It’s about connecting the dots
One of the main reasons I started the festival was to encourage the development of more connective tissue within and between the creative community of East Anglia.
Since moving to East Anglia five years ago, several interrelated phenomena have become obvious:
All too often, “marketing” is a bad word. This retrograde attitude has roots in traditional Britishness, i.e., self-effacing modesty which eschews any kind of self-congratulation or, god forbid, self-promotion. That’s all well and good in the realm of personal, social interaction. But it’s an attitude which has knee-capped the career of most creative professionals in the region: the vast majority are ill-equipped to sell their products in today’s fast-paced, technologically networked world. Hard to believe but most artists rely on threadbare Facebook pages or paper notices posted on their neighbouring Waitrose bulletin boards to get the word out about their shows. Not surprisingly, custom is strictly Friends and Family, with zero amplification, leverage or scale.
Very often, individuals and businesses are unwilling to share resources or information that could benefit the wider community. The cultural scene is so small and, in many cases, so parochial, that there should be no such thing as jealously guarded secrets. During my peregrinations across the region, I have discovered many excellent organisations and artists. But what has startled and dispirited me is learning how many people within my personal acquaintance or immediate catchment of 5 miles know nothing of the cultural resources right at our doorstep. To wit, not one friend in my immediate vicinity was aware of Saffron Hall, a world-class auditorium located in Saffron Walden overseen by Angela Dixon, the former programming director of the Barbican, until I mentioned it to them. This is the kind of thing that spurs me on — not just to create a great event, but to bring more people into the tent. It’s my hope that the festival can become a hub of exchange and reciprocity. Unfortunately, I cannot actually give every art and culture organisation I discover a tent or presence at the Festival, but I can and will try to mention or promote them somewhere — in festival communications for example.
I’m very fortunate that several people flung open their Rolodexes when I asked them for guidance and introductions. They were Andrew Sunnucks (my first advisor and #1 cheerleader), Jason and Demetra Lindsay (owners of Hedingham Castle), John Lloyd, Sally Shaw (Director of FirstSite), Ghislaine Wood (Director of the Sainsbury Centre), Veronica Sekules (founder of environmental art gallery, Groundwork Gallery in King’s Lynn) and Nella Croose-Myland (responsible for educational outreach at the Sainsbury Centre). Thanks to them, some early and important dots connected at warp speed and made it possible to mount the festival in no time at all.
There is scant to non-existent interaction between the business community and the art industry (whether it’s visual or performing arts). Rather, the approach to the arts is one of individual, personal hobbyism and weekend recreation only. Whereas a CEO of a local business might purchase an artwork or attend a country house opera, it would never cross his mind for his business to sponsor a cultural program or invite artists to collaborate on a commercial project. But the art industry cannot survive on government grants and third sector hand-outs alone. It’s my hope that the festival can show that business and the arts are NOT illogical or unproductive bedfellows. If anything, a closer relationship can vouchsafe a stronger future for the arts in the region.
Lucky for me, I’m American; I’m a marketer; and I’m commercial. Hopefully, that confers some level of immunity against the po-faced judgments of commentators insisting that things should be done the same way they’ve been done since time immemorial. But even if it doesn’t, my early experiences suggest that it’s transparency, sharing and paying it forward that will pave the way for the EA Festival’s success, now and in the future.
