Of the most un-provocative words to grace the mission statements of many an organization, “outreach” is seemingly the most benign. Recently, though, I was speaking with a friend about how it may in fact be problematic in it’s tendency to place one side on a platform, while painting the other side as degenerative.
Here’s what I mean: when using the term “outreach,” what exactly are organizations trying to do, or say? Are they engaging in meaningful relationship building with different constituents? Trying to create a new base? Or are they doing some group a favor by bestowing upon them whatever good the organization has to offer?
One sometimes fraught debate that goes on in various arts institutions is this idea of approaching programming from an arts versus community perspective. From an arts perspective, certain organizations are “keepers of culture” that exist to preserve and educate. From a community perspective, the former approach can sometimes have the tendency to ignore what the community has to offer. This mode of thinking spills into outreach and audience development programs as well.
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So, when developing new programs, it’s important to stop and think about the language being used, beginning with “outreach.” Doing so will help reverse the trend of traditional thinking, which is that certain populations are lacking in art or culture. Instead, the conversation will be about how to bring more awareness to the richness that is already there. Greater diversity will naturally come because each group sees that they are seen as a valuable contributor, rather than another potential consumer.