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This brief epilogue begins by looking at the current development of the little art colony at Marfa, Texas, then extends a consideration of the little art colony in the U.S. past mid-century. By this time, the growth of the modern tourist industry had largely overwhelmed the places examined in this study and, as the local economies expanded and diversified beyond arts tourism and became physically and financially accessible to the masses, their reputations as vital little art colonies became diluted and faltered. As a model of possibility, however, the little arts community seems to have spawned two significant iterations that continue to be alive and well in the twenty-first century: the widespread, not-for-profit, artist residency program that fosters cross-pollination across the arts and the ubiquitous ‘arts district’ of cities eager to attract and capitalize on the creative class as part of a development and investment plan. the sketches out the salient features of each that draw from the model of the modern little arts colony and considers the effects of institutionalization in each instance.

While the general public engages in varying levels of it, the models and modeling professionals I spoke to for this study claimed they felt as though they were never off duty and were always at work to produce the right “look” in person, in photographs, and online. Model agents made it clear that it matters where models live, where they eat and shop, and on which airline they travel. As this chapter explores, some respondents reported being told explicitly by their agents they had to put on the show all the time, even if they were just running around the corner to do an errand, mindful of the impression they might make as they are out and about, conscious of their online image created by the photos snapped of them in fashionable neighborhoods or at social events and posted to blogs or websites dedicated to documenting the modeling world. It seems like a lot of work, but models who really want to “make it” report trying to make it look fun to be exposed in this way, to be “on” all the time, to be out there in the spotlight, as often as humanly possible.

This chapter argues that New Orleans, cosmopolitan center of world culture, faced an uncertain future following the devastations of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, 2005, and Deepwater Horizon, 2010. It argues that, in order to survive, the city has followed a global pattern of arts-led urban regeneration. The “holy trinity” of New Orleans, history, music, and food has been kept alive through an investment in and focus on its creative economy, notably New Orleans music, visual arts, film, TV, and literature, with tourism at its center. Citizens have engaged in post-Katrina recordings of personal testimony and oral histories, and their commitment to the city’s future, as well as international support for its creative industries and heritage, offer hope for a sustainable New Orleans.

This chapter positions the role and development of UK film policy within the domain of politics and political culture. It highlights the culture-commerce dichotomy that has run through UK film policy for decades. It also highlights the growth of digital and creative economy policy thinking and the positioning of film policy within this discourse. The latter part of the chapter explores international models of film support, contrasting the UK approach with that of France.

Introducing the book as a whole, this chapter examines how the arts sector and wider creative economy are evolving, particularly in the context of austerity. The idea of cultural intermediation is introduced, building on the work of Pierre Bourdieu to examine how organisations and individuals attempt to use cultural activity as a tool to improve the lives of individuals living in deprived communities. Austerity economics has had a major impact on the work of intermediaries, with communities simultaneously made responsible for solving their own socioeconomic problems, while the institutions with the capacity to mitigate inequality have been eroded through funding cuts. The cultural deficit model is challenged, noting that exposure to arts activities in and of itself does little to overcome entrenched inequality and social exclusion. The chapter also introduces the wider case studies used within the book, primarily examining the UK, with a particular ethnographic focus on the neighbourhoods of Ordsall in Salford and Balsall Heath in Birmingham.

Chronicles the recent commercial and cultural revitalization of boulevard life throughout Los Angeles and examines more closely the transition in Highland Park and Eagle Rock in relation to local preservation and slow growth movements. Depicts the Northeast LA art scene and hipster culture as a convergence of Latino/a and Asian immigrant culture and vintage Americana. Features public characters and neighborhood leaders as they reflect on small business authenticity, safety, community building, community gardening, bicycle culture, economic development, gentrification and racial/ethnic transition. There is literature review of sociological studies of streets, bohemia and the creative economy in urban culture.

The book concludes by arguing not about the need to increase funding for cultural intermediaries, but rather for a critical examination of the role of culture in tacking entrenched inequality. The cultural sector is largely a closed shop, dominated by the white middle classes in south east England. Realistically, only the very talented and very lucky can count on the creative sector as a route out of poverty, regardless of how many well-meaning cultural activities run in deprived neighbourhoods. The chapter calls for a clearer delineation of different types of intermediary function, noting that the excellent work done by intermediaries based in deprived communities tackling skills and confidence building should not be unreflexively conflated with the activities of large arts organisations engaging in wider practices of marketing cities to middle class consumers. The chapter concludes that cultural intermediation will continue to play a role in building confidence and skills among a relatively small number of people. Unfortunately, in the face of a right-wing agenda that seems determined to entrench inequality, the capacity of cultural activity to transform society remains highly limited.