Heterogeneity & Hierarchy: Collaborative, Cross-Departmental Work and The Dissemination of Power in American Art Museums
2023
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Heterogeneity & Hierarchy: Collaborative, Cross-Departmental Work and The Dissemination of Power in American Art Museums
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2023
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This study examines the hierarchical impact of cross-departmental, collaborative public-facing work in art museums, and whether or not collaborative work that takes place across power levels in the art museum organization leads to more successful projects. This paper finds that cross-departmental and collaborative work in art museums challenges the hierarchical norms in the art museum space. Museum employees surveyed generally felt that greater integration of departments led to more successful programmatic outcomes, but the hierarchical nature of the art museum workplace and the supremacy of the scholarly curatorial voice in the leadership of that space hampers the execution of that integration, and hinders the field’s ability to create truly inclusive, relevant museum programming. An argument is made for deep, systemic change in the art museum organizational structure and culture, and for art museums to use the many resources and tools already available to expand the definition of expertise in the art museum, and to open decision-making rooms to voices outside of executive leadership derived from the curatorial field.
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University of Minnesota Capstone in partial fulfillment of the MPS in Arts and Cultural Leadership. Advisor Margo Gray. Director of Graduate Studies Thomas Borrup. Spring 2023. Degree: Master of Professional Studies in Arts and Cultural Leadership. 1 digital file (pdf).
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Gonda, Taylor. (2023). Heterogeneity & Hierarchy: Collaborative, Cross-Departmental Work and The Dissemination of Power in American Art Museums. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/257281.
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