International Journal Of Arts Management
(IJAM)
VOL 24 ISSUE 1
Hsieh, J. (2021). Creating a Global Cultural City Via Public Participation in the Arts: Conversations With Hong Kong’s Leading Arts and Cultural Administrators. International Journal of Arts Management, 24(1), 114.
Teissl, V., Mayerhofer, E., & Reid, W. (2021). Austrian Film Festival Forum: Cultural Governance and Accountability in Viennese Film Festivals. International Journal of Arts Management, 24(1), 103-113.This article draws a portrait of the Austrian Film Festival Forum, an interest group that represents the concerns of film festivals. Austrian film festivals are non-profit organizations and belong to a cultural sector committed to a civil society that emerged in the 1970s. The sector is regulated by funding laws but its working conditions are inherently precarious. Interest groups have been advocating for Fair Pay and have been developing strategies for cooperative cultural governance as well as mutual accountability. Among other projects, the Forum has seen to the establishment of a coherent funding program for film festivals in Vienna that is guided by an expert subsidy advisory board in the hope of improving funding conditions. The authors examine the Forum's activities in the context of cultural non-profit organizations in a welfare state. They analyze the Forum's strategies as well as the dynamics that have accompanied the process of establishing and implementing a dedicated funding program for film festivals.
Vecco, M., Nash, M. M., & Srakar, A. (2021). Board Size Matters: Fundraising in American Cultural Organizations. International Journal of Arts Management, 24(1), 89-102.Board financial contributions and board fundraising efforts are fundamental to financial sustainability in the American cultural sector. This study investigates the relationship between board size and fundraising performance in relation to resource dependency theory. Although there are several studies that focus on board size and firm performance in the commercial sector, there is limited literature examining the link between board size and fundraising in the cultural sector. The authors use cubic spline interpolation and linear mixed regression methods based on data from the National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS) to estimate and explain a positive but non-linear relationship between total contributed revenue and board size in 2015. Moreover, they demonstrate how this relationship is conditioned by the cultural sector and the state. By deepening our understanding of how a cultural board's size can affect annual fundraising efforts, this study illuminates an under-researched topic. The results have practical implications for the strategic management of board recruitment in arts and culture organizations.
Jamin, B., & Gombault, A. (2021). Arts Governance: From Ambivalence to Ambiguity. International Journal of Arts Management, 24(1), 75-88.This article examines the relevance of ambivalence as a strategic choice, which is both a guarantee of success and a source of risk, in the governance of arts and cultural organizations. The longitudinal qualitative study examines the unique case of Louvre-Lens, a branch of the Louvre Museum. The branch was created in 2012 with two objectives: a national plan for cultural centralization, and economic revitalization of an area in crisis. The authors show that governance based on an ambivalence of objectives was promising at first but then the ambivalence turned into ambiguity. The ambiguity disrupted the functioning of the museum, as it contributed to the sowing of doubt and suspicion among board members regarding the distribution of their roles and missions. The study's first contribution concerns the benefits of ambivalence in governance, responding to the widening responsibilities of museum branches that now extend beyond the cultural domain. Its second contribution is to highlight the risk factors that turn ambivalence into ambiguity: the vision of the founders, the leadership, and attendance figures are all points that must not escape the vigilance of governance actors.
Jeon, J., & Kim, H. (2021). Leading Collaborative Governance in the Cultural Sector: The Participatory Cases of Korean Arts Organizations. International Journal of Arts Management, 24(1), 63-74.Governance research in the arts has focused predominantly on boards of directors and organizational dynamics. By incorporating a wider view of governance as a process involving multiple actors and a concern for public benefits, this multi-level study connects the roles of arts organizations in collaborative cultural governance processes. By using an integrative framework for collaborative governance, the study derives data from case studies of two arts initiatives in Korea: Homeless Ballet Education and the Ecomuseum project on Daebu Island. The findings highlight the leadership behaviours of arts organizations and indicate key actors in the collaborative cultural governance. Autonomy, artistry and mutuality are found to meet the conditions under which arts organizations are likely to be lead organizations. However, collaborative governance calls for differing leadership roles, depending on the type of artsorganization. This study not only makes a contribution regarding the under-researched link between arts organizations and collaborative governance but also provides insights into the role of arts and culture leadership in a complex social issue.
Donelli, C. C., Fanelli, S., & Zangrandi, A. (2021). Inside and Outside the Boardroom: Collaborative Practices in the Performing Arts Sector. International Journal of Arts Management, 24(1), 48-62.Collaboration is crucial in the arts sector, where forms of collaborative governance (CG) - the inclusion of private partners in the decision-making process - have been implemented in order to overcome scarcity of resources and to engage with stakeholders. The governance of performing arts organizations today must be based on constant collaboration between public and private entities in order to generate greater value. The purpose of this study is to identify the drivers of CG in performing arts organizations by means of a case study of I Teatri Foundation of Reggio-Emilia, one of the first theatres in Italy to include private partners in governance. The methodology is based on both documentary analysis and interviews. The findings show that CG should be applied at micro and meso levels (inside and outside the boardroom), as both levels contribute to the creation of value for the audience.
Heskia, T. (2021). Public Boards: Questions of Representation on Supervisory Boards of German, Austrian and Swiss Theatres. International Journal of Arts Management, 24(1), 32-47.Governance of theatres in German-speaking countries has been studied primarily in relation to their powerful artistic directors. However, the author suggests that their power relates to the weakness of the supervisory bodies. He analyzes the role of the supervisory boards of 153 theatres in Germany, Austria and German-speaking Switzerland to explain why the specific history of the theatres as outsourced public institutions, their different legal structure, administrative federalism in Germany and cultural differences have led to the lack of comparable standards across regional jurisdictions. Despite far-reaching structural changes in recent decades, governance appears to need further development. This article explains why overall control still lies in government structures rather than in supervisory boards, why diversity is almost completely lacking, and why even a well-designed supervisory structure cannot prevent a governance crisis in theatre.
Rentschler, R., Lee, B., & Fillis, I. (2021). Towards an Integrative Framework for Arts Governance. International Journal of Arts Management, 24(1), 17-31.The authors propose an integrative framework for examining arts governance in a domain that often has relied on singular perspectives. Complex phenomena require a framework that draws upon multiple theoretical lenses. In a longitudinal case study of a regional museum before, during and after a governance crisis, the authors integrate three governance theories - agency, stakeholder and stewardship - taking account of board, staff and stakeholder dynamics, in order to both frame the study and provide insight regarding critical incidents. The study reveals how the three theories interrelate and why none of them is a perfect explanation for a scenario, particularly in a crisis. The findings show that (1) governance theory integration may be a way forward in examining boards in crisis; (2) key board characteristics change at various stages in history, which affect community linkages, strategy, networking and resourcing; and (3) recognizing broader stakeholder ownership, monitoring behaviour, and stewardship offer the organization the best chance for survival. The complementary theories show how the museum has been governed, while also offering prescriptions for making non-profit boards more accountable to the community, with a greater role for stakeholder theory. A typology of governance theories and a longitudinal process flow chart of the unfolding of a crisis are included. The findings provide insights that may be helpful to non-profits grappling with governance in an uncertain and disrupted world.
Rentschler, R., & Reid, W. (2021). Theorizing Arts Governance: Mapping the Influence of Context, Creativity and Funding Paradigms for Future Research Prospects. International Journal of Arts Management, 24(1), 4-16.An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses several articles published within issue reflecting how arts organizations are governed so that they are prepared to face the challenges of the 21st century