Prelims

Half Title Page

Accessibility, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Cultural Sector

Title Page

Accessibility, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Cultural Sector: Initiatives and Lessons Learned from Real-life Cases

Edited by

Julie Bérubé

Université du Québec en Outaouais, Canada

Marie-Laure Dioh

Université du Québec en Outaouais, Canada

And

Antonio C. Cuyler

University of Michigan, USA

United Kingdom – North America – Japan – India – Malaysia – China

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Emerald Publishing, Floor 5, Northspring, 21-23 Wellington Street, Leeds LS1 4DL

First edition 2024

Editorial matter and selection © 2024 Julie Bérubé, Marie-Laure Dioh and Antonio C. Cuyler.

Individual chapters © 2024 The authors.

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ISBN: 978-1-83753-035-9 (Print)

ISBN: 978-1-83753-034-2 (Online)

ISBN: 978-1-83753-036-6 (Epub)

About the Editors

Julie Bérubé is a Full Professor in the Department of Administrative Sciences at the Université du Québec en Outaouais (UQO). She holds a master's degree in Project Management from UQO and a PhD in Management from HEC Montréal. Her research interests focus mainly on arts and culture management. She has conducted research projects on artists' identity tensions and the effects of the pandemic on the cultural sector. She also studies issues of accessibility, diversity, equity, and inclusion, in particular the role of cultural organizations and the attractiveness of audiences. Finally, she pays particular attention in her research to culture in a regional context. Her teaching focuses mainly on management and entrepreneurship.

Marie-Laure Dioh is an Occupational Psychologist and an Associate Professor in the Department of Administrative Sciences at the Université du Québec en Outaouais. She is also a regular member of the Équipe de recherche en partenariat sur la diversité culturelle et l'immigration dans la région de Québec (ÉDIQ) and the Centre de recherche en innovations sociales (CRISES). Her main research interests are the socio-professional integration of immigrants, skilled workers and refugees in Quebec, and the life story method. In connection with this theme, she has presented numerous papers at national and international conferences and publishes her work in refereed journals.

Antonio C. Cuyler, PhD, is a Professor of Music in Entrepreneurship and Leadership in the School of Music, Theater & Dance at the University of Michigan. He is the Author of Access, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Cultural Organizations: Insights from the Careers of Executive Opera Managers of Color in the US, the Editor of Arts Management, Cultural Policy, & the African Diaspora, the Author or Co-Author of 25 peer-reviewed articles that appear in the American Journal of Arts Management, Cultural Management: Science and Education, Cultural Trends, ENCACT Journal of Cultural Management & Policy, GIA Reader, Grant Professionals Association (GPA) Journal, International Journal of Arts Management, International Journal of the Inclusive Museum, International Journal of Social, Political and Community Agendas in the Arts, Journal of Arts Management, Journal for Cultural Research, Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society, and the Polish Journal of Management Studies, chapters in Music as Labour: Inequalities and Activism in the Past and Present, Business Issues in the Arts, Voices for Change in the Classical Music Profession: New Ideas for Tackling Inequalities and Exclusions, Oxford Handbook of Arts and Cultural Management, and the Co-Author of Racial/Ethnic and Gender Diversity in the Orchestra Field in 2023. He also consults cultural organizations on access, diversity, equity, and inclusion (ADEI).

About the Contributors

Luis F. Aguado holds a doctorate in Applied Economics and Economic History from Universidad de Sevilla (Spain). He is a Professor in the Department of Economics and director of Programs and Projects, Riqueza Completa. Center for Applied Research at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (Cali, Colombia), and undertakes research and provides consultancy services in the cultural economics and creative industries. In Colombia, he has measured the economic impact of mega-cultural and sporting events such as the Cali Fair, the Petronio Álvarez Pacific Music Festival, and the World Games 2013 Cali. He is the Co-Founder of the Workshop on Popular Culture Economics and Business (WPCEM). He has published in prestigious journals on cultural participation and appreciation of intangible cultural heritage: Journal of Cultural Economics, Empirical Studies of the Arts, and Journal of Arts Management, Law and Society.

Mohammadreza Akbari is an MBA Academic Director (Singapore Campus) and Senior Lecturer (Supply Chain Management) at James Cook University, College of Business, Law, Governance. His research interests include logistics and supply chain management, sustainable development, emerging technologies, digital transformation, smart cities, pollution control, and the hybrid work environment.

Alexei Arbona holds a PhD in Entrepreneurship and Management from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, UAB (Spain). He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics and the Director of Riqueza Completa. Center for Applied Research at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (Cali, Colombia). He leads the line of research on Enterprise and Sustainable Competitiveness of the Territory. He has published in prestigious journals such as Socio-economic Planning Sciences and Journal of the Operational Research Society.

Nancy Aumais is a Professor in the Department of Management of “École des sciences de la gestion de l’Université du Québec à Montréal (ESG UQAM).” She is also a member of the Chair of Entrepreneurship, Otherness, and Society. Her research primarily explores identity transformation and gender as social practice. This includes examining the construction of managerial and entrepreneurial identities, understanding how gender practices contribute to the (de)construction of difference, otherness, and inequality in organizations, and advocating for engaged pedagogy.

Mélanie Boucher is a Full Professor in museology and art history at the Université du Québec en Outaouais. She is the Founder of the CIÉCO Research and Inquiry Group, which brings together the main centers of study in francophone museology in Quebec and Canada for research on art collections and museums. She is the Director of the research creation project “Creating with collections” (FRQSC 2022–2026) and of axis 3 (the expanded collection) of the research Partnership “New uses of collections in art museums” (SSHRC 2021–2028). Mélanie Boucher is also a Principal Investigator of the Art and Museum Team, which brings together curators, visual artists, and graphic designers from three Quebec universities, and a Principal Investigator of the group “The origin and currentness of the subject's becoming object: recreating oneself at the museum and in exhibitions” (SSHRC 2021–2024). She is also a Researcher within the Research Chair in Creative Economy and Well-being (FRQSC 2022–2026). Her most recent book, Réinventer la collection: l'art et le musée au temps de l’évènementiel [Reinventing the collection: art and the museum in the time of events], coedited with Marie Fraser and Johanne Lamoureux, was published at the PUQ in 2023.

Tiffany Bourgeois works at the Ohio State University's Department of Arts Administration, Education and Policy as an Assistant Professor of Arts Management. Her scholarly work uses mega-event legacy theory as a lens to examine the relationship between sports mega-events and arts organizations. It also highlights exercises in soft power and cultural diplomacy. Bourgeois' recent publications can be found in Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, American Journal of Arts Management, and Visual Inquiry: Learning & Teaching Art.

Stephen Boyle is the Dean of the College of Business, Law and Governance at James Cook University. He undertook his MBA at University of South Australia and then completed his PhD in Cultural Economics at Macquarie University. He studied with cultural economist, Professor David Throsby, examining the economics of symphony orchestras in Australia. Professor Stephen Boyle won best paper in the Economic Papers journal in 2012 for his work on productivity analysis of symphony orchestras. His teaching and research interests are in cultural policy, arts management, and the creative economy. He chaired the 41st International Conference on Social Theory, Politics and the Arts and is an Executive Editor of the Journal of Arts Management, Law and Society. He is an Adjunct Researcher at the Culture and Leisure Industry Research Center at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, China.

Julien Doris is a Postdoctoral Researcher. He works as a Research Administrator at the Université du Québec en Outaouais. He holds a doctorate degree in Public Administration (University of Ottawa). His thesis analyzes the institutionalization of public policies aimed at increasing the representativeness of the public service and their application to organizational management systems. It also examines the emergence and professionalization of ADEI as a new venue in managing cultural organizations.

Sophie Galaise is the Managing Director of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (2016–). She has been a Director of not-for-profit boards for more than 20 years. She is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and, since 2021, the Chair of Symphony Services International. She has extensive global experience working with orchestras at the executive level and as a professional musician and musicologist. She is a member of the International Advisory Committee of the Master in International Arts Management (Southern Methodist University, SDA Bocconi and HEC Montreal). Prior to the MSO, Galaise was the CEO of the Queensland Symphony. Previous roles include Executive Director of the Orchestre symphonique de Québec, Executive and Artistic Director of the Orford Arts Center, and Music Coordinator of the Quebec Arts Council. Starting her career as a Flautist in Germany, she has worked in Switzerland and France. Sophie has a PhD in Musicology (University of Montreal) and an Executive MBA (McGill University/HEC Montreal). She is the Co-Author of two books and has published several articles. In 2022, she was appointed Honorary Consul of Canada to Melbourne and recognized as an Asia Society Game Changer. Asia Society Australia. https://www.Asiasociety.org.

Fátima Gigirey, PhD, graduated in Law and Economics from the University of Sevilla (Spain). At this same university, she has completed a master's degree in Economic Consulting and is currently a PhD in Economics. Among the main research topics, she addresses those related to the economics of culture and competition policy.

Brea M. Heidelberg, PhD, is an Arts Management Educator, Researcher, and Consultant. She is an Associate Professor of Entertainment & Arts Management at Drexel University. Dr Heidelberg earned her PhD in Arts Administration, Education, and Policy from the Ohio State University. Her research focuses on diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout the arts management ecosystem, human resources in cultural organizations, the professionalization of the field of arts management, and the training and development of arts administrators. In addition to earning an MA in Arts Policy & Administration, Dr Heidelberg has also earned an MS in Human Resource Management from Villanova University. She is the Founder and Principal of ISO Arts Consulting. Her consulting practice focuses on human resources issues, particularly those related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Dr Heidelberg enjoys the emotional roller coaster that is raising her two sons, office supplies, supporting craft artists, and occasionally baking.

Jesús Heredia-Carroza, PhD, researches and oversees the cultural economics and leisure and tourism sectors. At present, Jesús is a Professor of Economics and Economic History at Universidad de Sevilla. Also, he was a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Sevilla for the competition-based project fund: “Ayudas para la Recualificación del Sistema Universitario Español en su Modalidad Margarita Salas” granted by the Spanish Ministry of Universities by means of Resolution of November 29, 2021, of the Universidad de Sevilla, financed by the European Union – Next Generation EU. He is the Co-Founder of the Workshop on Popular Culture Economics and Management, the Director of the Social Theory, Politics and the Arts Conference, and the Vice President of the Fundación Pública de Estudios Universitarios Francisco Maldonado de Osuna. He has published in prestigious journals on cultural participation, copyright, and the appreciation of intangible cultural heritage: Journal of Arts Management, Law and Society, Empirical Studies of the Arts, International Journal of Heritage Studies, among others.

Sandy Larose holds the position of Professor of Social Psychology at the State University of Haiti and is a member of the management team of the Observatoire de recherche sur les rapports élites-populations et les migrations (ORREM). His research focuses on social inequalities, hip-hop, identity, gender, and working-class neighborhoods. He is currently on the executive committee of the International Association for the Study of Popular Music (Canada) and a member of the CELAT research center at Université Laval.

Olivia Leclair is the Programming and Communication Coordinator at l'Association la Girandole d'Edmonton since April 2022. Dance is at the heart of what Olivia does, being a member of Zéphyr since 2013, a dance teacher and workshop animator, as well as an artist in residence since 2018, reaching audiences on a national and international scale. She has recently collaborated with the Fédération Culturelle Canadienne-Française and the Société Historique de la Saskatchewan on interdisciplinary and dance pedagogy tools and workshops.

Álvaro Andrés Martínez Coronel is the General Manager at the Teatro Villa Mayor in Colombia. He has a Master of Management in International Arts Management from SMU and HEC Montreal, in alliance with SDA Bocconi. A Business Administrator with an option in Anthropology and a Bachelor in Literature with an option in Classical Studies from the Universidad de los Andes. He has worked in the Ministry of Culture of Colombia in different positions such as managing the Colombia Creativa program, an alliance between the Ministry and nine universities to offer higher education programs to artists without a university degree. Advisor to the Direction of Arts supervising projects related to public investment for the arts, international relationship agreements, investment resources from the general royalty system and arts education programs for the development of different communities. He is a Fellow 2018, 2019, 2021 of International Society for the Performing Arts (ISPA). Currently, he is leading the revitalization project of the Villa Mayor Theater.

Akhona Ndzuta is a Lecturer in Cultural Policy and Management at the Wits School of Arts (University of the Witwatersrand). At the time of writing this chapter, she was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Chief Albert Luthuli Research Chair (University of South Africa). Her research interests lie in the intersections of the management of South African music and public policy. She holds a PhD from the Ohio State University and has taught a broad range of courses in cultural studies and arts management across five universities. As a music practitioner, she has performed as a vocalist in popular music ensembles in Cape Town and Johannesburg. She was a contributing Editor to volume 1 of the book “Culture and Liberation Struggle in South Africa: from colonialism to post-apartheid.” In 2022, she managed “MusoCulture: A Music and Public Policy Series,” a project funded by a grant from the National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS).

Srilata Ravi is an Emeritus Professor of Francophone Literature at the University of Alberta (Campus Saint-Jean). Prior to joining the University of Alberta in 2010, she worked at the National University of Singapore (1994–2003) and then at the University of Western Australia (2004–2010). She has published extensively on global Francophone literature as well as on Canadian francophonies from comparative, postcolonial, and transnational perspectives.

Carmen Reaiche holds an MBA from the University of Adelaide and a PhD from the University of South Australia in the area of Project Management/Soft Systems Self-Organization. Beyond her research successes (including more than 70 papers to date and others in preparation), A/Prof Reaiche has obtained several research grants and a wide range of cross-cultural teaching and supervisory experience (teaching and supervising research students in Australia, Venezuela, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, and Malaysia). Her present research interests include project management, digital transformation, cross-cultural leadership, and the social network aspects of business management models. Prior to joining the College of Business, Law and Governance at James Cook University in the role of MBA Academic Director, she was the Associate Head (Teaching and Learning) in the Entrepreneurship, Commercialisation and Innovation Center at the University of Adelaide.

Javier Reyes-Martínez holds a PhD in Social Work from Boston College and a PhD in International Social Welfare from Universidad Iberoamericana. He is a Research Professor in the Public Administration Division of the Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas (CIDE) in Mexico, specializing in socioeconomic and cultural inequalities, well-being, and vulnerable groups. Additionally, he is a member of the Mexican National System of Researchers at level I.

Coline Sénac is completing an interdisciplinary doctorate in semiotics and communication at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM). Her interdisciplinary research focuses on knowledge and gender inequalities in organizations. Her work has been published in international journals such as Language and Dialog and Labyrinth, as well as in research reports by the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) and the Volunteering on the move (VOTM) research group. She recently coedited a pedagogical work on communication published by Presses de l'Université du Québec.

Tobie S. Stein, PhD, is a Visiting Distinguished Professor at National Sun Yat-sen University in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. She is a three-time Fulbright Specialist (South Korea, Israel, and Taiwan) and is a member of the Fulbright Specialist Roster. She is the Author of five books, including Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Performing Arts Workforce (Routledge) and Leadership in the Performing Arts (Allworth). Two of her books, Performing Arts Management: A Handbook of Professional Practices, second edition, and Leadership in the Performing Arts have been published in Mandarin. She is also a Professor Emerita at Brooklyn College, where for over 20 years she was the Director of the MFA Program in Performing Arts Management. She is a member of the Diversity Scholars Network at the National Center for Institutional Diversity, University of Michigan.

Foreword

Julie Bérubé

No need to argue the importance that issues of accessibility, diversity, equity, and inclusion (ADEI) play in our societies. More than ever, we need social justice in all spheres. We need a balm to heal wounds inflicted by transgressions like hate crimes, oppression, exclusion, and more. This perspective shaped the idea for our book.

In studying the cultural sector for almost a decade, I have taken an interest in the identity tension experienced by artists who are torn between giving their creativity free rein and needing to earn a living. Cultural activity in rural areas is also of significant interest to me because the concentration of resources in major urban centers leaves artists in rural areas with limited resources and, unfortunately, leads to a less robust cultural offering. Nonetheless, culture should remain accessible to all citizens regardless of factors such as their origins, social status, gender, and location. Art and culture bring well-being and have positive economic and social impacts (Boix et al., 2022; Tubadji et al., 2015). This book affirms the importance of promoting culture and its accessibility for all; it is essential, even vital, that culture becomes a common good.

I have always dreamed of a just society where differences are accepted and appreciated for their uniqueness. However, as I grew up, I quickly realized that differences could frighten, making it easy for people to discriminate against others who did not belong to dominant groups. This led me to take an interest in understanding issues of ADEI. Similar to many people, I have both privileged and unprivileged social identities. I didn't want to assume that I understood other peoples' experiences with discrimination and marginalization, but I could dream of an inclusive and just society. So, with humility, I began to study ADEI issues.

My first research project on ADEI focused on the role that cultural organizations played in relation to ADEI issues in the cultural sector. This project led me to meet artists and cultural workers who are interested in ADEI issues and who are striving for a fair and inclusive sector. I quickly became interested in the initiatives they were implementing to promote inclusion. Cultural workers and artists around the world are advocating for ADEI and seeking greater social justice. We must recognize their work and efforts and share these initiatives to inspire others to join in making cultural sectors more fair and more inclusive. This desire to acknowledge and highlight the work of others gives the book purpose.

By sharing these initiatives that promote ADEI in the cultural sector, we aim to reach two target audiences: practitioners and academics in the cultural sector. Practitioners may find interest in concrete initiatives that can be used to replicate or to inspire other actions. Several best practices emerge from the cases presented, and initiatives from one artistic discipline can also inspire other cultural disciplines. Our goal is to break down barriers and foster exchanges across all disciplines for all cultural disciplines. Similarly, initiatives in one country can inspire cultural workers in others to adopt certain practices or initiatives.

For academics, real cases fuel reflection on the challenges related to ADEI in the cultural sector. Several cases present ideas that academics can further explore, especially in collaborative research projects. In these cases, we can identify not only best practices but also the ADEI challenges that the cultural sector faces. Thus, academics could undertake research projects to find ways to overcome these challenges. The cases can also serve as teaching material, providing concrete examples that illustrate the theories taught in arts and cultural management classrooms. University programs that focus on arts and culture management are increasing in number. These programs must teach the concepts of ADEI, and this book is a perfect tool to promote the practical application of theories. Real cases from various disciplines and regions help students to understand the breadth of possibilities for promoting and integrating ADEI in the cultural sector.

As the idea for the book took shape, it became clear that I couldn't work alone on a project of such significance and scope. I instinctively turned to my close network and invited my colleague Marie-Laure Dioh to join me. Marie-Laure has a strong research background on themes of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), Quebec immigration, and socio-professional integration. Her knowledge of these subjects made a valuable contribution to steering this book. Her openness, empathy, ability to engage in dialog, and her desire to continually learn about others make her a perfect editor.

Next, I approached someone I didn't know personally but who is a leader in the field of ADEI in the cultural sector, Antonio C. Cuyler. I have immense respect for all of Antonio's work on ADEI, particularly his relevant and timely contributions to the opera field. His knowledge of the sector, experience, and network were major assets for our work. The contributions of Marie-Laure and Antonio were essential for success; without their efforts and input, the book could not have been realized. I am immensely grateful to them for accepting my invitation and for their dedication for more than a year to deliver a high-quality manuscript.

Of course, the book could not have come to fruition without the participation of all the authors and practitioners who contributed to writing the separate chapters. We reached out to you, and you all responded with enthusiasm for the project. Your experiences make this book even more relevant. On behalf of the editing team, I warmly thank you for your participation and the quality of your chapters.

To maintain an open-minded approach, we intentionally placed few constraints on the contributing authors. Indeed, we only asked them to present an initiative that promotes ADEI in the cultural sector. Recognizing that the concepts of accessibility, diversity, equity and inclusion are social constructs and inherently polysemic, we acknowledge the existence of multiple and coexisting definitions to understand these concepts. We chose to let the authors refer to their own definitions rather than impose our vision of ADEI on them.

In the same vein, we did not determine the specific type of initiative that authors could present. As readers will observe, some chapters focus primarily on accessibility, others on social justice, and others on inclusion or equity. Thus, we embrace the plurality of perspectives related to ADEI and the various ways of conceptualizing them in the cultural sector.

It is, however, relevant and important for us to share with the reader at the outset how we frame these concepts. We opt for broad and inclusive definitions. For accessibility, we concur with Cuyler (2023) who conceives it as: “Access is the removal of all barriers to participation” (p. 86).

There is a range of definitions for diversity; some identify specific components such as race, gender, ethnicity, age, national origins, religion, and disability (van Ewijk, 2011). We prefer a broader definition suggesting that diversity includes all the ways in which individuals differ from one another and encompasses the characteristics that make an individual or group of individuals different from one another (Cuyler, 2013; van Ewijk, 2011).

For equity, we adopt the definition used by a Canadian funding agency, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (2017):

Equity means fairness; people of all identities being treated fairly. It means ensuring that the processes for allocating resources and decision-making are fair to all and do not discriminate on the basis of identity. There is a need to put measures in place to eliminate discrimination and inequalities which have been well described and reported and ensure, to the best degree possible, equal opportunities. (p. 3)

Finally, for inclusion, we propose one of the definitions suggested by Dobusch (2014): “a process and condition where people gain access to areas from which they were formerly un/intentionally excluded” (p. 220). As mentioned, we did not impose these definitions, but in the foreword, we wanted to offer an initial way of conceptualizing accessibility, diversity, equity, and inclusion. While readers can understand these as individual concepts, in most cases, they are interconnected, where, for example, accessibility promotes inclusion, and so on. Thus, we advocate for a unified and comprehensive conception of ADEI.

Given the richness of chapters we received, we have chosen to organize them according to artistic discipline: performing arts, music, visual arts, and events. Initially, we aimed to highlight similarities or differences in ADEI initiatives across various artistic disciplines, but it is clear that such classification is not feasible at this stage. Indeed, faced with the diversity of cases presented, we have not been able to identify specific practices unique to each artistic discipline. The initiatives are therefore presented as independent of each other. Chapter 1 introduces the structure of the book and provides a brief overview of some literature on ADEI in the cultural sector.