Учить или развлекать: конструирование аудитории сотрудниками музеев в России

Шаги/Steps. 2025. Т. 11. № 4. С. 222–242.

Власова Т. А., Obukhov K.

This study investigates how museum staff in Russia conceptualize their audiences in the context of evolving cultural policies and institutional demands. The research addresses the complexity of museums as multifaceted organizations navigating the tension between preservation, education, and entertainment. Employing a qualitative methodology, the study analyzes 33 semi-structured interviews with museum professionals from 21 museums across 13 Russian regions, representing various types and ownership structures. The analysis identifies three distinct types of museums based on the dominant “episteme” guiding their operations and audience construction: those prioritizing educational values, those emphasizing recreational functions, and those focusing on creative engagement. Museums with a strong educational focus, often established during the Soviet era, tend to maintain traditional exhibition formats and view visitors as recipients of knowledge. Museums prioritizing entertainment, frequently emerging in the post-Soviet period, adopt interactive approaches and see visitors as clients seeking engaging experiences. Finally, museums with a creative orientation, including art galleries and vernacular museums, often collaborate with local communities and view visitors as active participants in meaning-making. The findings reveal that museum staff actively construct their audiences through their understanding of the museum’s role, the design of exhibitions, and their interaction strategies. These constructions are influenced by historical legacies, neoliberal cultural policies, and the increasing need for museums to engage with diverse publics. The study concludes by highlighting the varying approaches to audience construction in Russian museums and their implications for visitor engagement and museum development.

Keywords: музей, management staff, эпистема, episteme, вовлечение аудитории, museum, cultural institutions, museum visitors, посетитель, active participation, выставочный комплекс, культурная институция