Arts Governance: From Ambivalence to Ambiguity

This article examines the relevance of ambivalence as a strategic choice, which is both a guarantee of success and a source of risk, in the governance of arts and cultural organizations. The longitudinal qualitative study examines the unique case of Louvre–Lens, a branch of the Louvre Museum. The branch was created in 2012 with two objectives: a national plan for cultural decentralization, and economic revitalization of an area in crisis. The authors show that governance based on an ambivalence of objectives was promising at first but then the ambivalence turned into ambiguity. The ambiguity disrupted the functioning of the museum, as it contributed to the sowing of doubt and suspicion among board members regarding the distribution of their roles and missions. The study's first contribution concerns the benefits of ambivalence in governance, responding to the widening responsibilities of museum branches that now extend beyond the cultural domain. Its second contribution is to highlight the risk factors that turn ambivalence into ambiguity: the vision of the founders, the leadership, and attendance figures are all points that must not escape the vigilance of governance actors.