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Contemporary Bohemia: A Case Study of an Artistic Community in Philadelphia

Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs in Sociology ((BRIEFSSOCY))

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Abstract

This chapter presents the historical, geographical, and artistic context of our case study. It starts with a brief overview of Philadelphia’s overall art scene and proceeds to discuss the history and geography of our research site (i.e., Philadelphia’s Fishtown/Kensington area). It then discusses the reasons why some artists choose to locate within Philadelphia, highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of being a Philadelphia (rather than NYC) artist. It proceeds to explain why some artists choose to live and/or work within Fishtown/Kensington, and discusses the deindustrialization and subsequent gentrification of the area by artists, hipsters, and affluent professionals.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    A Philly Art Census is underway, as of 2018, to collect information on the greater Philly artist community. The organizers, Philly Stewards, plan to release a visual report and the original data set to the public sometime in 2019.

  2. 2.

    https://www.visitphilly.com/areas/philadelphia-neighborhoods/center-city/.

  3. 3.

    http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20151004_Philly_artists_looking_for_affordable_space_amid_real_estate_boom.html?arc404=true.

  4. 4.

    https://whyy.org/articles/one-of-phillys-oldest-art-collectives-space-1026-to-loses-its-home-of-20-years/.

  5. 5.

    https://www.phillymag.com/citified/2016/10/20/northern-liberties-gentrification/.

  6. 6.

    http://planphilly.com/articles/2014/02/24/from-industry-to-abandonment-artist-s-mecca-to-hipster-haven-new-exhibit-tells-tale-of-northern-liberties.

  7. 7.

    https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/pennsylvania/articles/top-10-art-galleries-in-philadelphia-s-hip-northern-liberties/.

  8. 8.

    See the maps at the end of this chapter.

  9. 9.

    The city’s economic decline, however, was tempered somewhat by its growing “Eds and Meds” sector (Health Care and Higher Education).

  10. 10.

    https://www.philly.com/philly/news/philadelphia-census-deep-poverty-poorest-big-city-income-survey-20170914.html.

  11. 11.

    https://spiritnews.org/articles/goodbye-philadelphia-sculpture-gym-fishtown-bids-farewell-to-beloved-gallery-makerspace/.

  12. 12.

    http://thekey.xpn.org/2013/10/29/experimental-art-space-highwire-gallery-announces-plans-to-close-in-fishtown-fire-museum-presents-series-halted-indefinitely/.

  13. 13.

    https://billypenn.com/2017/02/18/why-fishtowns-rocket-cat-cafe-and-its-iconic-murals-are-basically-gone/.

  14. 14.

    https://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/13/travel/13dayout.html.

  15. 15.

    https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/13/travel/a-creative-renaissance-in-philadelphias-fishtown.html.

  16. 16.

    https://www.cntraveler.com/story/what-to-do-in-fishtown-philadelphia-hottest-neighborhood.

  17. 17.

    https://www.forbes.com/sites/petertaylor/2018/05/02/how-fishtown-philadelphia-became-americas-hottest-new-neighborhood/#175c9cbe32e5.

  18. 18.

    https://billypenn.com/2016/12/06/how-fishtown-finally-got-those-crosswalks-on-frankford-ave/.

  19. 19.

    https://philadelphianeighborhoods.com/2014/12/05/fishtown-fna-brings-artists-and-community-together-to-feed-the-fish/.

  20. 20.

    http://www.businessinsider.com/8-hottest-housing-markets-in-america-right-now-2017-8.

  21. 21.

    https://www.wsj.com/articles/you-got-priced-out-of-philadelphia-the-spread-of-hot-housing-markets-1514975400.

  22. 22.

    https://www.bisnow.com/philadelphia/news/neighborhood/kensington-inevitable-development-boom-here-it-comes-93673.

  23. 23.

    http://www.ocfrealty.com/naked-philly/east-kensington/total-renovation-hagert-playground.

  24. 24.

    https://www.visitphilly.com/things-to-do/events/kensington-kinetic-sculpture-derby/.

  25. 25.

    http://www.philly.com/philly/health/addiction/A_hidden_heroin_hellscape.html#loaded.

  26. 26.

    https://kensingtonblues.com/.

  27. 27.

    https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Artists-Try-to-Reclaim-a-Corner-of-Kensington-264015671.html.

  28. 28.

    https://philadelphianeighborhoods.com/2016/02/01/kensington-five-places-helping-to-create-an-art-community/.

  29. 29.

    For photos of the area that highlight its hip and artistic amenities, see the appendix at the end of this book.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Geoffrey Moss

  2. Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Rachel Wildfeuer

  3. Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Keith McIntosh

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  1. Geoffrey Moss
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  2. Rachel Wildfeuer
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  3. Keith McIntosh
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Correspondence to Geoffrey Moss .

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Moss, G., Wildfeuer, R., McIntosh, K. (2019). The Research Site. In: Contemporary Bohemia: A Case Study of an Artistic Community in Philadelphia. SpringerBriefs in Sociology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18775-0_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18775-0_4

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