Engaging with the arts means engaging with a live experience. But how do we define that experience in context? There are significant differences between using a product—such as a detergent—and experiencing a moment in time, like attending an exhibition or a concert. An artistic experience entails a beginning and an end, a hedonic pleasure felt internally, a moment shared with others or experienced in solitude; the physical surroundings are part of the experience, just as are daydreaming beforehand and the subsequent memory of the event. The experience is subjective and affective. It can generate moments of “flow,” where the individual lives through an intense, timeless experience. In contrast, using a detergent does not engage one’s feelings or evoke emotion. Presenting a concert or an art exhibition offers benefits to the audience through the entirety of the experience lived.
Credit: Abdelmoughit Lahbabi on Pexels.
François Colbert is MMIAM Codirector, author of the book Marketing Culture and the Arts published in 15 langages along its five editions.
For a more complete discussion please see:
Colbert et al. 2018. Marketing Culture and the Arts, 5th edition. Montréal: Carmelle and Rémi-Marcoux Chair in Arts Management, HEC Montréal.
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