Walking with Museum Directors: Uncovering Arts-Based Management

Abstract

Every so often artists find themselves confronted by a challenging artistic endeavour. In that moment, producing a preparatory study serves as a means to dissolve the challenge into a manageable task. In particular, this is because they allow for exploration and experimentation. Thus, the artist gains apprehension of a subject before committing to a final work. So as well, this thesis acts as a preparatory study to distil insights and considerations into arts-based management processes from Dutch art museum directors. Current literature emphasizes the influence of people, practices and products from the world of arts. However, the influence of place seems overlooked. In pursuit of closing this gap – and to truly experience the influence of place – a walking-interview method is employed. Thereupon, in the attempt to provide relevant spatial context, I present illustrations of museum place. Results suggest that product-based interventions are most promising to enrich arts-based management practice. People-based and practice-based interventions were less heavily emphasized, while museum directors did provide valuable insights to their practice. Interestingly, almost all participating directors underlined the transformative character of museum place. Future research could further investigate the concept of space aestheticization and develop practical arts-based exercises.