Introduction

The introduction delineates the genesis of this study, beginning with a research trajectory initiated at the Tate Intensive: Making Tomorrow’s Art Museum at Tate Modern, London, in 2016, where the challenges confronting contemporary creative industries were first critically encountered. To provide a conceptual framework, the study employs the notions of mono- and permaculture as analytical lenses through which to interrogate the prevailing and emergent practices of art institutions. This theoretical positioning underpins the structure of the book, which is organised into three sections corresponding to key principles of permaculture: observe and interact, obtain a yield, and use and value diversity. Each section advances a set of proposals aimed at reconceptualising and co-designing models for future art institutions, emphasising adaptive, sustainable, and participatory institutional practices.