Trying to attract the young at art

Lolita Harper

Industry insiders have a wish -- that young adults would just do it

and make cultural arts the choice of a new generation.

Still, with so many companies vying for the attention and spending

power of young adults, area arts venues find themselves struggling to

attract that high-demand market.

Brian Langston, spokesman for the Orange County Museum of Art,

said the museum has geared many of its displays toward the under-35

crowd, but it is hard to compete with companies such as Nike, Pepsi

and MTV, which have more resources to attract that age group.

“This is the audience that everybody wants -- every product, every

service,” Langston said. “The demands on the time of young people

these days are really quite extraordinary.”

On display at the museum through March 23 is the modern work of

Inigo Manglano-Ovalle, who is touted by museum officials as one of

the most “compelling, socially engaged and celebrated young artists.”

Langston said he hopes Manglano-Oyalle’s work, which uses a

variety of media, including video, sound, performance and

installation, will attract a younger crowd.

The museum is not the only arts venue vying for a younger

audience. Officials at South Coast Repertory and the Philharmonic

Society have also launched campaigns to attract young professionals.

Cris Gross, spokesman for South Coast Repertory, said the theater

offers a discount for subscriptions to those under 35. They are

available and very inexpensive, he said. Officials look forward to

the younger demographic taking advantage of season’s worth of tickets

at a reduced rate, hoping it will help cultivate the theater as a

favorite pastime.

“For a lot of people who are just starting off, in the early years

after graduation, it is hard to find the extra time,” Gross said. “We

have to add extra incentives to get them to experience theater, and

from there on it becomes a passion.”

Linda Dixon, former Costa Mesa mayor and arts enthusiast with

three 20-something children, agreed that it is very difficult to

attract that generation.

“It is a tough crowd to market to because they are so busy,” Dixon

said, whose door is constantly swinging in both directions as her

children come and go. “They are trying to make a living and pursue

their careers. I’m not saying it can’t be done, but it is tough to

draw that crowd.”

Dixon pointed to contemporary and alternative arts as a way to

attract young professionals. She called attention to the efforts that

Shaheen Sadeghi, owner of the Lab Anti-mall, has made in promoting

local art galleries and shows. Poetry readings and performances tend

to draw a younger audience.

Even if young adults don’t have time to go to the theater or an

art show, a quick look around the community can provide them with an

introduction to the arts. Costa Mesa and Newport Beach proudly

display pubic works of art, and the buildings themselves are

compositions.

“The architecture in the area itself is a work of art,” Dixon

said.

Nearly every artistic venue in the county offers discounts to

students and senior citizens. Those markets are “no-brainer,”

officials say. Older people have more spare time and grew up with the

arts. Children now often have no art education, and therefore, it is

crucial to get them involved in private performances.

“We are fostering future audiences,” Gross said.

Langston said the matter is critical, not only to ensure a future

audience but to expose this generation of 20-somethings to the arts

because they are the first adults who received almost no fine arts

education.

“Someone has got to fill that gap, because art is such an

important thing in the development of civilized society as well as a

fulfilling life,” Langston said.

Langston, who is the father of a 17-year-old daughter and has

observed society’s attitude change since his own education, said too

many adults assume they have to “understand” art to enjoy it.

Art is art, he said. It is not always about symbolism or complex

explanations.

“It’s about that shiver you get in the bottom of your spine when

you see something that just moves you,” Langston said.

Besides, the benefits of skewing attractions toward a younger

audience are two-fold, he said, because many of the more mature

audience have enjoyed the more modern displays.

“In a time when alienation is so rampant and there are so many

forces that are driving people apart, making them single, solitary

and alone, to conspire to bring people together in a humanitarian way

is more crucial now than ever,” Langston said.

* LOLITA HARPER writes columns Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays

and covers culture and the arts. She may be reached at (949) 574-4275

or by e-mail at [email protected].