Audience development through cultural synergies: Organizing an exhibition of postmodern art at the Historical and Folklore Museum of Nikiti

Abstract

Audience development, the notion of maintaining and increasing cultural organizations’ audiences, is inextricably linked to marketing. Marketing tools facilitate constant communication with audiences and broaden the experience of art even after the actual visit to an organization’ s premises.

The paper examines the development of audiences in regional museums in Greece through synergies with other art forms and the use of marketing tools. The author examines the case of organizing a periodical postmodern exhibition with works by an Austrian painter, in the Historical and Folklore Museum of Nikiti.

The aim of the research is to develop the museum's audience by featuring a new artist and promoting the event through various marketing tools and technology. The research questions revolve around political, economic and social issues and the ways they affect audiences’ attendance, the sustainability of regional museums, the recruitment of specialized staff, the creation of a strategic financial management and marketing plan for the museum and the specific exhibition.

The outcome of the research could be used as a guide for regional museums that strive to increase their audience, as it proposes synergies with various art genres, periodic exhibitions of new artists as marketing tools for audience development.