“Especially when considering the concurrent and long-overdue reckoning in regard to racial injustice, I am most hopeful for the good fortunes of organizations whose existence prioritizes belonging over the bestowing of status. To offer a sense of belonging is to provide true welcome and acceptance, not an invitation to assimilate.”

I spend a great deal of time preoccupied wondering which cultural organizations will be able to withstand the collective pummeling that COVID-19 brought us in 2020. My wish is that as many as possible survive and continue to aim higher. This industry is my home after all. But especially when considering the concurrent and long-overdue reckoning in regard to racial injustice, I am most hopeful for the good fortunes of organizations whose existence prioritizes belonging over the bestowing of status.

For those of us who work in the arts, I’d guess that a large percentage of us hold our work as a large part of our identity. When it comes to our audience members, regardless of how often they come, their participation is likely a considerable part of theirs. And for those communities that are rich in cultural offerings—such as mine in New York City—these are undoubtedly a major part of our collective civic identity.

So what does this all even mean right now, when so much is on pause? Or when (literally) isolated digital engagement is the maximum?

For many in the field, the work continues. Our identities may be shaken and stretched, but we are still part of a larger system that is currently in the fight of a lifetime to endure the pandemic and come out whole and—importantly—more equitable on the other side. For our audience and our communities, it is a more complex task to provide opportunities to live in accordance with what we perceive as our identities. But this is part of our work, too. And now, at this inflection point for our country and our world, the #BlackLivesMatter movement reminds us that it is incumbent upon all of us to be ever-widening the circle to show every member of our community that we can be a source of belonging for them—and to back up words with actions and structural change. To offer a sense of belonging is to provide true welcome and acceptance, not an invitation to assimilate.

I firmly believe that as a field, we underestimate the sense of belonging that we provide to our audiences. Even if they don’t rush the stage door after a show, or vigorously engage in post-performance discussions with our artists and administrators, the act of prioritizing their time to go to a venue and take in a piece of art is something they do because of how it makes them feel and what it makes them a part of. As an introvert, I may not always be eager to strike up a conversation with the people next to me, but the energy that comes from my fellow audience members while taking in a beautiful piece of theatre, music, dance, or opera, is a critical part of my life experience and sense of belonging.

Brené Brown (full disclosure: my Queen, and one of the reasons I am seemingly one of the few arts marketers who also studied social work) describes an important difference between belonging and fitting in. To paraphrase her, when we “fit in” we often change something about ourselves in search of acceptance; whereas with true belonging, we bring our whole authentic selves because we feel we are welcomed, understood, and appreciated. When I think of “fitting in” in the context of arts experiences, I think of what I call “status seekers” whose event schedule and seating locations are points of pride in their social circles—and that’s fine. We need those people. But my heart lies with those who feel the sense of belonging, who never feel at home anywhere as much as they do at a live arts event, and who want as many people as possible to join them. And I may be a little biased, since I happen to be one of them. I want our organizations to all strive to be their home.

So while we are on relative pause, even if we can’t deliver the same in-person arts experiences, what if our goal was to seek opportunities for providing a sense of belonging with our audiences and communities? What if that didn’t even always require our original content? Would that be possible? I say yes. When we’re engaging with our audiences via social media, email, and other direct channels, it is not always a time to sell. In this time especially, it is a time to build connection and remind them that our bond is a shared love of our art forms, and that we don’t always need to talk about ourselves.

When we can provide opportunities for our audiences to live out their own sense of true identity and provide them with a sense of belonging, we are opening up opportunities not just for stronger customer relationships, but for sustainability and relevance well beyond our current moment. Whether we are talking about the revival of an industry after a global pandemic, or the vital and overdue anti-racist work that will ensure that we are a sense of home for all people, providing a sense of true belonging will be essential.

Additional Resources:

Brené Brown, “Finding our way to true belonging”

TOCG / Tom O’Connor, “Engaging Arts Audiences in a Time of Trauma”

Tom O’Connor is the President of Tom O’Connor Consulting Group. TOCG is a New York City-based arts consultancy offering strategy, assessment, executive search, and leadership coaching services to organizations across the US—all with a focus on audiences and revenue outcomes.Tom has spent over 15 years working in the cultural sector, is on the faculty of the graduate Theater Management program at the Yale School of Drama, and received his MSW in Clinical Social Work from Fordham University.