Inventing the New Art World: On Art Institutions and Their Audience

Abstract

Howard S. Becker (2005 [1982]) and Vera L. Zolberg (1990) suggested the advent of new audiences to be one of the main common motors of change in artistic practice, where art institutions play an important role in delivering both aesthetic and educational experiences, but can also be criticized for persistent exclusivity and for how they create a participatory environment. The aim of this article is to examine the present-day relationship of art museums and galleries with their audiences while taking into account the role played by the advent of a new sociology of art, museum sociology, and the audience development, with all of them questioning the role of museums as socio-cultural institutions focused on the democratization of culture. By employing empirical research conducted in selected art institutions in the Czech Republic and Poland, I will examine how young visitors view art institutions in light of their recent quest for becoming the inclusive platforms of gaining knowledge about art, which promote and facilitate active participation rather than passive consumption.