Building Collaborative Strength through Capacity Development in Inclusive Exhibition Making with a Multi Source Case Study of Vinautism Gallery

Abstract

Capacity-building initiatives to improve exhibition management are common in gallery practice, yet evidence-based accounts of how they translate into inclusive exhibition-making remain limited. This article examines how collaborative advantage was mobilised through a training-based capacity-building programme at Vinautism Gallery (Surabaya, Indonesia), a privately initiated venue exhibiting the work of an autistic artist and running community-facing arts activities. The study used a qualitative single-case design and assembled a multi-source corpus comprising decision-oriented meetings, partnership intake and selection procedures, curatorial decision artefacts, installation and display-quality records, public programme documentation, dissemination and media assets, and co-creation documentation involving autistic artists and artists with disability. Data were analysed using document analysis and qualitative content analysis, combining a directed coding lens (planning, organising, motivating, controlling) with inductive refinement. Findings indicate that capacity building was operationalised through an interlocking pathway of routines: structured coordination and role allocation; lightweight procedural tools for partnership access and selection; staged curatorial scoping–framing–selection; display quality assurance via diagnosis and corrective actions; integrated dissemination production that converts exhibitions into communication assets; and mentoring-based co-creation that supports inclusive production and curatorial integration. The study offers a mechanism-based model to guide small galleries seeking practical routes to inclusive, professionally delivered exhibitions.