Why Governance Matters for Building Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion in Museums and Art Institutions

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When we walk into a museum or cultural space, we often pay attention to the art on the walls, the exhibitions on display, or the vibrant programs happening that week. What we rarely see — and what shapes everything we experience — is the system of governance behind the scenes. Governance might sound like a dry administrative term, but it is one of the most powerful tools for shaping equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in museums and cultural institutions. In many ways, governance is the “engine room” that determines who gets to make decisions, whose voices matter, and how an institution understands its responsibilities to the public.

Good governance can open doors for marginalized artists, diversify the stories museums tell, and help build an environment where more people feel seen, welcomed, and valued. As museum scholar Richard Sandell (2003) argues, museums have “immense social power,” and how they use that power depends largely on the structures guiding their leadership. In other words: if we want more inclusive museums, we need governance systems built with inclusion in mind.

Why Governance Is So Important

Governance shapes everything — from what gets collected, to which artists are commissioned, to the types of exhibitions that take place. A board or leadership team that understands the importance of multiple perspectives is far more likely to prioritize diversity in meaningful ways. On the other hand, when decision-makers come from similar backgrounds, with similar education, social networks, and cultural references, institutions often (even unintentionally) reproduce the same narrow histories and tastes.

Eilean Hooper-Greenhill (2000) reminds us that museums are not neutral; they present certain stories and leave others out. These choices are guided by people, and those people sit inside governance structures. This is why EDI cannot be limited to exhibitions or one-off diversity programs. It must be rooted in who is at the table — and how the table itself is structured.

Types of Governance That Support EDI

There is no one-size-fits-all model, but research and practice point to several governance approaches that tend to support stronger EDI outcomes.

1. Diverse and Representative Boards

This might seem obvious, but it is often the most challenging step. Boards historically reflect the social elite: individuals with wealth, influence, and connections. While these qualities may support fundraising, a homogenous board often lacks the lived experience and broader cultural viewpoints needed to understand diverse communities.

A more representative board — diverse in terms of race, gender, age, socioeconomic background, and professional fields — can reshape priorities. When people with different life experiences make decisions together, institutions become more responsive and aware of inequalities. As Tony Bennett (2018) notes, diversity in leadership tends to generate more diverse institutional thinking.

2. Shared or Distributed Leadership

Traditional governance models rely on top-down decision-making. But shared leadership models — where curators, educators, artists, community partners, and sometimes visitors take part in shaping decisions — tend to support EDI more naturally. They reduce the idea of a single “gatekeeper” and open space for more voices.

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This can include:

community advisory groups with real decision-making power
rotating leadership roles
co-directorships
collaborative committees for acquisitions and programming

When power is shared, museums are more likely to question their assumptions, listen to community needs, and disrupt historical hierarchies.

3. Transparent Governance Processes

Transparency builds trust. When institutions share how decisions are made, who made them, and why, they begin to dismantle the sense of exclusivity that surrounds many cultural organizations. Transparency also forces institutions to reflect on their practices, making it harder for hidden biases to shape outcomes.

Clear criteria, published meeting minutes, open calls for artists, and public reporting on representation are simple steps that can make governance more accessible and accountable.

4. Governance Linked to Values and Mission

Some institutions have beautifully written mission statements about diversity and inclusion, yet their actions tell a different story. Governance that integrates EDI directly into strategic planning — alongside budgets, staffing, and programming — tends to make more meaningful progress.

When EDI becomes a core value that guides every decision, it shifts from a “nice to have” to a foundational principle. Nancy Fraser (2009) argues that real inclusion requires structural change, not symbolic gestures. Good governance ensures those structural changes actually happen.

Governance as a Cultural Practice

Ultimately, governance is not just about policies or procedures. It is a cultural practice. It shapes how people speak to one another, whose voices are welcomed, and how open an institution is to critique and self-reflection. Sara Ahmed (2012) notes that diversity work often fails when institutions resist change internally, even when they publicly promote it. This is why institutional culture and governance must evolve together.

When governance models are inclusive, participatory, transparent, and grounded in shared values, they create the conditions for museums to genuinely transform. They allow institutions not only to reflect the diversity of the world around them but to honor it — and to actively correct the historical inequities that have long shaped art and culture.

EDI doesn’t begin with the artwork — it begins with the people who decide what art matters. And changing those structures is one of the most powerful ways museums can build a fairer and more inclusive cultural future.

Call for Action!!

In the ODBK we create and develop projects to bring EDI for the Art world. For examaple The Certification in Equity and Diversity for Museums and Art Collections. Join us!!