Crisis management of Kharkiv cultural sphere in the conditions of martial law

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of models and scenarios of Crisis Management in cultural institutions of a city Kharkiv under martial law. The relevance of the study lies in the insufficient development and under-research of ways of Crisis Management in the cultural sphere, the search for which has become an urgent need for cultural institutions with the spread of COVID-19 pandemic, and has especially intensified with the beginning of a full-scale invasion of the territory of Ukraine. The relevance of the research topic is also associated with random and spontaneous scenarios of decision-making by cultural institutions (such as museums, galleries, educational centers) in the state of crisis, with the lack of anti-crisis management algorithms and the recommendations for the evacuation of cultural values at the level of administrative management by government bodies. With the beginning of a full-scale invasion, cultural institutions of a city Kharkiv and all Ukraine found themselves in a state of uncertainty about further steps in the gradual withdrawal of the institution from the state of crisis in such issues as: securing cultural values, their evacuation; the search for resources for the functioning of the institution and its personnel, as well as for the elimination of damage due to rocket attacks; the search for alternative ways for the institution to fulfill its main mission and tasks, such as exhibition activities and popularization of cultural heritage. The purpose of the study is to determine the models and stages of Crisis Management in cultural institutions of a city Kharkiv during 2022 – 2023. The practical basis of the study is an expert questionnaire survey and the results of interviews with heads of cultural institutions of a city Kharkiv, conducted by the author independently. The author reveals the essence of Crisis Management in the field of culture at the level of local management of a cultural institution and at the level of state/regional management of the cultural sphere. The article reveals the issues regarding the role of international organizations, donors, and business collaboration with the field of culture in times of crisis. Models and stages of Crisis Management in cultural institutions of a city Kharkiv are identified, which reveal the process of anti-crisis management in galleries, museums and educational centers, including those that are units of  V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University.