“My entire life is in that Museum.” Swedish women as cultural builders and non-profit community entrepreneurs in the United States

Description

Today, a museum can be many things: a collection, a building, a digital platform, a device for shaping heritage and history, a machine for political infrastructures, as well as a place to visit, volunteer, and to work. Before it is anything else, however, a museum is a process of making. The study is part of a larger research project on women and leadership in transnational settings. This paper brings forth women who have built institutions for Swedish, Scandinavian, and Nordic culture in the United States, several of which have grown into cultural powerhouses and diplomatic hubs. As this paper will show, it is “the process of making” that is perceived as the most important driving force for cultural builders and non-profit entrepreneurs to engage in. Building on fieldwork, archival resources, and interviews, this paper will show how these enthusiasts engage with communities and financial stakeholders to create new vernacular artful spaces. The presentation will offer understandings of how these women’s complementary work facilitates learning and community cohesion as well as shedding light on the dynamics of non-profit community entrepreneurship in a society where market driven culture rules.

Period	2024 May 11
Event title	Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study
Event type	Conference
Location	Seattle, United States, WashingtonShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International