Distributed Community. Participatory Actions and Organizational Culture of a Museum Institution

Abstract

The article discusses the consequences of participatory actions in a museum exemplified by the Find Art exhibition presented at the Muzeum Sztuki Lodz in 2017. It focuses on the transformative impact of participatory projects on museum culture and organizational structure. Museums have shifted from collection-driven entities to audience-oriented institutions, blurring lines between entertainment, education, and cultural heritage. The author highlights the changing paradigm of museums from old to new museology, critiquing power structures within museums. Based on the analysis of the Find Art exhibition the author argues that participatory projects reconfigure a museum institution, creating a Protean community of multi-functional collaborations that challenge conventional museum roles. He suggests a post-critical approach, defining a “distributed museum,” where networks of dependencies redefine the museum’s role beyond traditional boundaries. The author acknowledges the diverse contributions within the distributed museum, encompassing both formal and informal entities and addresses potential implications of exploitation within this dynamic community.