that could be re-purposed by amateur artists. Or they could invite pro-am artists to submit artistic work that could be displayed on their Web sites as a way of building community—and, who knows, maybe even finding new talent or new programming ideas.

Huge thanks to Beth Dunn and Nina Simon for linking to the speech in their blogs last week. It is a lengthy but deeply insightful speech and I highly recommend reading it. I think Ragsdale does a really nice job of outlining the areas where cultural institutions need to reassess their game plan and citing examples of innovators who have already begun making strides. Exploring the ideas, exhibitions, productions and sources mentioned in this speech will keep me busy for quite a while, so I figured I should share.

Do you have any other resources for me? I am a sponge right now.