Arts Groups Add Extras to Build Audiences

Pull a lever and out pops a work of art. Meet Art-o-mat! – art for the instant gratification generation. Vending machines are among the many innovations that arts organizations are embracing in an attempt to grow their audiences. From smart-phone apps and pre-theater commercials to specialty cocktails in your seat, these programs fly in the face of artistic convention. While purists bemoan the cheapening of the aesthetic experience, others say it's a sign of times: The arts, like most sectors of the economy, must evolve or die.

“Our industry is facing a severe sustainability crisis,” says Kathryn Jones, CEO of VirtualArtsTV, which has developed a performance art app. “If speaking to today's audiences via the technology they are already using will help to build more demand for the performing arts then I think we are doing the industry a terrible disservice by refusing to try.”

Some of these projects spark controversy but this much is clear: a revolution in the way we think about art is underway. The old rules are falling away in favor of fresh new approaches that aim to demystify the arts.