ABSTRACT
This Short asks whether cultural institutions pay too much attention to producing excellent shows, whether exhibitions or performances. It brings forward examples of individuals and organisations centring individual, communal, social and creative experiences beyond the show, thereby exploring ways in which arts organisations have the potential to play an important and distinctive role at a time of cultural differences (to be celebrated), divides (to be understood) and changes (to be navigated). It proposes that some arts organisations may need to disrupt a dominant showbiz logic and self-consciously expand the scope of their attention and care to fulfil this role.
