What does it take to truly transform how an arts organization engages with its community? This is the story of how the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History dramatically increased its attendance, revenue, and public impact through a "revolution" in active participation and social bridging. Presented by Nina Simon at the Theater Communications Group national conference in June 2013.

1. MEMO
FROM THE
REVOLUTION
SLIDES / HTTP://BIT.LY/TCGNINA
OPINIONS/ @NINAKSIMON
Nina Simon/ Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History

2. HI.
MY NAME IS NINA,
AND I WANT TO
CHANGE MUSEUMS.

3. photo by muckster on Flickr

6. participation

7. Authority is content provider

8. Authority is content provider Authority is platform provider

13. social bridging

16. experimentation

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20. NOTE 1:
A REVOLUTION IS NOT
AN EXERCISE IN
CONCENTRIC CIRCLES.

28. I'm closer to the stodgy traditional museum
supporter than to the audiences you are
currently trying to reach, but I strongly support
your outreach and attempts to involve new
communities. It is precisely because of that
outreach that I finally became a museum
member last year. There was no reason to do
so before, since the museum was doing
nothing. I still have little occasion to go to the
museum, but I'm willing to support it as an
important community resource.

29. NOTE 2:
FOCUS ON WHAT
MATTERS.

34. NOTE 3:
BE RIGOROUS.

37. We produce
programming
Our mission is
achieved
(therefore give us money)

39. NOTE 3:
EXPLOIT YOUR SIZE.

45. NOTE 5:
DON’T QUIT.

52. photo by excalipoor on Flickr

53. The average scientist, so far as I can make out,
spends almost all his time working on problems which
he believes will not be important and he also doesn't
believe that they will lead to important problems.
-Richard Hamming,“You andYour Research,” 1986
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57. your
turn
OPINIONS/ @NINAKSIMON