HORSHAM council is taking steps to attract a younger demographic of community members to the Horsham Town Hall and Horsham Regional Art Gallery.
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It comes after new Horsham Rural City Council data revealed the attitudes from visitors of the two venues.
Data showed that only half of respondents between 18 and 35 were "satisfied" the Horsham Town Hall's appealed to all ages.
Horsham council discussed the Horsham Town Hall Audience Development Plan at its June meeting. The council passed a motion to note the plan and accept its recommendations.
In her report, performance and events co-ordinator Shana Miatke said future programming of the venues needed to incorporate exhibitions, performances and events targeted towards people aged under 35.
"Respondents under 35 also showed strong interest in seeing more contemporary and popular art forms, such as on-trend craft workshops, live music and comedy," she said.
"They would also like to see more interactive art experiences in the gallery, as well as outdoor festival-style events.
"Although Horsham Town Hall is seen as a welcoming and inclusive venue, some members of the community do not feel at home in its formal environment."
Ms Miatke also recommended that a portion of the Horsham Town Hall's programming budget was redirected to events presented outside the venue.
The report also recommended the reactivation of the Horsham Town Hall cafe and bar "as soon as practical". The cafe space has been closed since March 2018 after Baa 3400 moved.
"A large majority (83 per cent) of audience members would like to see an operational cafe and bar so that they can come together and socialise, not only before and after a show but as a venue where community and visiting tourists can experience something different," Ms Miatke said.
"A café re-establishment proposal is currently in development. Costs involved in this venture are still to be finalised."
The data also revealed 49 per cent of respondents had attended Horsham Town Hall more than four times in the last year, in contrast to Melbourne venues (11 per cent) and other regional arts venues (2 per cent).
It also showed that 92 per cent of respondents said they felt "proud" when they saw people in Horsham participate in the arts.
READ MORE: Horsham Town Hall launches its 2019 season
While 39 per cent of audience members attended the Horsham Regional Art Gallery in 2018, 67 per cent of respondents said they were involved in making and creating visual arts and craft themselves.
The Horsham Town Hall and Horsham Regional Art Gallery were selected to take part in the Full House pilot program initiated by Creative Victoria, and provided with a $80,000 audience development grant.
The grant will fund audience research, strategic audience development and program planning.
See council's June 2019 meeting agenda below
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