Approaches to participatory governance in culture

Costume Museum of São Brás de Alportel
Rua Dr. José Dias Sancho nº 61, 8150-141 Sõo Brás de Alportel, Algarve, Portugal

The Costume Museum of São Brás de Alportel (MuT) is a local museum situated in the interior of the Algarve region, in the south of Portugal. Conscious of the structuring role of culture in integrated development, MuT activates a series of practices inspired on the principles of Social Museology, with the aim of contributing to the construction of a sustainable present for its community. Marked by the search for sustainability, by the freedom of action and the sharing resulting from the recognition and definition of new uses of local experience, the management model of the museum is based on the definition of “layers of cultural participation”. Its evolutionary character, aware of the needs, objectives and desires of the local population allows us to reposition this Museology and this Museum at the wake of the construction of an alternative globalization. Let´s see how MuT contributes to social and cultural change…

http://www.museu-sbras.com/

Contact

Lorena Sancho Querol

lorenaquerol@gmail.com

Centre for Social Studies, University of Coimbra, Portugal

Photos

Documents

Pull-On_ Museums_ Denmark 2015.pdf

General info

More than 5 years

500m2

3

1200 active friends, 50 local collaborators, 4 young entrepreneurs

Space/venue classification

Museum

Administrative units (offices)

Bookstore

Cafe bar

Concert hall

Exhibitions

Film and photography studio

Residency

Performing venue

Space for workshops

Space for meetings, discussions and presentations

Theater hall

Artivism

Children and youth

Community action

Crafts and applied arts

Design

Education and skills training

Environmental protection

Film and photography

Health, wellbeing and recreation

Heritage

Interdisciplinary

Multimedia arts

Music

Performing arts

Visual arts

Ownership and governance model

Not-for-profit organisation

Other

Contract:

In most of cases is free of charge but according to some positive exchange between museum community and potential users, other times they define some fair financial agreement according to participants possibilities and interests.

Public authority: Municipal

Cultural institution: Private

Civil society organisation: Community organisations

Civil society organisation: NGOs

Civil society organisation: Social enterprises

Civil society organisation: Social movement organisations

Civil society organisation: Voluntary associations

Public enterprise: Small

Private enterprise: Small

Foundation: Community

Governance structure

yes

Other

Cultural services exchange agreement between museum and Municipality

assuming diverse king of cultural responsibilities at local level

Managing structure

yes

Management Team

Enriching internal networking: Advisoring in relevant decisions, helping on documentation processes

Advisory Bodies

yes

Community Assembly

Enriching internal networking and daily life decisions and actions

Governance structure

yes

Managing Board

Executive Board

Friends, collaborators, entrepreneurs and other current users like local school are part of the museum dynamic cultural network

Managing structure

yes

Management Team

They help to organize and realize museum daily life

Advisory Bodies

yes

Community Assembly

as local society in networked to museum, users has responsibilities, compromises and decision power

Visitors

Volunteer work

Participation in governing

Participation in governing: Both

Participation in management

Participation in management: Both

Participation in production

Participation in production: Both

Membership

Enrollment in educational activities

Model of space/venue usage

Public authority: Municipal

Cultural institution: Public

Cultural institution: Private

Civil society organisation: Charities

Civil society organisation: Community organisations

Civil society organisation: Cooperatives

Civil society organisation: NGOs

Civil society organisation: Professional associations

Civil society organisation: Social enterprises

Civil society organisation: Social movement organisations

Civil society organisation: Voluntary associations

Civil society organisation: Other

Public enterprise: Small

Public enterprise: Medium

Private enterprise: Small

Private enterprise: Medium

Foundation: Public

Foundation: Community

Artists (as individuals)

Amateurs (groups or organisations)

Educational institutions/organisations

Citizen initiatives

Other

local school

European projects looking for innovative forms of cultural participation

Both (short-term and long-term)

Other

local applications directly defined with local university, job center...

Qualitative criteria (e.g., artistic merit, cultural and social relevance, etc.)

Financing model

European programs and projects funding

National foundations

Sponsors

Other

50% self-financing, 40% non-profit financing, 10% local municipality

European programs and projects funding (%): 10

Membership fees

Tickets

Rent of spaces

Cafe-bar

Shop(s)

Other

local community services, electric energy self production,

Comments

MuT project is based on the principles and contemporary practices of Socialmuseology, adapted to the museum territory and its people, by using the following work methodologies in its daily life: - contemporary recognition and use of local experience, as a potential of knowledge of the territory (its uses and resources), of the population (its values, traditions and knowledge) and the micro-history which results of the study of living collective memory; - inclusive and horizontal management, based on the daily interaction between museum professionals and local agents/inhabitants (on an equal basis), but also in the shared construction of projects, processes and initiatives that gain life through the museum; - progressive achievement of financial autonomy, by means of creating sustainable cultural formulas based on ecological values, social justice and valuing culture in its local dimension, in order to give meaning to the concept of free museum, in the sense of freedom of action and opinion. - conformation of new museological rhythms, according to the characteristics and needs of those who, together with the Museum, inhabit the territory. This means prioritization of ideas and aims of inhabitants and local collectives, in opposition to the objectives and strategies of a Museology of political visibility (linked to cultural cosmetic?). For these and other reasons that can be found at the book chapter referred above, MuT has been selected to be one of the four museums integrating the SoMus Project (Society in the Museum: study about Cultural Participation in local European museums) between 2014 and 2019 with the goal of: a) helping to create innovative participatory management models for museums; b) defining the theoretical and practical framework of Cultural Participation as a museological function. Other information about SoMus at: http://www.ces.uc.pt/projectos/somus/