Aesthetic Leadership and Organizational Symbolism Experienced at the Paintbrush Factory in Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Aesthetic Leadership and Organizational Symbolism Experienced at the Paintbrush Factory in Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Summary/Abstract: The study of organizational symbolism in the 1980s brought into discussion aspectsreferring to the image, the sentiments, and the representative values of an organization, pointingto an aesthetic sensibility that can generate meaning. This paper is part of a larger endeavorthat examines the latest developments of the methodological models pertaining to organizationalaesthetics. Starting from the categories of research in the field of organizational aestheticsproposed by Taylor and Hansen in 2005, I attempt to analyze an art space phenomenon,the Paintbrush Factory in Cluj-Napoca, Romania (2009–22). I focused on aspects of aestheticleadership and the day-to-day experience of those involved in Paintbrush Factory, especiallyat the peak of its existence (2009–13), with the aim of finding an appropriate methodologicalmodel for research such a complex enterprise as well as to discover lessons that can be learnedin terms of its impact and legacy.The Paintbrush Factory brought a memory of the past to light (through the conversion of acommunist space), acquiring an exemplary role in contemporary art (through the type of networkdeveloped by this spontaneous, contextual space). The presence of individuals (involvedin the management of this art space, artists, or participants in events) was observed in light ofthe “intelligence of the feeling” and of various symbolic effects. Thus, the Paintbrush Factoryis an example of the transformations undergone by an industrial space, which became a creativemodel of cultural management, a cultural brand with a unique mode of organization: afederation.

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