to be relevant

English translation: important, significant, they need to matter

17:02 Sep 16, 2008
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Art/Literary - Art, Arts & Crafts, Painting
English term or phrase: to be relevant
Innovation and risk are therefore both distinct from one another and intrinsically linked. The distinction comes from the fact that innovation is a constant process, which should be part of an organisation’s core business whilst risk is a means to a particular end. Both are linked to the concept of excellence. For something to be excellent it has to be relevant, and for it to be relevant it has to be continually reinterpreted and refined for and by its audience. Risks have to be taken, innovation must be central to the process.

I see three issues at the heart of how to encourage a wider and deeper engagement with the arts. The first is an unwillingness by many to engage at all. The notion that the arts are not for everyone must be tackled head-on, since excellent art is by definition for, and relevant to, absolutely everyone. The second issue is, once the initial barrier of engagement has been overcome, how to maximise culture’s potential to change lives. To do this, audiences must be drawn into it. The third is that too many organisations are trying to second-guess what their audiences want and are therefore cheating them out of the deepest and most meaningful experiences.

As I have said, I believe that to be excellent, the arts must be relevant. However I am concerned that there is still a large portion of the population who believe the arts are not for them and that they are neither relevant nor accessible. The ‘it’s not for me’ syndrome, combined with high ticket prices in many cultural organisations has conspired to put off many potential audience members and exclude them from experiences that could transform their lives.

WHAT IS THE MEANING OF RELEVANT HERE?
USEFUL
PERTINENT
CONCERNING...
Cristina Giannetti
Local time: 13:28
Selected answer:important, significant, they need to matter
Explanation:
... to the population.
Selected response from:

Mark Berelekhis
United States
Local time: 08:28
Grading comment
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
5 +4to be pertinent, applicable
Jürgen Lakhal De Muynck
3 +6further comment
Ken Cox
4 +3important, significant, they need to matter
Mark Berelekhis
4prejudice
Jack Dunwell


  

Answers


3 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
important, significant, they need to matter


Explanation:
... to the population.

Mark Berelekhis
United States
Local time: 08:28
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  chaman4723
25 mins
  -> Thank you, chaman.

agree  Patricia Townshend (X)
36 mins
  -> Thank you, Patricia.

agree  d_vachliot (X): I really like the way you put it.
1 hr
  -> Thank you, Dim.
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6 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +4
to be pertinent, applicable


Explanation:
Merriam Webster
I think that in the context pertinent fits nicely;-)

Jürgen Lakhal De Muynck
Spain
Local time: 13:28
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in SpanishSpanish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Sofia Lima: "Pertinent" because something to be relevant has to be endowed with importance.
7 mins

agree  chaman4723
22 mins

agree  Patricia Townshend (X)
33 mins

agree  Jack Doughty
1 hr
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25 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +6
further comment


Explanation:
Further to the answers by Mark and Jurgen, which are both fine, IMO it should be mentioned that 'relevance' has been a key issue in the art world for the past several decades, with people on all sides of the question debating more or less vehemently whether the arts, and especially the traditional performing arts, are relevant to the majority of the population or only of interest to a small cultural elite. Here 'relevance' refers, as already suggested, to the question of whether the arts matter to people, whether they have any impact on their lives, whether they are perceived as being significant, etc.

Ken Cox
Local time: 13:28
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  chaman4723
5 mins

agree  Patricia Townshend (X)
15 mins

agree  Taña Dalglish: 100% with all that has been said. However, just an observation, or perhaps I am overly critical, paragraphs need punctuatiing properly. But .. anyway .. !
33 mins

agree  J Celeita (X)
47 mins

agree  Demi Ebrite
2 hrs

agree  Phong Le
12 hrs
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
prejudice


Explanation:
The writer seems to have it rather back to front. It's difficult to insist that something is relevant when the "target" or "audience" doesn't think it is.

A rethink is required by the writer, otherwise she/he is just bashing heads with her prejudice

Jack Dunwell
France
Local time: 13:28
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
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