I just spent the last four hours writing a post to the ArtsLehigh Blog. These posts are the full statements from which I extract a descriptive paragraph at the head of the ArtsLehigh weekly eNewsletter.
This newsletter has become standard operations for ArtsLehigh. We've been experimenting with it for nearly two years. We scan the internet; arts organization websites, regional calendars, and even Facebook to bring every creative and cultural experience we think students might be interested in and can get to (meaning, not too far distance from campus). We also add events that may be of interest to staff and faculty; because believe it or not, they also need someone to gather this information for them.
Our local newspapers are incredible resources for cultural calendars. But who has the time to pull all this information together in order to make decisions about what to do for cultural exploration? So we act as curators of information; maitre'd, concierge, reference librarian, name it what you like.
Somehow though, that didn't seem enough to merit taking up space in people's inboxes. I needed to give something more. An opinion. Insider knowledge. Depth. More of a reason WHY people should know about the stuff we were listing. I started writing a small note at the top of each newsletter. Sometimes, I'll have more than one thing to say. Sometimes, other people have better things to say, so I feature their thoughts.
I believe this is vital to raising awareness of arts importance in our lives. I hope that as this effort continues, our readership grows and engages conversation in the topics we raise.
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