Conceptualising the symbolic product: an arts and cultural marketing imperative

he purpose of this paper is to critique existing understanding of the nature of product within the arts and cultural setting, thereby identifying gaps in knowledge regarding ‘product’ in this context. We then develop a reconceptualisation of the product notion, accounting for its symbolic value to society as a whole. We critically review the relevant literature and generate a conceptual model of the symbolic value inherent to an ‘arts and cultural product’. We then set out an agenda for research in the field, i.e. a framework for interviewing established artists to assess their reactions and affinity to our conceptualisation of symbolic product value. Results from the literature review, and our specialist knowledge of the arts and cultural sector, have resulted in the construction of an arts and culture product model which accounts for its tangible, intangible and symbolic dimensions. Our conceptual model can assist cultural producers (e.g. artists) to engage with marketing. Experience tells us that cultural producers often have little or no training in marketing. Addressing our proposed research agenda (which accounts for specific industry practices and philosophies) will enhance engagement with ideas about the product notion and marketing more generally

Exploring Supply Side Network Interactions in the Visual Art Production Process

This paper presents an analysis of the supply-side of the arts market with a focus on how the actors therein interact as a network in the art production process. Through the adoption of a qualitative semi-structured interview methodology, the paper provides insight into how professional and established visual artists (in conjunction with third-party support) conceptualise, produce and distribute their art works in the art market. Results indicate that the art product and the art production process is reliant on a range of mutually beneficial and reciprocal interactions that serve as bases for value creation in the art market. The paper concludes with a range of research opportunities for both academics and practitioners in the arts marketing context

Visitor motivations in arts and cultural organisations: A regional context

Although research into arts and cultural production and consumption is increasing, there remains a lack of empirical knowledge about visitors’ motivation to visit museums in regional locations. We utilise a visitor survey to assess the motivations for consuming cultural experiences at the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery (QVMAG), a regional museum in Launceston, Tasmania. The results of this study both conformed to and deviated somewhat from extant research across the areas of ‘cultural involvement’ and ‘motivation’, which has important implications for marketing management and strategy development in regional contexts

Recent advancements in monolithic AlGaAs/GaAs solar cells for space applications

High efficiency, two terminal, multijunction AlGaAs/GaAs solar cells were reproducibly made with areas of 0.5 sq cm. The multiple layers in the cells were grown by Organo Metallic Vapor Phase Epitaxy (OMVPE) on GaAs substrates in the n-p configuration. The upper AlGaAs cell has a bandgap of 1.93 eV and is connected in series to the lower GaAs cell (1.4 eV) via a metal interconnect deposited during post-growth processing. A prismatic coverglass is installed on top of the cell to reduce obscuration caused by the gridlines. The best 0.5 sq cm cell has a two terminal efficiency of 23.0 pct. at 1 sun, air mass zero (AM0) and 25 C. To date, over 300 of these cells were grown and processed for a manufacturing demonstration. Yield and efficiency data for this demonstration are presented. As a first step toward the goal of a 30 pct. efficient cell, a mechanical stack of the 0.5 sq cm cells described above, and InGaAsP (0.95 eV) solar cells was made. The best two terminal measurement to date yields an efficiency of 25.2 pct. AM0. This is the highest reported efficiency of any two terminal, 1 sun space solar cell

Motivations for consuming art and cultural experiences: Report to industry

The cultural heritage sector (e.g., museums, art galleries, historic buildings, cultural community festivals and events, etc.) has emerged as an increasingly significant segment of national and regional economies. The sector is now considered an important driver of economic and social development, particularly through cultural tourism. As a result, regional cultural organisations are at a critical time in their history, where they need to adapt to changes in visitor use and community trends, e.g. with respect to changes in what we do with our leisure time. In addition, the income streams from local-council and state funded regional bodies has significantly decreased. All of us in the research team have worked on projects that centre on the arts and cultural sectors, with research investigating marketing, development, management, and cultural tourism issues, and incorporating engagement with both private and public museums. We had previously worked with the Director of the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery (QVMAG), Richard Mulvaney, on an application for funding for another project, currently being reworked for submission later in 2016. While we were conducting a debrief on that application the idea that the Tourism Research and Education Network (TRENd) might offer the chance for not for profit organisations to become Inkind Research Partners surfaced. The result was an agreement to continue our research partnership, under the auspices of TRENd, and focusing on one aspect of our original, larger project: an aspect that also had considerable practical implications for the sustainability of not for profit museums, that is, what motivates museum visitation? Certainly there has been considerable work done on visitor studies, by both academics and museums themselves. While these studies are valid in an academic sense, and obviously of use to museums, they have tended to ignore what comes before the actual visit. However, even studies on why visitors visit have had a narrow focus. As Slater (2007) has noted: Whilst market research and academic studies by sociologists have identified the personal and socio-cultural factors that influence visits to galleries, there has been less attention to the area of motivational research. Understanding motivations is important as it reveals the underlying reasons why visitors choose to participate in specific leisure activities. (Slater, 2007, p. 149) Our project seeks to shed some light on this issue with a detailed academic study on motivations for consuming art and cultural experiences. The results of which we feel will provide a research knowledge base that can be used to expand audiences and increase social and economic impacts, which is vital if regional museums and arts galleries are to have a sustainable future. While it is our intention to publish our findings in academic journals and conference papers, and to seek to add to the body of knowledge around motivation, marketing and museum management research, we are also committed to disseminating our findings directly to the museum sector, as well as to the wider tourism, arts and cultural sectors. Our aim with this Report to Industry is to do just that. We offer practical insight, supported by robust academic research

Defining the Art Product: A Network Perspective

Purpose: This paper explores the nature of art as a product through a network perspective, accounting for key contributing stakeholders in shaping its essence. Design/methodology/approach: This study adopted a qualitative data collection and analysis design, and centred on a series of face to face interviews with established Australian visual artists. Findings: Results support the notion of an art product shaped by interconnections and interdependencies of actors in the art market. In particular, attention is paid to the roles of actors in conceptual, production and distribution networks. Research limitations/implications: Although there are idiosyncrasies that (in part) define the Australian art market context, the issues identified here are nonetheless useful in determining the nature of the interconnectedness of the art market in other similar Western contexts. Many Australian artists have achieved similar recognition and status to other established artists elsewhere. Future cross-cultural comparative research should be carried out in order to assess this relationship in the longer term. Practical implications: Our research provides artists and other art market stakeholders with a finer-grained understanding of the art product which will allow a more focussed approach to developing relevant strategies and tactics for the creation and marketing of art products. Originality/value: Although philosophical assessments of art as a product have been carried out elsewhere, there is a lack of evaluation from an artist perspective in respect to their experiences interacting with other art market stakeholders

Phase diagram for diblock copolymer melts under cylindrical confinement

We extensively study the phase diagram of a diblock copolymer melt confined in a cylindrical nanopore using real-space self-consistent mean-field theory. We discover a rich variety of new two-dimensional equilibrium structures that have no analog in the unconfined system. These include non-hexagonally coordinated cylinder phases and structures intermediate between lamellae and cylinders. We map the stability regions and phase boundaries for all the structures we find. As the pore radius is decreased, the pore accommodates fewer cylindrical domains and structural transitions occur as cylinders are eliminated. Our results are consistent with experiments, but we also predict phases yet to be observed.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures. submitted to Physical Review Letter

INVESTIGATING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VISITOR LOCATION AND MOTIVATIONS TO ATTEND A MUSEUM

This paper investigates the role of visitor location and other related contributing factors in determining motivation to attend the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery in the regional city of Launceston, Tasmania. It carries out an assessment of the literature on visitor motivation to attend museums and galleries, including visiting as a learning experience and as an environment for wellbeing. It also considers the role of visitor location in determining the factors behind the visit. Following our adoption of a visitor survey, this paper carries out a demographic visitor profile before considering our findings on geographical location, engagement with the museum and marketing engagement (including by visitor location). The study then carries out a series of independent t-tests with respect to visitor location, followed by ANOVA calculations with respect to the overall mean findings for different subgroups. Following this, confirmatory factor analyses determine item suitability, with four factors being identified. Following discussion of the findings and the drawing of conclusions, a series of recommendations for theory and practice are made, beginning with implications for QVMAG itself before broadening insight for other museums, galleries and cultural attractions more generally

Development of High-Purity Optical Grade Single-Crystal CVD Diamond for Intracavity Cooling

Microwave assisted chemical vapour deposited bulk diamond products have been used in a range of high power laser systems, due to low absorption across a range of wavelengths and exceptional thermal properties. However the application of polycrystalline products has frequently been limited to applications at longer wavelengths or thermal uses outside of the optical path due to the birefringence and scatter that are intrinsic properties of the polycrystalline materials. However, there are some solid state structures, including thin disc gain modules and amplifiers, that will gain significantly in terms of potential output powers if diamond could be used as a heat spreader in the optical path as well as a heat spreader on the rear surface of the disk. Therefore single crystal grades of diamond have been developed that overcome the limitations of the polycrystalline material, with low absorption, low scatter and low birefringence grades for demanding optical applications. We will present new data, characterising the performance of these materials across infra-red and visible wavelengths with absorption coefficient measured by laser calorimetry at a range of wavelengths from 1064 nm to 452 nm