Gestão de equipamentos culturais de uma universidade pública: um estudo de caso

Abstract

The management of cultural facilities in public universities constitutes a complex and paradoxical field, where administrators must reconcile substantive rationality—oriented by symbolic, educational, artistic, and experimental values—with instrumental rationality—focused on administrative efficiency, budgetary constraints, and measurable outcomes. This study aims to understand how the management of cultural facilities operates at the Federal University of Ceará (UFC), based on the analysis of five dimensions: institutional, financial, human resources, infrastructure, and cultural activities. The research, qualitative in nature, was conducted through a single case study with integrated units of analysis—the UFC Museum of Art (MAUC), Casa Amarela Eusélio Oliveira (CAEO), and Casa de José de Alencar (CJA). Interviews were carried out with facility managers, representatives of the Dean’s Office for Culture (Procult), and the university’s rector, and were analyzed using thematic analysis with the support of Atlas.ti software. The results indicate that the establishment of the Dean’s Office for Culture represented an institutional milestone by centralizing the management of facilities and cultural initiatives. In the financial dimension, the absence of a dedicated budget reinforces the need to seek external funding. In human resources management, the study highlighted both the shortage of professionals in specific roles and the critical importance of leadership and collective team commitment to sustaining activities. Regarding infrastructure, the facilities face limitations due to their historical nature and ongoing maintenance demands. Finally, cultural activities affirmed their role as a central pillar of the university’s mission by promoting democratized access to art, civic education, and the recognition of culture as a strategic dimension of the institution—all while navigating the persistent challenge of balancing substantive and instrumental rationalities within the cultural management process.