tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82818049674388764112024-03-08T15:05:23.897-08:00HARRISBURG: ARTS AROUND TOWNWHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE ARTS in the HARRISBURG AREADick Strawserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10033692470502525123noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281804967438876411.post-85238445478544975752015-11-24T09:29:00.002-08:002015-11-24T14:58:56.648-08:00Promoting the Arts in Harrisburg: Where to Begin?This is a test. This is just a test.<br />
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The idea is to see if we can form a working "central blog" to promote the Arts in Harrisburg - whether it's visual arts with gallery exhibits or artists' web-pages, or the different theater and dance organizations in the area, or what's happening in classical, jazz or popular music across town as well as writer's organization and poetry readings - where events are taking place, what those events are and how you can find out more about them, a way for presenters, performers and the members of our diverse and active arts scene to reach the all-important part of the equation, the audience.<br />
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I've started by adding a few links to the side bars for the "art categories" (visual arts, theater, classical music, jazz, poetry and so on) and from there a viewer would select a link to find out about events related to that category. <br />
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Since I'm a classical musician, I'll use that as an example. (I hope this doesn't get too confusing...)<br />
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Someone looking for information about Classical Music events would click on the link on this page's sidebar. Ideally, the plan is each of these "category links" would direct you to a "category sub-blog" to find promotional and informative posts related to the category - perhaps a "what's happening this week" post or something about a specific highlighted event; a blurb that would direct you to the event organization's website or blog - or give you details about, say, a "free-lance" recital being given by a classical musician not affiliated with any organization.<br />
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On this category sub-blog, then, there would be a further link-list that would include links to all the related organizations involved in the HarrisburgArts blog like, among many others, the Harrisburg Symphony and Market Square Concerts (both organizations I have been involved in, by way of disclaimer), plus choral groups in town like the Susquehanna Chorale and so on, which perform regularly in Harrisburg and its suburbs.<br />
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Also included would be classical music presenters in the area from Gretna Music to a wide variety of church- or college-related concert series (which, frequently including various varieties of performances, would also be cross-referenced under other links as well as a more generic "Performance Venue & Presenters" page). <br />
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These "category sub-blogs" would also link you to an organization's blog (if one exists) - like the ones I maintain for the <a href="http://harrisburgsymphonyblog.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Harrisburg Symphony</a> and for <a href="http://marketsquareconcerts.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Market Square Concerts</a> which at this point are primarily "audience enrichment posts" - as well as to an organization's website.<br />
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Since clicking on one of those links will take you away from this page, rather than open it in a separate window (hopefully I can figure out how to do that), you can click on "Classical Music" now since that "category blog" is temporarily active. (I've tried a few different "looks," thinking maybe they shouldn't all look alike...)<br />
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We would expect the different organizations in the community to provide links from their websites to this "central blog" so it becomes a "go-to" place for people in the community to find out more about what's happening in the arts in the Harrisburg Area.<br />
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Obviously, as we discuss more opportunities and options, it will become more complex but with any luck, not too complicated it can't be functional and in general helpful to the local arts scene. <br />
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Like many things in the arts, this is a "work-in-progress" that will undergo numerous changes as it develops -- it's the way artists work -- and hopefully prove a way to promote the different arts in the area.<br />
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As they say, "watch this space."<br />
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- Dick StrawserDick Strawserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10033692470502525123noreply@blogger.com0