When working on a project it is important to think about the end result; which is the presentation of work to an audience. Be aware of the audiences that exist for cinema, visual arts, performance and music as well as artists' moving image work and what they will get from the project. Developing an audience for artists' moving image work involves attracting and retaining people for to your events, but also, and prehaps more crucially, nurturing and working to create an informed audience for this area of work.

Thinking about the audience

'Curators serve the practitioners in their field, but they also serve the public at large. They must look both ways, be sympathetic in two directions, loyal to the artist but also to the visitor.'(1) Mark Haworth-Booth, Victoria and Albert Museum

When thinking about the audience it is important to avoid thinking about them as a single mass. Audiences are made up of individuals, not a conglomerate. There is a misconception that labels audiences as singular rather than plural. This results in the restricted marketing for mainstream products that starve out variety and diversity by thinking that everything should appeal to everyone. One of the major advantages of artists' work is that it operates on a more individual level, open to many diverse audiences and individuals.

When thinking about the audience for artists' work where there is not a rabid mass waiting for more products, its important to think of ‘audiences’ rather than ‘the audience,’ to think about a multiplicity of viewpoints.

Finding the audience for artists' work

The audiences that would be attracted by the name of an artist are limited especially outside metropolitan areas. Similarly, the name of the curator generally tells people little about the event – although, the fact something is curated, can help to make the screening more personable screening and distinct.

It is more important to think about what is appealing about the work for a diverse audience; what are the possible routes into the work from film, the visual arts, music, history, society, politics, identity, sexuality, etc. When the audience is respected as a diverse and intricate plurality, it opens up the possibilities for artists' work and places it in a potentially broader context. Thinking about the audience as a multiplicity of individuals is as important as thinking laterally about the audiences that work may appeal to.

The key role for a curator, with regard to the audience, is to interpret and represent work for new audiences – to define it through in with reference to a broad range of culture, rather than burying it within a niche area. The conception of the audience is key to the curators activity, as curators need to serve their collection as much as they serve their audiences. This two way activity is well described by

Engaging audiences from different areas

Building audiences is a combination of expanding the tastes and habits of existent audiences, but should always be about developing new audiences and bringing new people to the work. Competing for audiences with other venues is a dead-end and waste of resources. Arts organisations should work together to continuously develop and nurture audiences from outside their immediate audience. As such, a key way to develop audiences and bring new people to your venue or event is through collaboration with other organisations and individuals. Opening up your venue to other voices and partnerships will in time open it up to new networks and potentially to new audiences.

Venues should also look to find new projects to expand on what they currently show. Diversity in programming, in terms of the type of work you show and how it is shown generates a rich, vibrant and healthy organisation. Many different art forms can co-exist within in a single venue. Art galleries and cinemas have historically been exemplars of hospitality to different cultures and audiences. The flexibility of your venue and openness to new directions are key to the ongoing vitality of the organisation, but also to appealing to new audiences.

What is audience getting from the exhibition?

A curator is the intermediary between the audiences and the work. Their role is to mediate the presentation of work to the public. In this exchange curators should ask themselves what the audience is getting from this exhibition. This should be very broad and curators should consider the range of people who might see the work and what it is they will get from the exhibition. Asking this question helps you to broaden the appeal of the work and tailor descriptions to enhancing the audiences experiences. It is useful when considering the marketing.

When presenting any work, considering what the audience will take from the work is essential in developing the tone and accompanying material. With an idea of what they will get you can work to enhance and expand this area.

• Be transparent with the audience
• Don’t deceive or underestimate the audience
• Be aware that there are many facets to artists' work and many ways for people to engage with it