On the Town

Michelle Lopez 

While some of us were working on our Halloween costumes, 650 vocalists burst into song inside Macy's in Center City. The "flash mob" was organized by the Opera Company of Philadelphia and is considered to be an encore of their performance inside Reading Terminal Market last April.

I think the concept of flash mobs is a brilliant marketing idea and I especially think it could really work with benchmark art forms, which seem to be suffering from lack of attendance. Creating a well-executed flash mob is no easy task.Organizers usually depend on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to inform and invite the performers as well as people who may just want to enjoy the event. The idea is to be random but some preparation is very necessary.

The "flash opera" in Reading Terminal Market garnered over 3 million hits and has been shown all around the world as an example of innovative use of the arts. Unfortunately for the Opera Company of Philadelphia, ticket sales were not recorded after that event, so they will never be sure if it caused a surge in ticket sales. But never the less, it has sparked interest Globally, and set precedent for other cities and art forms to pick up the baton and try their hand at a successful cultural "flash mob".

Going on simultaneously is the Miami based Knight Foundation Arts Challenge Philadelphia, which is awarding a $9 million dollar grant to anyone who can come up with a worthy cultural cause. The deadline for the contest is November 1st. The contest is open to any member of the community, whether it's a large art institution or 1 person with 1 really good idea. The application consists of only 2 questions because it is meant to be accessible to those who may have never applied for a grant before. The Knight Foundation has their own version of a national "flash mob" project titled Random Acts of Culture.

I think arts organizations have to think outside the box. Nowadays, most people are too caught up in their own worlds to seek out the arts because it is too unfamiliar or seems inaccessible. By bringing a sample to the public, they can really experience an up-close and personal arts event and decide for themselves. I also think its important for large foundations such as Knight to open their doors to receive ideas from the public and make such generous contributions to the public. Arts organizations have a tendency to remain with their doors closed and continue business as usual. And that is not working any more.