Abstract
The concept of public value is understood to be one way to grant importance to incorporating public participation in the design as well as execution of public policies, from a community governance perspective. While this concept has been debated in the museum field over recent decades, so far no distinction has been established between different types of museums (which often define them to a great extent). As museums and contemporary art centers grow exponentially at the international level, elements must be identified that permit us to analyze and address public value in these spaces. This theoretical and qualitative review examined the literature on analyzing public value with links to critical museology, different approaches to participation and cultural mediation, and socially collaborative art; the findings indicate a significant distance between the different logics behind cultural participation and co-creation strategies, and the need for qualitative as well as quantitative assessment parameters.
Keywords
Museums; Contemporary art; Cultural value; Public value; Cultural policy; Museology