Consumption Models/Davies

😄 10/10 Art Model

10/10/2024

Moving Forward

However, this panacea is not a reality in the 21st century western economic construct. though there are a myriad of reasons why, if we look at the “potentials" list on the previous slide as the best we can hope for as artists, there are 6 interwoven reasons why it's not:

Competition - too many artists, too much art
reality vs. aesthetic value - too little $, predisposition, preference commodification - a(a)rt is a commodity to some markets
Too much noise people telling us what is “good” and “Bad”
Too many modes of Consumption
Zero Interrogation: Do not think about why they consume art

Arts Consumption Model

Definition #1 When people are in the act of possessing art
Engage in an art experience (active or passive)
Engage in the creation of art
Definition #2 a pattern that a market typically
Follows in a “Live” Arts experience (active or passive)
Engaging in during the creation of Art

Here's what we Learned

A(a)rt consumption models help us better target our 8 markets. We need this extra layer to better position our a(a)rts product in our desired market. Yes, there are 8 of these too, but leveraging them is quite interesting and helpful.

Why People like your Art and Some Do Not

Bourdieu's “Field” Theory

Pierre Bourdieu 1930-2002

Humans are influenced and in part created by a summation of capital in many fields
Field: an environment where humans find themselves
Capital:Experiences Humans Encounter in Fields
In essence, our experience in multiple fields determined many things about us including preference, action, beliefs, identity, etc. however, it does not determine everything....

Semiotics

Art is a sign itself and in the various ways of organizing artistic material can be viewed as a form of semiosis (ie. the process of signification)
Art, however conceived, has the power of reference, and what it signifies (the objects - sic) range from pure artistic materiality, to entities (such as things, real or imaginary beings, persons, and so on) and all forms of individual and cultural representations (again signs), from emotions to political ideas.
However, art could not exist if no one interpreted it
Sign interpretation consist if the process of producing or modifying an idea that the sign represents in represent to its object, such as production is semiosis itself
It is also the mental and physical aspects of artistic learning and performance
Artistic interpretation involves perception and cognition and all forms of aesthetic enjoyment
Hence, Artistic semiosis in general terms is a composite if significances and its actuality depends necessarily on interpretation

😴 10/17 Entertainm. Aes.

Entertainment & Aesthetic

Entertainment Consumption Model

Since some a(a)rt s markets simply want to be entertained by a(a)rt (and thus not primarily intellectually, aesthetically or artistically engaged), we need to account for this consumption model.
In many respects, it is the most common way of consuming art that is, Art is a diversion
Some examples would include: a local band at a bar but you didn't go to the bar to hear the band but you were entertained by the band nonetheless, a non-thought-provoking movie, going to a ballroom dance class on a whim with your friends, so you think you can dance?, etc.
Entertainment market = entertainment consumption model inside

Aesthetic Consumption Model

Since there is less than reliable and subjective "ordering" in a(a)rt markets, a(a)rts consumers need a "cultural intermediary" who - through various means - sanctions the validity (ie: order) of the a (a)rt or the a (a)rtist in a market.
Note that we are defining ordering as a metric of "good" a(a)rt. In other words, markets typically want the "good" or "best" a (a)rts experience and require an order to make a decision.
Example- ordering something online and check the reviews

Cultural Intermediaries

For the consumption model to operate properly, the cultural intermediary must assume the role of mediator; that is, they lie between the a(a)rt and the a(a)rts consumer. This three-part model may seem simple and somewhat axiomatic, but the fact of the matter is that it is seldom recognized.
Culture intermediaries are everywhere
Examples: arts bloggers, influencers, critics, cultural or political networks, testimonials, other artists, arts donors, arts audiences, social media,"thought leaders," corporations, customers, friends, etc.

Going Further

For an emerging arts entrepreneur, using this model to gain market legitimacy and credibility is the most obvious use. However, by leveraging cultural intermediaries in support of a marketing plan, arts entrepreneurs can not only gain legitimacy, they can insert themselves into the "arts world" at a quicker pace.
For example: if your marketing mix consistently includes a positive reference by an important cultural intermediary, your artistic legitimacy is not simply being marketed, your art (well, you, actually) is being seen as "sanctioned" by an "expert." Of course, "expertise" is always debatable…

Typical Positioning Model

Typically, the a(a)rts are marketed / positioned in 3 ways, which we'll call the "black box:"
Art is a widget (the business perspective) - art has no intrinsic meaning, it's just a thing.
Art is a 19th cent. aesthetic experience - art has a higher meaning and it is up to the consumer to figure out the meaning.
Art in everyday life - we live in a world full of subjective beauty and art is simply another thing that is beautiful and yes, you can surround yourself with that, too.

Here's what we learned

Of our eight markets consume a(a)rt for entertainment purposes only. however, every a(a)rts market can (at least in part) consume a(a)rt via the aesthetic consumption modeL.

😶‍🌫 10/22 Tech. and Util

Technological Consumption Model

This consumption model is both critical as it is becoming a primary method of consuming a(a)rt. consider this model as one that disseminates a (a)rt - just like a water pipe or conduit.
Examples- Youtube, Spotify, Instagram, Etsy and Amazon, “Click to play/download/experience”
However, for those astute a(a)rt entrepreneurs leveraging this model, it is important to (as much as we can) consider how that "front end interface" can be designed in an artistic and personalized manner.

FYI

However, just because we see "buy now" or social media links on marketing materials doesn't mean that the a(a)rtist or business is actually using this consumption model!
The trick to both this and the last slide to promise something
IN OTHER WORDS, A CLICK MUST BE EITHER OBVIOUS (embedded video, for example) OR A REQUIREMENT TO ENGAGE ("Click here to hear our latest drop") OR POSSESSION ("Click here to Download")

Utilitarian

For purposes of this class, let's assume that "utilitarian art" has both an a (a)rt, fashion and design context.
We’ve actually run across this concept just a few days ago in the "black box" of how art is typically marketed and we called it the "art in everyday life" perspective.
Simply put, there are those who surround themselves with art, art and other "beautiful" items; they consume a(a)rt and everyday utilitarian items are considered to have an a (a)rtistic component.
However this is a more hybrid consumption model
Those who seek "art in their everyday life" and those who see "a(a)rt in the basic tools of living," are (taken collectively):

models of consuming a(a)rt
models of experiencing a(a)rt and
distinct sub-markets!

Examples

Some examples would include: painting or posters hung on walls simply to eliminate empty space, turning on the radio in your car simply to not hear road noise or think about the day, using a desktop background of what might be considered a(a)rt simply because you don't want to look at a solid desktop background while you work on your machine, etc

What we learned

Technological cm = a delivery system for a(a)rt or a connection to the a(a)rtist. this model can 1) "channel" intrinsic and/or extrinsic experiences, 2) deliver buying decision data or deliver the possession of a(a)rt.
Utilitarian cm = "everyday life" is an experience - intrinsic & extrinsic. it is almost always paired with the utilitarian market. Note: it is frequently paired with the technological consumption model.
Extra credit note: context matters in this cm !!

🥴 10/24 Proff. and Educa

Professional Model

This consumption model is restricted primarily to artists and encompasses the entirety of the Professional Arts Market.
In this model, artists consume materials that impact and aid in the production of their A(a)rt.
Examples would include: paint brushes, music and digital imaging software, dance tights, scores and scripts, technology that aids in the display and selling of art, turntables, guitar strings, etc.
However, the point is NOT to simply market an A(a)rt supply, the point is to let the A(a)rtist know that this product will either:

make their A(a)rt better or more effective
help them be more creative
help them be more efficient in selling or creating their product
help them reach more consumers
etc…. Many other things

Number 5 (the etc.) is the real key to a successful use of this model. It is important for the emerging A(a)rts entrepreneur to articulate not just 1-4 above, but how the product will create or enhance an A(a)rt experience for THEIR market.

Educational Model

This consumption model is not disciplinary specific. That is, any artist who teaches A(a)rt to others typically consumes products to aid in the educational endeavor - as does each student. This is a massive market that many have experienced. (Yes, decision makers are crucial here. Read: parents).
Examples would include most everything from the previous model, but would also include: arts education software and on-line educational aids, basic arts supplies, arts education curricula, musical arrangements for k-12 bands, arts text-, technique- and other instructional books, etc.
Like we saw in the Tech and Professional CM, the point is to promise something after engaging in the educational situation.
Therefore, these markets are consuming based on potential outcomes. Yes, words are involved here, yet the correct images can say far more - if picked correctly.

(charts are going to be on test)

Here's what we have:

As with the markets, both the Professional and (Arts) Educational consumption models are related: Educational consumption feeds Professional consumption.

Positioning Statement - Examples

For those discerning "arts goers" who won't spend their hard-earned cash until the reviews are out ....

Aesthetic

Sometimes, you just need to shut your mind off and enjoy...

Entertainment

If you're looking to enhance your an....

Professional

Museums are sterile. If you crave exciting and organic art in unusual spaces....

Experiential

DAW software is way too complex...

Tech

If your child is aiming for the stars and needs the technique to get there....

Educational

Need some art for that bare wall?

Utilitarian

🫣 10/29 EXPERIENTIAL

MOST IMPORTANT AND HARDEST TO IDENTIFY

EXPERIENTIAL

EXPERIENTIAL Model (happens with every market, utilitarian happens but not reported)

This model is based on the premise that if an a (a)rtist presents an a(a)rts experience for consumers, they will be more likely to engage in the a(a)rt experience again.
This model is based on the premise that if an a (a)rtist presents an
A(a)rts experience for consumers, they will be more likely to engage in the a(a)rt experience again.
The model consists of: actors (artists), guests (art consumers) and a stage (one's a(a)rt and the manner in which the a(a)rt is presented).

FOUR TENETS OF THE EXPERIENTIAL MODEL:

A(a)rt experiences must be memorable and lasting
Consumers must be "drawn in" to the a(a)rt
Experience and experience a "sensation"
The a(a)rt experience must be personalized

DESIGNING AN A(a)RT EXPERIENCE:

When designing and delivering the a(a)rt experience, one should typically
Theme the experience
Provide and leverage positive cues
Eliminate negative cues
Make memorabilia available
Engage all five senses

Ritual Framework- Randal Collins (2005)

Micro-Sociologies

Community “Feeling”
These feeling occur when groups assemble
Barriers to outsiders
Bodily CO-presence
Mutual Focus of Attention
Shared mood
Desired Experience (Aesthetic, intellectual, spiritual, ENT, etc)
Collective Sense of Acceptance through the shared experience
Identity Affirmation

INTERACTION RITUAL THEORY (IR): ...persons who are in a mutual focus of attention tend to become rhythmically entrained with each other, and hence to feel intersubjectivity and solidarity."

INTERSUBJECTIVITY: the interchange of thoughts and feelings, both conscious and unconscious, between two persons or "subjects," as facilitated by empathy.

Multimodal Constellation of experiences in a given situation

Intrinsic Experience affirmation through the situational extrinsic experiences

Ritual and Semiotics

Bourdieu's “Field” Theory

Pierre Bourdieu 1930-2002

Humans are influenced and in part created by a summation of capital in many fields
Field: an environment where humans find themselves
Capital:Experiences Humans Encounter in Fields
In essence, our experience in multiple fields determined many things about us including preference, action, beliefs, identity, etc. however, it does not determine everything....
habitus is the way that people perceive and respond to the social world they inhabit, by way of their personal habits, skills, and disposition of character.

Semiotics

Art is a sign in itself, and the various ways of organizing artistic material can be viewed as forms of semiosis. (ie: the process of signification).
Art, however conceived, has the power of reference, and what it signifies (the objects - sic) range from pure artistic materiality, to entities (such as things, real or imaginary beings, persons, and so on) and all forms of individual and cultural representations (again signs), from emotions to political ideas.
However, art could not exist if no one interpreted it.
Sign interpretation consists of the process of producing or modifying an idea
that the sign represents in reference to its object; such production is semiosis

Collins(3. affirmation) +Bourdieu (2. field/experience)+ Martinez(1.semiotics)

📗 10/31 Davies Chap 8

Value of Art

Art can be educational and beautiful
“Though there are philosophers who opt for intrinsic value to the exclusion of extrinsic value, or vice versa, it’s plausible to think that art might have both intrinsic and extrinsic value. It can be a source of pleasurable experience, which we accepted above as a form of intrinsic value. And in addition, it can provide information that is useful for helping us to navigate and comprehend the wider world.”
“In line with this, we might now propose that the evaluation of an artwork should take account of both its aesthetic and artistic properties. We can refer to the complex composite of these assessments as the work’s artistic value or as its value as a work of art.”
Extrinsic value and Intrinsic Value the two pieces of the value of art (beauty and education)
“In light of this, a better idea might be that something is a work of art if its artistic and aesthetic features contribute significantly to its primary function. In this approach, the goodness or badness of a work of art is measured in terms of the extent and success with which this contribution is made.”
Its value of art aids in its functionality
If there are no rules governing the production of artistic merit and disvalue, it follows that judgments of value in art are not logically deducible. In other words, it’s never possible to prove that an artwork must be good or bad by appealing to descriptions of its base properties.
- No extrinsic rules
“There is a question about temporal priority: Which should the appreciator see first? This might be settled by circumstances or by reference to personal inclination. Perhaps she chooses to see the movie because today is its last showing and she can play the recording of the song next week. Or perhaps she decides that she is isn’t in the mood for a harrowing tragedy now and so chooses a light comedy. These judgments of temporal order may have the appearance of value judgments but they are not always so. In deciding which work to put first in time, she need not also be ranking them for quality.”
“It would be misguided, therefore, to complain that evaluation in art falls short of some ideal standard of objectivity when, in fact, the evaluative practice typically provides the kind of guidance that perfectly suits our interest in art. These evaluative practices mix and balance a broad, varied blend of objective assessment with personal tastes.”
Here is the point: to suggest that we interest ourselves in art for the pleasure we get from the experience is odd, like saying we eat food for the pleasure we get from the experience. Though this might be the reason given for eating a specific food on a given occasion, and though the consumption of food is regularly pleasurable, the claim is peculiar because it fails to make clear that eating is a necessity. It isn’t something we choose to do only for the sake of an incidental reward. Similarly, it would be puzzling to suggest a person values her left arm for the pleasure of having it. No doubt she would be very unhappy to lose it, but this is because she regards it as making an important contribution to her proper functioning, not as a means to pleasure.

Art and education

As such, it is a source of self-knowledge, and not only for the artist because, through the work’s communication, art appreciators reproduce a similar process and thereby come to a new understanding of themselves.
The educative power of a fictional artwork does not depend on its being treated as something other than an artwork; for example, merely as ordinary informative discourse. The reverse is the case. The very features that allow it to perform an educative function do so most effectively when they are appreciated in ways that make apparent their artistic value. What is fictionally presented and the means by which it is presented contribute together to the work’s artistic and to its educative value, so intimately are these two linked.As observed earlier, if it works, this last argument clears the way for the suggestion that art can possess both intrinsic and extrinsic value.

Davies Slides

Thesis: The value of art can have intrinsic value and extrinsic value
additionally: " ...it can provide information that is useful for helping us navigate and comprehend the wider world."

THE 19TH CENTURY ARGUMENT:

"IF THERE ARE NO RULES GOVERNING THE PRODUCTION OF ARTISTIC MERIT AND DISVALUE, IT FOLLOWS THAT JUDGEMENTS OF VALUE IN ART ARE NOT LOGICALLY DEDUCTIBLE," THUS, "...THERE IS NO METHOD OR RULE TO PRODUCE GREAT ART; IT MUST BE CREATED THROUGH ACTS OF GENIUS."

THE ARGUMENTS AGAINST THIS ARE:

1) CULTURAL

2) THOSE THAT JUDGE A(a)RT ARE NOT OBJECTIVE

🤠 11/5 Hedonic Model

Hedonic Model

Hedonic Model of Art must:

Focus ons hedonic desire and/or experience
Promised “pleasure” (mental or physiological) during hedonic act
engage as many senses as possible and use art as the trigger for a "pleasure response"
require the art consumer to physically act in order to achieve the "pleasure response"
Agree on someone/something to lead the hedonic act

HEDONIC CODINGS:

When it comes to art, consumed hedonically, we are assuming that the art provides or allows a base - almost primal - physiological pleasure response. we can link the pleasure response through similar base (primal), sensory codings: symbols, for example, work well. (read: logos).
These codings become symbols of identification. The most interesting thing about this model is that it can evolve into a tribal market

Morphing

Over time, acknowledgement of the original pleasure response becomes less important than the leader and what the (now) tribe "means" becomes the focus of the market. In essence, what we see is a shift in the "weighting" of the "a(a)art" and the "leader" to a greater weight being placed on the "meaning" of the tribe or what it represents.