Art and culture organization websites : from information to communication and audience development

E-ISSN 2335-8769 klaidingas, E-ISSN 1822-4547 teisingasThe article aims to analyze the characteristics of web communication in the field of art and culture, establish the positions for communication assessment, discuss how art and culture organizations in Lithuania use the opportunities provided by websites and develop relations with their audience. The article pursues an instrumental goal and is focused on the Lithuanian art and culture organizations communication episodes, i.e. finding the strengths and weaknesses of culture and art organizations’ homepages and websites. The selected case study strategy is supplemented by integrated methods (expert and consumer (internal and external) assessment). Kaunas, Klaipėda and Šiauliai museums, theatres and galleries were selected for case studies. Integrated analysis of selected websites revealed that Lithuanian art and culture organizations underestimate the opportunities provided by internet communication and websites and do not use them as the first choice of internet marketing. The websites of the majority of surveyed art and culture institutions function as electronic brochures or virtual business cards but not as multifaceted communication platforms. In this field art and culture organizations have a possibility not only to more competently use the potential of internet communication and websites, but design their relations with the audience, expand and maintain them by replacing “flat” spaces with experience spaces that involve community into the exchange of creation and ideas/experiences and in this way giving more value to our daily liveMenotyros katedraVytauto Didžiojo universiteta