Diversity in Cultural Organizations

Dear Colleagues,

Cultural institutions, defined as organizations which work for the preservation and promotion of culture or subculture(s), are facing pressure to increase diverse representation and offer inclusive experiences. Growing public awareness of gender, ethnic, and cultural disparity, among others, has placed such organizations in the spotlight of social and political debates, making issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion vital to the future of archiving, collecting, and support.  

Do cultural organizations have the potential power to address growing diversity issues, however? Can traditional cultural organizations negotiate change to engage and represent the multivocal narratives and identities of the modern populations they represent and serve? How can cultural organizations create cohesive, meaningful understandings of inclusivity within their unique heterogeneous communities?

This Special Issue considers the (symbolic, social, political, etc.) values and practices of cultural organizations in developing inclusive, multivocal culture. Specific focus will be given to how representation and inclusivity are defined, communicated, and valued in organizations serving diverse populations. Specifically, the Special Issue will consider: (1) How is diversity understood and inclusion practiced within cultural organizations, collections, and exhibitions? (2) How does the institutional legacy of cultural organizations influence new programming decisions? (3) What constitutes a facilitating environment in terms of policy, public access, and representation? Comparative approaches or articles focusing on broadly defined cultural organizations are welcome, including GLEAM institutions (galleries, libraries, education, archives, and museums). 

To propose an article for publication, please send a title and short abstract to the Guest Editor, Dr. Laura Braden ([email protected]), with a copy to [email protected]. Full manuscripts should be submitted by the deadline.

Dr. Laura Braden
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Arts is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• cultural organizations
• art institutions
• diversity and inclusion
• heritage and archiving
• GLEAM institutions