Volunteers as Intermediaries between the Museum and Visitors: the Perception of Creating a Hospitable Environment

The modern development of socio-cultural policy in museums reflects the emergence of the «new museology» of the 21st century, which emphasizes museums' social mission, with visitors at the core of museum identity. Within this framework, museums aim to become more accessible and hospitable spaces for all visitors. Volunteers play a significant role in facilitating dialogue between cultural institutions and visitors, contributing to the creation of a hospitable atmosphere and embodying the principles of the «new museology». However, there remains a gap in scholarly researches regarding volunteers' perceptions of creating a hospitable environment for visitors in Russian museums. This study, conducted through 15 semi-structured interviews with seasonal and permanent museum volunteers across various cities in Russia, aimed to address this gap. The findings revealed that volunteers themselves contribute to the concept of hospitality, serving as interpretive guides focused on visitors. Hospitality creation is seen as a mutual process and bidirectional communication between volunteers and visitors. Additionally, the study suggests that the absence of interaction between volunteers and the audience can also be considered a form of hospitality practice, as it demonstrates individualized approaches. Responsibilities for technical or curatorial tasks are also integral to creating a hospitable environment, forming a balanced tandem in volunteer-visitor interactions. Volunteers perceive themselves as participants in shaping a hospitable environment in interaction with visitors or in performing tasks directly related to the museum audience. Key components in this creation, as perceived by volunteers, include dialogue, emotions, and visual symbols. However, participation in "behind-the-scenes" practices may also indicate volunteers' contribution to constructing a hospitable environment. Museum staff, including volunteers, are key agents in employing hospitality rhetoric, yet volunteers do not claim a central role in this process. Volunteers act as intermediators between the museum and visitors and face challenges in creating a hospitable environment from both sides, reflecting their social vulnerability. Improving the level of hospitality between museum-volunteer and volunteer-visitor enhances its development between these agents. The study's findings hold theoretical and practical relevance by contributing new knowledge about the phenomenon among museum volunteers and may serve as material for cultural institutions to reflect on enhancing strategies for interacting with volunteers and visitors.