It seems almost impossible to turn habits around. The struggle of the arts to achieve recognition or be valued, is because they pay lip service to 'art as product' rather than art as process; in that way they buy into the mercantile values, having always to be different, trendy,changing (whether well or badly). The market for artists (audiences, purchasers, sponsors) are evaluating by comparison with 'things'. This comparison is like comparing Shakespeare to cabbages, or Ikea furniture. There must be another way, to demonstrate the distinctions.
If artists of all disciplines embarked on collaborative ventures simply for their own sakes, (and perhaps initially disregarded the 'public') would the 'public' seek them out, and seek to be part of 'process' rather than product? Any ideas?