A means to survive: The influence of the pandemic on the cultural entrepreneurship of small Dutch museums

In this research, using qualitative methodology, an attempt was made to answer the main question 'How do cultural entrepreneurs in Museum Vrolik respond to the ongoing challenges during the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic?' to contribute to a better understanding of the cultural entrepreneurial activities and strategies developed and carried out within the cultural sector, specifically the Dutch museum industry, during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. In-depth interviews and online participation observation as part of digital ethnography were used to collect data on Instagram, YouTube and Facebook, and through interviews with 8 museum experts. Small Dutch museums have had a very difficult time in the years 2020 and 2021, and have had to respond to many changes in a very short period of time. They were forced to close their facilities several times in the year 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, to avoid physical contact between visitors as much as possible. As a result of these closures, museums have had to cancel their daily activities or adapt them to the new situation, also in the field of cultural entrepreneurship. Cultural entrepreneurship has long held an important position within Dutch cultural policy and is encouraged and stimulated by the government. However, certain aspects of cultural entrepreneurship, for example taking risks, looking for other ways to generate an income, and innovation, have had to take different forms in the period of closure following the measures to combat the pandemic. The interview transcripts and field notes were analyzed inductively based on the grounded theory, which showed that COVID-19 and the measures have a negative impact on the performance of the small museum Museum Vrolik. However, it has a positive impact on their engagement in budget-friendly entrepreneurial activities, such the attempt to create social value, and innovation through digitization and digitization. In addition, more intensive efforts are being made online to involve the public in the museum on the basis of social media content and email communication. Museum Vrolik has explored the online realm very well within its own borders, and has served the public with online tours and by spreading information about itself and knowledge about its objects on social media. The museum is active on Web 2.0, but there is little focus on ways to create some value in the physical world, for example by entering into collaborations.