Art District Research Articles

Functional Diversification Strategy: A Key Factor in the development of start-up Art Districts brand building

Our research focuses on the difference between functional diversification strategy and product functional diversification strategy, and give a detailed definition and introduction. As well as focused on exploring how a functional diversification strategy contributes to art district branding in the early stages. We employed the case study approach, examining the SteelStacks Cultural Arts Park in Bethlehem, USA. Our findings highlight the benefits of a diverse, integrated arts district as exemplified by SteelStacks, which underwent a successful transformation. The case underscores the importance of economic revitalization, cultural renaissance, community engagement, sustainable development, and collaboration in fostering vibrant and resilient arts districts that serve both the local community and society at large.

The Role of Graffiti Art as a Medium in Shaping Urban Image: A Case Study of Beijing 798 Art District

Graffiti art in Beijing has undergone prolonged development and evolution, narrating the diverse stories of the city and presenting a more varied image of Beijing. This study selects the graffiti art hub, the 798 Art District in Beijing, and employs spatial production theory and interactive ritual chain theory to deeply analyze the crucial role of graffiti art in disseminating the urban image of Beijing and the specific images it sculpts. Through the application of spatial production theory, we specifically explore the layout, positioning, and display modes of graffiti in the urban environment, as well as the potential impact of these factors on the perception and shaping of the urban image. Building upon this foundation, interactive ritual chain theory is utilized to investigate the interactive processes between the audience and graffiti, revealing how such interactions guide, influence, and co-construct the cognitive representation of the urban image.

Excellent Case of Building A "School-land" Co-construction and Sharing Pattern Network of School Aesthetic Education and Regional Culture

With the development of computer science, some of the excellence artworks of Henan Provence are very popular through network dissemination. To achieve the transformation of Henan cultural brand from "parts" to "whole" and from "internet celebrity" to "long-lasting", it is necessary to establish an active inheritance mechanism network for Henan regional cultural resources and enhance the endogenous and innovative capabilities of traditional regional culture. The modern school aesthetic education system that runs through all stages has a natural advantage in incubating regional cultural communities. However, in reality, the aesthetic and spiritual attributes shared by school aesthetic education and regional culture have not been sufficiently valued, and the connection between the two lacks active policy design and mechanism innovation. Through Literature, field research and interviewing professors, artists and persons in charge of regional culture, the Department of Public Art Education at Zhengzhou University of Aeronautics has recognized the value of integrating school aesthetic education with regional culture in terms of cultivating students and building a rich cultural life. Leveraging their connections with social artist groups and individuals online and offline, who have conducted research on the ecological conditions of Zhengzhou's art districts, intangible cultural heritage, and the current status and issues of various school aesthetic education programs in the province through various ways. The working mechanisms and platforms have been establishment online and offline. The establishment of a pattern of co-construction and sharing of art education and regional culture network in the school is essentially a practical and methodological issue. Some plans have been made for the future. Research has found that for school aesthetic education, curriculum, teaching staff, and internal and external collaborative mechanisms are key points for the reform and development of aesthetic education. Schools aesthetic education curriculum system should integrate regional culture from multiple dimensions with network. A collaborative art education framework should be formed which integrates social and cultural resources at the regional level.

Research on the Spatial Renovation Design of the 798 Art District and Ullens Centre for Contemporary Art Guided by Gordon Cullen’s Methodology

This research analyzes the spatial renovation of Beijing's 798 Art District and the Ullens Centre for Contemporary Art (UCCA), using Gordon Cullen's urban design principles. It examines the transition of the 798 District from an industrial complex to an art hub, highlighting its alignment with Cullen's concepts like 'serial vision' and 'sense of place'. This transformation blends industrial heritage with contemporary art to create a dynamic environment. The study also looks at how UCCA's spatial redesigns have enhanced its sense of place and visitor experience, in line with Cullen's principles. A comparative analysis between the 798 District and UCCA shows the synergy of old industrial elements with modern artistic interventions, respecting historical context. The study discusses how design elements in these spaces align with Cullen's vision, emphasizing the importance of these methodologies in urban redevelopment and cultural heritage preservation. This paper contributes to understanding sustainable urban redevelopment and the application of urban design theories.

The multiple construction of place of Songzhuang Art District in Beijing from the perspective of media geography

The multiple construction of place of Songzhuang Art District in Beijing from the perspective of media geography

“Art district without artists”: urban redevelopment through industrial heritage renovation and the gentrification of industrial neighborhoods in China

ABSTRACT China’s shift from a socialist to a market economy has resulted in deindustrialization and the emergence of industrial heritage. Despite extensive research on state-led (re)development, limited knowledge exists on the changing role of state work-units (SWUs). Based on the case of Dahua 1935, the research reveals how the top-down production of art districts reshapes traditional work-unit urbanism. It also offers new insights into the gentrification of industrial neighborhoods under the combined forces of the state, SWUs, and private developers. The research finds that the gentrification of industrial neighborhoods cannot be fully captured by either art/artist-led gentrification or state-led gentrification. The changing role of Dahua company from a social provider in pre-reform China to an entrepreneurial and predatory organization in post-reform China has contributed to the remarkable urban transformation. The tension between socialist legacies and capitalist modes of urban (re)development poses a challenge to sustainable industrial heritage-led redevelopment in China.

Empowering local arts organizations and governance: The case of Gordon Square Arts District in Cleveland, Ohio

This study argues for the significance of the network governance model in bottom-up cultural district development aimed at neighborhood revitalization. This study, employing a multi-level policy design framework in a case study of the Gordon Square Arts District in Cleveland, Ohio, found that having a formalized governance structure and ongoing technical assistance empowered local arts organizations to succeed in advocating and bargaining for their organizational interests and needs as well as the broader needs of their community. Both network governance and technical assistance created more opportunities to achieve a relatively balanced power of cultural and non-cultural actors in decision-making on policy objectives, mechanisms, implementation tools, and solutions against the issue of marginalization caused by displacement via market-driven overdevelopment.

Art District in Puerto Vallarta: diversification of the tourist offerings

Art District in Puerto Vallarta: diversification of the tourist offerings

Art District in Puerto Vallarta: diversification of the tourist offerings

Art District in Puerto Vallarta: diversification of the tourist offerings

ENERGY EFFICIENT REHABILITATION OF A HISTORIC BUILDING IN TUCSON, ARIZONA: INVESTIGATING THE POTENTIAL FOR ENERGY CONSERVATION WHILE PRESERVING THE BUILDING’S HISTORICAL INTEGRITY

The focus of this study was to investigate the feasibility of transforming historically significant buildings with high energy requirements into high-performance constructions. The researcher suggested adaptive reuse for the case study, recommending that the building be converted from a warehouse into a café and art studio, which would be in line with the surrounding art district in Tucson, Arizona. As a result of the change in design, everything from the floor plans to the building facades and the mechanical systems were modified. During the visit to the location, the researcher was able to identify the primary factors that led to the low energy efficiency. The study was conducted using the real-life energy simulation that the DOE-2 simulation engine provides. During the process of redesigning the building, the researcher utilized both passive and active design strategies to evaluate how these techniques impacted the amount of energy consumed by the structure. The total amount of energy that was saved from all of the implemented solutions was compared to the total amount of energy that was consumed by the base case (the existing condition). The findings indicated that the chosen case study had a significant potential for reducing energy consumption, with savings amounting to more than 50 percent of the total energy usages.

Graffiti Street Art and Community Engagement in Lodhi Art District: Towards Sustainable Development in Delhi

Graffiti Street Art and Community Engagement in Lodhi Art District: Towards Sustainable Development in Delhi

The American Literary Sculptors: A Map of the Roman Studios

This critical account of the art studios of what was once the Roman art district, visited by the Alcott sisters during their stay in Rome in winter 1870-71, casts light on a vivid, cosmopolitan art scene through micro-biographies of the American literary sculptors trained at the school of Thorvaldsen and Canova. Among them, the unprecedented freedom experienced in Rome by the community of American sculptresses led by Charlotte Cushman contributed to their professional emancipation while producing marble representations of their republican and abolitionist values.

The Role of Creative Placemaking

The Role of Creative Placemaking

‘Mapping the Most Influential Art Districts in Shanghai (1912-1948) through Clustering Analysis’

This research proposes a new method to map and classify art clusters, combining multiple dimensions of spatial and social network analyses. This method innovatively blends a historic GIS approach, spatial statistics and qualitative data analysis, and experiments with the Republican-period of Shanghai art world, known as the golden age of art and culture in Shanghai. The outcome is the identification of 11 major art clusters in eight selected years with unique characteristics. It also uncovers a partially correlated yet dialectic relationship between social network dynamics and cluster transformation in Shanghai. These findings fill a knowledge gap in Chinese art history.

From the Tag to the #Hashtag: Street Art, Instagram, and Gentrification

One of the key trends that can be seen in gentrifying environments is the use of “street art” murals, which are increasingly connected to official government-sanctioned “street art festivals,” to decorate the walls of urban neighborhoods—sometimes located in officially designated “arts” or “creative districts.” In this article, I consider the role that Instagram practices have played in the popularization of such districts. In a case study of Denver’s RiNo Art District, I argue that as street art is used to turn everyday urban environments into sites of adventurous exploration, the sharing of images from these discoveries on social media helps to make territories more familiar and thus more open to socioeconomic change. This case is considered as an example of how mediatization is connected to gentrification processes.

Towards a multimethod approach for film geography: a case study of Los Angeles’ Nate Starkman Building

This paper introduces a multi-method approach for Film Geography that intertwines spatial analysis, cartography, textual analysis, discourse analysis, field research, and expert interviews. Historically, film studies has focused on textual analysis whereas geography has emphasized the material aspect of space through field research. However, if cinema is a double ontology of image and industry film geographers must engage with both to make a meaningful contribution to the complex interwoven discourses on cinematic space. This case study focuses on the Nate Starkman Building, a frequently filmed warehouse located in the Arts District of Los Angeles, California. This case study acts as an example of how a multi-method approach can be applied to on-location filming. I demonstrate how the methods can be combined to contextualize and pinpoint previously invisible interactions between the on-screen appearance and the cultural politics of film production and placemaking. I argue that film-geographic analysis allows for a more in-depth look into the Hollywood-machinery that has led to these unique socio-economic structures.

The changing cityscape of Delhi: A study of the protest art and the site at Jamia Millia Islamia and Shaheen Bagh

The spatial turn in humanities and social sciences has contributed towards a significant discourse on the city and urban spaces, and street art is widely accepted to be one of the ways in which one can analyse and unravel the cityscape. The utilization of the public domain of the city, its entanglements with urban authorities and its diverse potential has sparked several debates, and I seek to engage in the same, and interrogate the role of street art in modifying the cityscape. Through the course of my paper, I seek to interrogate the changing cityscape of Delhi and the role that street art has played in the same, post the events of 13th and 15th December 2019. The walls of Jamia Millia Islamia serve as a canvas for the articulation of resistance against the State and its excesses, its personal testimony of the same, and the graffiti on the same covers a plethora of topics, ranging from assertions of revolution, encouraging slogans and ominous warnings by literary figures, and is a dynamic form of subversion of State Power, unlike the street art projects at Lodhi Art Districts that are aimed at gentrification. The murals have been painted by students but the anonymity of the artists is retained, and thus belongs to no one but the multiplicity. I seek to study the reorientation of the cityscape of Delhi by the protest sites of Jamia and Shaheen Bagh that is not just limited to street art but the rerouting and diversion of traffic, creation of temporary structures like classrooms and libraries outside the institution and on the roads through the works of Henri Lefebvre, and weigh the significance of this protest.

Rebuilding Cultural Ethos in Urban Storefronts: Two Arts Districts in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas

Dallas-Fort Worth, the fastest growing region in Texas, has been criticized for decades for auto-centric and corporate development, which has restricted the sustainable design of cultural venues in need of permeable access to the community. Meanwhile, the city's arts districts – Bishop Arts District and Deep Ellum, officially designated as Cultural Districts in the Dallas Cultural Plan – are known for their clusters of murals, live music venues, and independent businesses, which exemplify the transformation of the forgo en historic streetcar corridors into bohemian cultural destinations. This paper examines the revitalization of Deep Ellum and the Bishop Arts District that have both become successful local destinations with walkable commercial streets. First, we review the literature on cultural placemaking in a post-industrial urban context. Next, using US Census data, we explore the socio-demographic environment of the two neighbourhoods. Then, synthesizing a Geographic Information System (GIS) data set and Google Street imagery, we analyse storefronts that have been modi fied for cultural use. Urban development of cultural districts shows that reusing storefronts can and should be contextually adapted to the existing built landscape and socio-cultural environment to satisfy both communities' needs and to enhance local economic growth. In view of cultural placemaking, the city should develop a policy that increases pedestrian and transit access to cultural districts, aff ordable housing, and spaces for artists and residents, and spurs innovative, often post-retail, cultural storefront repurposing through community engagement in order to build incremental, long-term resilience.

Acoustics improvements to an outdoor music venue in an urban setting: A case study

This paper presents a case study of acoustics improvements made to the Number 38 Social Hall located in Denver's RiNo Arts District. The venue includes an outdoor music stage which is close to adjacent residential buildings, resulting in concerns about noise impact on the residences. During the summer of 2021, improvements were made to the stage area to reduce these noise impacts. We will review the changes made to the construction of the stage area, discuss sound level measurements made both before and after the improvements, and comment on the overall acoustical results of the improvements.

Contemporary Chinese art on WeChat and its utilisation to promote artists and their artworks

Abstract Social media are becoming increasingly popular in China. This trend is also observable in the art world. Besides specialised websites promoting art and artists, there are also many new ways of sharing information about artists, exhibitions, publications and the art world. Almost all Chinese artists use the WeChat application as a means of communication. There are also other social media outlets, such as Weibo and TikTok. This paper focuses on the use of WeChat by Chinese artists. Apart from its primary functionality, WeChat has become a vital medium for sharing information about recent exhibitions, articles or just to share artwork. WeChat allows artists to distribute and provide a space for new creative content. Artists and galleries can post photographs, links to articles, interviews and video promotions of exhibitions. The 798 Art Zone is an example of quite advanced promotion ranging from information about artists and exhibitions to even the sale of artworks. To illustrate the wide range of content on WeChat, this paper will look at visual artists such as Gu Wenda, Zhang Yu and the art critic Xia Kejun, and compare them with the public accounts of galleries and 798 Art zone (Beijing), the most famous art district in China.