The Judge of Who

Abstract

This thesis focuses on the extent to which minority/majority background is taken into \naccount in the evaluation of artworks by young artists by gatekeepers in the Rotterdam \ncultural field. Gatekeepers make judgments based on experiential knowledge and play a \nkey role in realizing the artistic vision of cultural organizations. As being inclusive is a \ngoal by the majority of organizations it is the gatekeepers’ responsibility to translate this \nvision into action. This results in decisions on artistic content that become clear through \nprogramming or exhibition making. For this reason gatekeepers are a highly relevant \ngroup for the purpose of this study, as the focus is on the extent to which diversity is \ntaken into account in the practical decisions and selections made by cultural \norganizations. The data were obtained by inviting respondents (n=56) to participate in a \nvignette survey. Of the sample 23.3% stated to have a non-Dutch background. The data \nare analyzed through comparing means and multilevel models. The main finding is that \nthe culturally distinct name of the artist influences the evaluation of the art world \nprofessionals. The artists with a non-Western name were evaluated significantly more \npositive than artist presented with a Dutch name regardless of the content the artwork is \npresented with. This suggest a form of positive discrimination that is in all likelihood \naimed at facilitating artists with a non-Western name a place in the cultural field, but in \nreality when not taking into account the content of their artistic practice, it can also \nhinder full participation as artists. The only finding where content was taken into account \nwas by looking at the non-Dutch subset of gatekeepers; here artworks with a non- \nWestern content description were valuated significantly higher.