Arts can Fuel Citizen Participation and the Economy

Buzz, the feeling of excitement that cultural venues generate, is actually a commodity that can be traded and is subject to its own kind of inflation, according to Prof. Terry Nichols Clark, whose recent work looks at the role arts play in the economy and civic participation worldwide. “Buzz is the discussion, news, gossip—everything surrounding cultural activity. It drives economic development and is exchanged as a political resource. If a neighborhood generates more buzz, the mayor may give it more attention,” said Clark, professor of sociology. READ MORE at UChicagoNews