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An arts district is a demarcated urban area, usually on the periphery of a city centre, intended to create a 'critical mass' of places of cultural consumption - such as art galleries, dance clubs, theatres, art cinemas, music venues, and public squares for performances. Such an area is usually encouraged by public policy-making and planning, but sometimes occurs spontaneously. It is associated with allied service-industry jobs like cafes, printers, fashion outlets, restaurants, and a variety of 'discreet services' (see the back-page small-ads of almost any cultural events-listings magazine).

There may also be some artists' studios located in nearby back-streets. But, as Richard Florida has found from his research, cultural production facilities are often better sited some miles away from cultural consumption facilities - except in some very tolerant cities and in countries where a boisterous alcohol-based nightlife scene does not lead to aggressive and anti-social behaviour.

In the UK the term sometimes used is "Cultural quarter" or "Arts quarter".

Notable arts districts in the USA include:

• Arts District, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• Arts District, Dallas, Texas
• Arts District, Portland, Maine
• Crossroads Arts District, Kansas City, Missouri
• Cultural Center Historic District, Detroit, Michigan
• Downtown Arts District, Las Vegas, Nevada
• Gateway Arts District, Hyattsville/Mount Rainier/Brentwood/North Brentwood, Maryland
• Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia
• Noho Arts District, Los Angeles, California
• Ray Street Arts District in North Park, San Diego, California
• Pearl District, Portland, Oregon
• Short North, Columbus, Ohio
• Uptown, Oakland, California
• Miller Beach Arts and Creative District, Gary, Indiana
• NoBo Art District, Boulder, Colorado

Art districts in London include:

• Shoreditch
• Broadway Market

See also[link]

• Urban regeneration
• Creative industries
• Cultural industries
• Entertainment district
• Creative class

References[link]

Man's Cloth by El Anatsui (1998 - 2001), on display at the British Museum.

El Anatsui (born 1944) is a Ghanaian sculptor active for much of his career in Nigeria.

Anatsui was born in Anyako, and trained at the College of Art, University of Science and Technology, in Kumasi, in central Ghana. He began teaching at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in 1975, and has become affiliated with the Nsukka group.^[1]

Anatsui's preferred media are clay and wood, which he uses to create objects based on traditional Ghanaian beliefs and other subjects. He has cut wood with chainsaws and blackened it with acetylene torches; more recently, he has turned to installation art. Some of his works resemble woven cloths such as kente cloth. Anatsui also incorporates uli and nsibidi into his works alongside Ghanaian motifs.^[1]

El Anatsui has exhibited his work around the world, including at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (2008–09);^[2] National Museum of African Art, Washington, D.C. (2008);^[3] Venice Biennale (2007); Hayward Gallery (2005);^[4] Liverpool Biennial (2002); the National Museum of African Art (2001); the Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (2001);< the 8th Osaka Sculpture Triennale (1995); and the Venice Biennale (1990).

A retrospective of his work, subtitled When I Last Wrote to You About Africa opened at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Canada, in October 2010. It will be touring North America for the next 3 years.

Footnotes[link]

External links[link]

• El Anatsui's artist web page at the October Gallery, London
• QuickTime Virtual Reality Image of 'Akuas Surviving Children' at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London by Jonathan Greet
• El Anatsui: Gli Rice University Art Gallery, Houston, Texas, 2010
• El Anatsui lets chance, collaboration into his work by Doug Britt, Houston Chronicle
• El Anatsui at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute,Williamstown, Massachusetts, June 12, 2011 - October 16, 2011

• El Anatsui piece at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art