Att bevara förändring : Om samverkan, hybridfinansiering och organisatoriska förutsättningar i Malmö Konstmuseums utvecklingsarbete
(2026) ABMM74 20261Division of ALM, Digital Cultures and Publishing Studies
- Abstract
- This master’s thesis examines how the experimental project My new museum?, initiated by Malmö Art Museum, is used to develop museum practice under conditions of shifting cultural policy expectations, and increasingly hybrid forms of legitimation. The study asks (1) what kinds of participation the project enables and when participation entails a redistribution of power between visitors and museum, (2) how the project explores new pathways for collaboration and funding and what opportunities and constraints emerge, and (3) which factors facilitate or hinder lasting organisational change within a politically governed museum.
Empirically, the thesis draws on a qualitative case study design combining document analysis, an open-ended staff... (More) - This master’s thesis examines how the experimental project My new museum?, initiated by Malmö Art Museum, is used to develop museum practice under conditions of shifting cultural policy expectations, and increasingly hybrid forms of legitimation. The study asks (1) what kinds of participation the project enables and when participation entails a redistribution of power between visitors and museum, (2) how the project explores new pathways for collaboration and funding and what opportunities and constraints emerge, and (3) which factors facilitate or hinder lasting organisational change within a politically governed museum.
Empirically, the thesis draws on a qualitative case study design combining document analysis, an open-ended staff survey, and two semi-structured interviews with key personnel. Analytically, the thesis is primarily grounded in new institutionalism and organisational theory, complemented by a participation framework for distinguishing levels of engagement and with Bourdieu’s concepts of symbolic capital.
The analysis shows that artistic and participatory practices can be highly effective in producing engagement, yet the degree of “power shift” varies with spatial and institutional conditions: the same participatory format may generate different positions for participants depending on where it is staged, and which norms govern the setting. The study further demonstrates that engagement becomes institutionally consequential when it is made visible and communicable as symbolic capital, enabling the museum to negotiate legitimacy and support across arenas such as municipal governance and external partnerships. At the same time, staff responses indicate tensions between a project-driven logic of experimentation and an organisational need for predictability, routines and clear mandates. Tensions that risk leaving innovations loosely coupled from everyday practice. For participatory methods to endure beyond the project format, they must be translated into responsibilities, planning cycles and shared internal understandings of the museum’s identity and priorities. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9229098
- author
- Ehrlich, Marianne LU
- supervisor
- organization
- alternative title
- Preserving change : On collaboration, hybrid funding, and organisational conditions shaping Malmö Konstmuseum’s development work
- course
- ABMM74 20261
- year
- 2026
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Museum development, Cultural policy, Hybrid funding, Participatory practices, Organizational change, Symbolic capital, Audience participation, Cultural relevance
- language
- Swedish
- id
- 9229098
- date added to LUP
- 2026-06-16 09:33:32
- date last changed
- 2026-06-16 09:33:32
@misc{9229098,
abstract = {{This master’s thesis examines how the experimental project My new museum?, initiated by Malmö Art Museum, is used to develop museum practice under conditions of shifting cultural policy expectations, and increasingly hybrid forms of legitimation. The study asks (1) what kinds of participation the project enables and when participation entails a redistribution of power between visitors and museum, (2) how the project explores new pathways for collaboration and funding and what opportunities and constraints emerge, and (3) which factors facilitate or hinder lasting organisational change within a politically governed museum.
Empirically, the thesis draws on a qualitative case study design combining document analysis, an open-ended staff survey, and two semi-structured interviews with key personnel. Analytically, the thesis is primarily grounded in new institutionalism and organisational theory, complemented by a participation framework for distinguishing levels of engagement and with Bourdieu’s concepts of symbolic capital.
The analysis shows that artistic and participatory practices can be highly effective in producing engagement, yet the degree of “power shift” varies with spatial and institutional conditions: the same participatory format may generate different positions for participants depending on where it is staged, and which norms govern the setting. The study further demonstrates that engagement becomes institutionally consequential when it is made visible and communicable as symbolic capital, enabling the museum to negotiate legitimacy and support across arenas such as municipal governance and external partnerships. At the same time, staff responses indicate tensions between a project-driven logic of experimentation and an organisational need for predictability, routines and clear mandates. Tensions that risk leaving innovations loosely coupled from everyday practice. For participatory methods to endure beyond the project format, they must be translated into responsibilities, planning cycles and shared internal understandings of the museum’s identity and priorities.}},
author = {{Ehrlich, Marianne}},
language = {{swe}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Att bevara förändring : Om samverkan, hybridfinansiering och organisatoriska förutsättningar i Malmö Konstmuseums utvecklingsarbete}},
year = {{2026}},
}