Entering the Culture and Life exhibit at the convention was like walking into the middle of a live a taping of an infotainment program….or any segment of “Good Morning, America.” Entrepreneurs to the right of us, artists to the left us, city officials buzzing all around like mosquitoes looking to suck the blood out of their next victim. The room was even dominated by the buzz-like sound of flying insects as the human ear could only comprehend brief snatches of actual conversation.“…too many obstacles in the way of expanding arts and culture in Boston”
“…modern art is dead and Boston can only benefit from a return to classicism…”
“….don’t make me laugh, quit, stop, c’mon, art for art’s sake!…”
A hundred different ideas on a hundred different ways to combine the interests of the entrepreneurs, the artists and the city officials and the only phrase that was ever repeated—and repeated and repeated—was “…getting the word out.”
Which actually turned out to be just fine because those four little words gave us all we need to start brainstorming ideas on how to reconcile issues associated with advertising cultural events. Large groups were broken down into small groups and instructed to engage the non-critical part of our brain with the task of coming up with as many of those issues as we could fit on the sticky note they supplied. When the final pen was lifted from the last sticky note after writing the craziest, most desperately last-ditch idea, it was time to engage those critical thinking skills and choose which was the most interesting issue to solve. One more brainstorming session later and we found ourselves giving a presentation just what would be the most effective and efficient means of “getting the word out.”
Problem: The arts and culture scene in Boston wants and needs to expand their market segments.
Solution: Everyone has some sort of arts and culture in their lives even if they’re not in the field of arts and culture, therefore, adding more advertising techniques are crucial to the arts and cultural life in the Boston Area.
Concept: “Olympics Arts.” The Olympic logo is instantly recognizable to most people and all those people may immediately think of any number of different sporting events that are covered under that single simple design. The creation of a similar logo could be used to eventually cause most Bostonians to instantly think of different elements of art and culture and therefore attract those people who are drawn to one or another of those artistic elements.
Overall, it was an eye-opening convention and the arts and cultural life aspect exposed use to a problem we (Mayor Symposium class) can work together toward solving and, in the process, brand Boston in a completely new and innovative way.