Back to Basics: Nurturing People and Building a Culture of Resilience in 21st Century Art Museums

This is a study about how American art museums can become more resilient in the 21st century. As the external environment changes, art museum leadership must explore and consider new approaches in response. One key, and consistently underdeveloped area lies in the implementation of innovative strategies around the internal operations of museums related to staff and structure. A select group of art museum leaders are beginning to experiment with new practices in this area, especially around the development of strategies that relate to organizational culture, experimentation and innovation, and staff alignment around institutional core values. By focusing on strategies that invest in their staff, these museum leaders are discovering improved institutional relevance, flexibility, responsiveness, and collaboration. In other words, they are increasing institutional resilience. The examples from these leading art museum directors serve as exciting models for other leaders and practitioners in the field, informing strong next practices that prepare art museums for work in the 21st century.