Abstract
In this chapter, I briefly discuss the larger urban context of Lawrenceville’s artistic enclave (i.e., the City of Pittsburgh). I draw on secondary sources, and also utilize my field data and Art All Night Artist Survey data. I begin by presenting a brief overview of Pittsburgh’s transition from industrial to postindustrial city, and point out that it has not experienced widespread gentrification and astronomical increases in housing costs. I then discuss and evaluate Florida’s comments on its creative class, and proceed to assess some of the advantages and disadvantages of being a Pittsburgh artist.
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Notes
- 1.
Pittsburgh’s industrial age produced philanthropic organizations started by the Carnegies, the Fricks, the Heinz’s, and the Mellons, and left a legacy of major museums (The Carnegie Museum of Art, The Frick Art and Historical Center), three major universities (Carnegie Mellon, The University of Pittsburgh and Duquesne University), a top 25 arts college (at Carnegie Mellon), and architecturally interesting industrial age structures (Strickland 2004).
- 2.
In 1994, another new museum, The Andy Warhol Museum, opened its doors in Pittsburgh.
- 3.
Among 2009 Art All Night Survey respondents, the median rental cost was $565 per month, while the median home price (among artists who owned homes) was $94,000.
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Moss, G. (2017). The Larger Urban Context. In: Artistic Enclaves in the Post-Industrial City. SpringerBriefs in Sociology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55264-4_3
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