Listening outward:
The art of connection in a divided time
If there’s one thing the past few years have revealed, it’s that doing our jobs well is no longer enough. Many of us in the performing arts have defined success as getting from A to B, launching the project or producing the show. But the critical work at this time is the “C”: how to leverage the arts experience to inspire people to engage themselves (their thinking, their actions) and their communities with authenticity and purpose. That nexus is where our field’s future lies.
Beyond the arts bubble
We in the arts pride ourselves on being inclusive, but ask others outside of our industry, and we can’t unsee our silos. Presenters talk to presenters, agents to agents, artists to artists, and, of course, convene with one another to collaborate and transact to get the work done. But some of us feel uncomfortable outside of the safety of our silos, and thus, we risk operating in an echo chamber.
The danger of that isolation is not just creative stagnation – it’s irrelevance. Entire generations are growing up with deep convictions about climate, equity and social impact, yet many don’t see the arts as part of those causes. Somewhere along the way, art became a luxury, rather than a catalyst.
I recently met a new colleague in Mexico. We stood together after a performance that moved her to tears. She described the feeling as something she knew, intellectually, she should emotionally connect to but admitted she didn’t know how to access what she was feeling – until she saw that performance. The arts gave her a language for her emotions. That performance unlocked something deep within – igniting purpose and agency, a power she welcomed with authenticity.
That is what the arts do. They give access to empathy, imagination and truth. And yet, we’ve allowed the field to appear detached from the very causes that give people’s lives meaning.
The catalyst for change
The arts are more than a reflection of society; they are a rehearsal space for its transformation. They spark the aha moments that lead to ideas that lead to solutions. But that requires humility on our part. We can’t just assume people will care. We have to listen, to learn and to go where the people are, and understand what they care about.
That lesson is not unique to the arts – it’s foundational to leadership. Any success, whether civic, political or cultural, begins by listening. It starts with engagement from the ground up: a conversation, an invitation, a willingness to ask, “What matters to you?”
When we listen outward, we uncover connections that strategy or branding alone can’t reveal. The unifying power of the arts makes space for transformation from those who create, those who witness, and those who didn’t know the language until they did.
From echo chamber to ecosystem
To survive and thrive, our field must evolve from a one- or two-way conversation into a living ecosystem. Agents, presenters and artists can no longer operate parallel to the rest of society. We must engage with new partners – civic leaders, health practitioners, technologists and educators – who bring fresh perspectives to our shared work.
It’s not about forcing alignment or abandoning our artistic core. The arts intersect with everything – public health, economic development, environmental stewardship, social healing – and it’s time we rediscover our role as connective tissue.
As I told one of my colleagues recently, “We don’t have to force relevance, but we do have to claim it.” When we step into those spaces authentically, we discover just how intertwined our purposes already are.
A democratic practice
At their best, service organisations like APAP are democratic by design. Our role is to convene the people and to connect the dots across geography, discipline and identity to foster exchange and opportunity. Leadership isn’t about authority; it’s about consensus. Because if you have the best ideas in the world but no one is with you, you’re just talking to yourself.
That’s not unlike running a country, or an arts organisation. The arts are, in their own way, a mirror of democracy: imperfect, participatory and dependent on dialogue. To move the needle, we have to bring the people with us.
Outward is the future
Our future depends on being outwardly focused, on aligning ourselves with the lived realities of the people around us. We must reframe the arts not as an escape from the world’s challenges, but as integral to the solution.
Reclaiming that sense of belonging begins with listening – by not assuming we already know what people need. The act of listening is itself creative work as it opens space for empathy, for collaboration, for innovation.
My colleague found the right words through that performance. I found mine listening to her. That mutual awakening is the kind of civic power the arts can ignite.
So, as we head into a new year and a new season of gathering, my call to the field is simple: let’s get to the “C”. Let’s go beyond the curtain, beyond our comfort zones, beyond our conference. Let’s rebuild the bridges between art and life, between audience and advocate, between local and global. Because the future will not be built by the loudest voices, but by those who are listening.
