Reaching Diverse Communities

Engaging Diverse Communities through Outdoor Arts

It´s a new approach to engaging local Chinese audiences through British-Chinese artist in residence programme and associated community research and consultation.

Birmingham Hippodrome is located in the Southside area of Birmingham, near the Chinese Quarter, and is responsible for a number of the outdoor events in the city’s cultural calendar including Summer in Southside and Birmingham Weekender. Despite this proximity, the organisation has found it difficult to attract members of the Chinese community to its events. Keen to understand more, Birmingham Hippodrome, with support from Without Walls, undertook an engagement project with the Chinese community. The Hippodrome commissioned British-Chinese artist Aowen Jin to produce an inspiring, outdoor, light-based installation. As part of the commission, Without Walls supported the artist to conduct a research study to understand the Chinese community’s current levels of engagement with the arts, barriers to attendance, and potential ways to overcome these barriers.

The research was carried out using a number of different techniques, including: · Four art-focussed workshops with local Chinese families and students · In-depth interviews with nine participants, ranging from established and successful business people to students · A survey about attitudes to the local area, the arts and Birmingham Hippodrome

Visible increase in Chinese audiences to our workshops, outdoor street festival and pantomime The study revealed that many members of the Chinese community are willing and eager to be involved in the arts, but that there are a number of barriers preventing them from engaging with Birmingham Hippodrome, including: · Language barriers, both in marketing and in show content Cultural misunderstandings within the community towards Western theatre and Outdoor Arts · Reluctance to enter the theatre building, and fear of embarrassment when attending a show or participating in an Outdoor Arts event · An unwillingness to be the first or only minority member to attend art events · A disparity between the community’s social networks (WeChat, Weibo) and the Theatre’s social networks (Facebook, Twitter)