The Warhol Economy: How Fashion, Art, and Music Drive New York City

by Elizabeth Currid

Which is more important to New York City's economy, the gleaming corporate office--or the grungy rock club that launches the best new bands? If you said "office," think again. In The Warhol Economy, Elizabeth Currid argues that creative industries like fashion, art, and music drive the economy of New York as much as--if not more than--finance, real estate, and law. And these creative industries are fueled by the social life that whirls around the clubs, galleries, music venues, and fashion shows where creative people meet, network, exchange ideas, pass judgments, and set the trends that shape popular culture. The implications of Currid's argument are far-reaching, and not just for New York. Urban policymakers, she suggests, have not only seriously underestimated the importance of the cultural economy, but they have failed to recognize that it depends on a vibrant creative social scene. They haven't understood, in other words, the social, cultural, and economic mix that Currid calls the Warhol economy. With vivid first-person reporting about New York's creative scene, Currid takes the reader into the city spaces where the social and economic lives of creativity merge. The book has fascinating original interviews with many of New York's important creative figures, including fashion designers Zac Posen and Diane von Furstenberg, artists Ryan McGinness and Futura, and members of the band Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. The economics of art and culture in New York and other cities has been greatly misunderstood and underrated. The Warhol Economy explains how the cultural economy works-and why it is vital to all great cities.

Genres: Art

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 1 out of 5]

In her Acknowledgments, Currid thanks the editor who agreed to publish her book after reading the first draft of the first chapter. I think he exercised poor judgment.

[Ms. Rocket Pie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Elizabeth Currid took on an ambitious project in attempting to draw attention to the vital nature of culture and arts to the life of the economy. She offers compelling statistics and studies that point to the relevance of the arts to the backbone of the New York City. The significance of third spaces in creating an environment for art to thrive and thus the economy to thrive is a summation of her thesis; unfortunately hundreds of anecdotal stories of happenstance meetings begin to drown out the weight of her analyses. Despite the obvious academic approach in The Warhol Economy its redundancy never lost a certain juvenile feel.
Throughout nearly 200 pages a case is built for the artists of New York. The arts are identified as a building block capable of rivaling the traditionally regarded economic engines such as law and finance. As New York’s economy moved away from production, creativity became the foundation for the thriving metropolis. The interdependent nature of the arts is established and therefore the vital role of third spaces as a catalyst for further growth. In light of this Currid identifies gentrification as one of the factors currently threatening the success of artists. Her solution to this particular obstacle is for the city to offer subsidized housing and work space; her idea's for propping the art world are vague and incomplete.
Her book is weakened by the lack of engagement with people who haven’t “made it.” Ignoring this sector of the art industry creates internal contradictions, as these are the people she ultimately advocates for. The definition of “making it,” is also susceptible to criticism. Pop culture becomes the avenue for evaluating the art world’s success, and the commodification of art becomes a crowning point in art careers.
Currids attempt to draw attention to the value of art, the nature of art productivity, necessary elements for success and threats to the art world, sends valuable messages to those who would trivialize the mathematical importance of culture. The magnitude of creativity as a building block is one that stands beside the power of law firms and financial institutions. However, this position is not presented in a concise or engaging manner that allows for influential persuasion.

[Emma Jayne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting snippets of info drowned in repetitive basic sociological + economic ideas

[Lilly Irani · Rating 1 out of 5]

Currid asks famous artists why they've made it. Not surprisingly, they give similar answers about being in the right place, working the network, doing work with substance judged by the world's best critical audiences. Currid reheats these answers, stitches them together in friendly prose, and serves it up as a Princeton University Press book. (I almost wrote Princeton Review there. Freudian slip.)

She assumes too much and ignores too much. She assumes that NYC is the center of global cultural production. Actually, it's the center of cultural production she thinks is the best, but most of the world is wearing clothes made in places far far from NYC. NYC is worthy of study without the ethnocentric and elite assertion of its centrality. She also assumes that what is good for consumption expenditures is good for NYC. What about the availability of well paid work? Of accessible urban spaces? Surely urban planners have more to think about than boosting their booze consumption or investing in super luxury industries. Not everywhere wants to be NYC.

She doesn't talk about unpaid interns. She doesn't talk about class. She doesn't talk about race or ethnicity or English fluency and how that shapes access to the art scene. She certainly doesn't talk about herself as a thin, white, fangirl and how that shapes her access to the art scene. On top of all that, she cites Bourdieu as if his "field" analytic is just the same as her "scene" analytic, but she ignores precisely what the point of field is for Bourdieu -- a space of positions within a field, the rules for action in the field, the stakes at dominating in a field, and the competitive negotiations by which people try to become dominant within it.

[Fred Cheyunski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basis for Needed Updates - Seeking to better grasp what is occurring currently in the City, I started reading this book to use it with several others (e.g. see my reviews of David’s “Modern New York,” Clarke’s “Billionaires Row,” and Priore’s “The New Kings of New York,”) to triangulate about more recent developments and direction of NYC. While Currid-Halkett’s book provides an excellent account of Manhattan and its surrounding scene at the time it came out along with a strong case for the importance of the “arts economy,” an update is needed to convey what has happened since. Fortunately, it provides a helpful basis for further efforts along these lines.

More specifically, the book’s contents consist of a Preface (to the New Edition) and 7 chapters. Namely, there is (1) Art, Culture, and New York City, (2) How It All Began: From the Rise of the Factory to the Rise of Bling, (3) Becoming Creative, (4) The Social Life of Creativity, (5) The Economics of a Dance Floor, (6) Creating Buzz, Selling Cool, and (7) The Rise of Global Tastemakers: What It All Means for the Policymakers. There is also an Appendix with a Listing of Interviewees, Tables (e.g. Location Quotient Data) and Charts (e.g., Occupations via Bureau of Labor Statistics), and Notes.

Aspects that stood out for me were characterizations of NYC, charts, as well as people and places mentioned. For instance (in Kindle Location 359), the author states that “New York ranks number one over all major metropolitan regions in art and culture, even outranking Los Angeles within particular film and media occupations.” She also asserts that “. . . the city’s greatest stronghold and advantage are in artistic and cultural occupations . . .” (Location 356) and that “. . . Part of the cultural economy’s success in New York has to do with the city’s built environment” (Location 325). Further along (starting around Location 1052), the author discusses and presents line graphs of different “Occupational Clusters” in support. One wonders about such prospects going forward (see my review of Marr’s “Future Skills”).

As indicated (in Location 439) most of the book deals with “ . . . people from seemingly dissimilar worlds who share similar qualities in their creative production and social patterns, and in their need to live in New York . . . [where] Andy Warhol exemplified these dynamics more than anyone.” The author goes on at length to describe the importance of night life and different venues for creatives as a means of meeting and spawning collaboration. She also explains the criticality of “. . . these nodes of creative exchange [that] provide another crucial element to economic life—access to [g]atekeepers [and “tastemakers’} . . .[where] cultural producers engage those who are responsible for selling and evaluating cultural products . . . “ For instance, apropos the recent film as of this writing “A Complete Unknown”, she says (in Location 1715) that “ . . . it was partially word-of-mouth around Greenwich Village of Dylan’s impressive live performances in small neighborhood clubs that catalyzed his recording deal with Columbia Records in 1961.” Such remarks also bring to mind such books as Hughes’ “Literary Brooklyn” and Bolter’s “Digital Plenitude” (see my reviews).

Among the books limitations are the fact that by now it is quite dated. Fresh and current when it was first published, many if not most of the cultural spots mentioned do not exist or are not in business any more. So, while one might say that this book is a fine historical account, one can question where are things presently and do the author’s assertions then, still hold true? Never the less, the author does provide some hints as to trends emerging when she was writing that seem to have continued. As an instance, Currid-Halkett opines in the Preface to the New Edition (in Location 67-81) that “Today, . . . a bohemian and grassroots creative scene could never exist in New York City or any other high-end global metropolis where rents and real estate prices continue to soar . . . there’s a limit to the places where artists who have been forced out can go . . . [But] they’ll move to where they can get it—which does not bode well for New York City, London, and other overpriced, gentrifying metropolises that are slowly grinding down the scenes that made them great.” A little later, she offers (in Location 394-95) that “The other type of economy in which the creative world thrives is a vibrant and robust one . . . where people—dealers, investment bankers, lawyers, and so forth—have the disposable income to actually purchase artwork at high prices, thus turning the symbolic art form into a very real and highly decided commodity. We have witnessed this type of economy in New York City through the 1980s into the present day.” She also has suggestions for policy makers to help nurture a creative economy which do not seem to have received much attention, a least in NYC.

Even with its limitations, Currid-Halkett’s “The Warhol Economy” gives a helpful review regarding New York of its time and its greatness due to its many creative residents, industries, and settings. It also offers means to probe for the degree to which such characteristics will continue to be present into the future.

[Mirabelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Currid, E. (2007). The Warhol Economy: How Fashion, Art, and Music Drive New York City. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

In the Warhol Economy: How Fashion, Art, and Music Drive New York City, Elizabeth Currid provides a critical analysis of culture, art and consumption in New York City. With many examples and data she has collected, Currid allows one to understand why New York City is seen as the place for creative and cultural destination. Her argument holds that the arts and culture are the source of the city’s greatest competitive advantage over other urban centers. In her book, she explains the importance of cultural producers, which are individuals who make art for consumption whether within their specific art world or without and how with their assistance as well as the artist social life, this is what makes the culture move.

Based on this premise, Currid theorizes that a culture economy is only productive if artists as well as cultural producers are in the right scene at the right time, creating a brand for themselves and networking, which at the end will lead to success. According to Currid, the success of New York City’s cultural economy is dependent on the various opportunities available for artists, such as nightlife activities. Currid’s analysis focuses on how a creative culture can flourish and the different ways public and private organizations tries to foster the arts. She does that by specifically looking at the role and functions of the arts in New York City.

The first chapters of The Warhol Economy introduces Currid’s themes and provides a brief explanation of the history of New York City as a cultural center. She provides a great overview on the cultural economy and provides an example that really defends her claims. Currid explains the life of Jean Michel Basquiat as an example to prove that her theory of becoming successful in the art world is possible if one follows the methods she lays out in her book. Basquiat was an American artist, who began as a graffiti artist in the lower East Side of Manhattan. He moved to the downtown scene at the age of eighteen. He constantly frequented creative places and made himself known to the people that attended these places.

Basiquat interacted with cultural producers and wanted to be successful from art. His ultimate goals was to reach fame but through his artwork. Jean-Michel Basquiat is a prime example of what Currid’s book is all about. Currid in her book spends a large amount of time discussing on how to ultimately become famous in the art world. She touches upon branding but also nightlife, which is where artists have the opportunity to interact and become involve in great dialogue, which can lead to many opportunities. Therefore, Currid argues that we should see the arts as not just an amenity or added attraction to New York City, but as one of its vital economic sector.

Furthermore, Currid in her book, really digs deep in explaining why New York is seen as a built environment. First, she says that the clustering of neighborhoods helps for better exchange of ideas. Currid defends this claim by quoting Howard Becker, who says, “creative don’t just come to NYC because of creative cultural, they come knowing their creativity has a chance at making them successful”(9). New York City is the king of the art world. During and after both World Wars, the United States was able to monopolize art markets. Since the wars did not touch USA, many artists came to New York City to create art. Most artist and cultural producers came to New York and established themselves in Lower Manhattan, which was the center of the new urban economy. These creative individuals situate themselves in social realms. Currid calls
these individuals “tastemakers”.

Therefore, for her, nightclubs and other social venues in the meatpacking districts are places where cultural producers take part in the nightlife to interact with individuals from different levels of the cultural economy. Some artist attend different galleries not for the artwork, but to network, to describe their craft, and one day display their work at a particular gallery. For Currid, hanging out is beneficial because it has positive and social economic outcomes. An artist can potentially meet someone powerful who may want to invest, which will help take his or her business to the next level. Currid is not only explaining the importance of place, but also justifying the concept of place playing an important role in the creative consumer centers of the city.

In the last chapters of her book, Currid talks about branding and networking. Even though this discussion is targeted to individuals in the art world, after reading, I felt Currid points were facts that people in all occupations can take with them in being successful. She wants people to always ask themselves internally, how do you want to be remembered? How do you constantly leave the image of your craft and skills in someone’s head? In relation to the art world, social interactions are essential to the production system and continue the cultural economy. Since the creative world is small, it is significant to know everyone for the sake of professional longevity, which in the end can make you more money. For Currid, mastering the skills of branding and networking leads to innovations, creativity, collaborations, and more possibilities.

Overall, in terms of her writing style, I really appreciated the use of sources and modern day examples that Currid used because I believe it attracts a wide range of people and allows her audience to relate in one way or another. I believe that her use of secondary sources were effective in her text because she used these sources to display the popular discourse concerning her main points, which allows her audience to establish a full and clear picture of what the art world is like and the potential success of the cultural economy if following her methods. Currid’s writing style was clear and concise throughout the book and her use of personal anecdotes contributes to the book’s conversational tone without being overly informal. I really enjoyed reading this book and relating it to my experiences that I have come across while establishing myself in my career path and realizing some steps that I can take to be successful. The Warhol Economy brings about debates on cities and the creative economy that continues to be prevalent in New York and across the United States on why art and where it is placed is crucial to those who create it.

[Riley Noel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me uncannily many times, which makes sense because I am really fixated with Andy Warhols factory and the general cultural offshoots of really smart creative people getting together and how magical that is. With that being said the book itself kindof beats a dead horse and I think the majority of the second half was redundant. I was expecting it to be more in depth on Warhol but maybe that was naive of me. anyway.

[Artyom Petukhov · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the book on New York City. But also it's not. But actually it is. But not at the same time. Here's your summary. I mean, for real. 50% of this book is made up of Elizabeth arguing with herself figuring out what her book is about. The other half could easily be trimmed by two thirds so it's worth a local newspaper.

[Mu-tien Chiou · Rating 3 out of 5]

excellent topic and approach weakened by her literary execution.

Highlight: New York's unique preeminence as a global city come from its cultural economy (rather than business clusters).

“[Creative] industries operate horizontally, engaging with each other through collaboration, sharing skill sets and labor pools, and reviewing and valorizing each other’s products — and much of this often begins in the informal or social realm. Film directors and musicians hanging out at SoHo House or the Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Institutes’s annual gala that mixes high fashion with high art and has every A-list celebrity, designer supermodel and tastemaker in attendance. Creativity is so fluid that cultural producers from one industry move seamlessly into another (e.g., Claw as graffiti artist and fashion designer; Beyonce and her boyfriend Jay-Z as hip-hop superstars and fashion designers).”(Chapter three)

Times of economic recession (as in the 1970s and 1980s for NYC) became chances for the concentration of artists, musicians, fashion industry specialists, and the media industry (writers, illustrators, editors, publishers): rent and other living expense became cheap. On the other hand, more recent real estate price increases and gentrification is making it more challenging for the them to form living clusters in the city.

Cultural clusters work at the micro level whereby people cross over related industries through collaboration and idea exchanges .

Artists, musicians, fashion designers, and their media supporters and critics run in the same social circles and gather at those 'third places' (attending the same gallery openings or indie band concerts, and frequenting the same night clubs).

[E Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

At the time he turned forty the painter Martin Johnson Heade had yet to produce a distinguished painting. In 1859 he rented a studio in New York 's Tenth Street Studio building and changed his fate. His contact with other members of the Hudson River School radically improved his work. Unfortunately Heade later moved to Florida and was all but forgotten.

New York wasn't the center of the art world in the 1850s it is today, but Heade's story shows that New York was well on its way to being a place where people make things happen. In turn, the city makes people happen.

MORE: http://www.newcolonist.com/br-currid....

[Jbryon · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was so-so. Currid is obviously having fun. The quotes are really great, but there are a lot of them and they don't always express the point Currid is trying to make. They are also often too similar in sentiment from interviewee to interviewee. The numbers are no doubt compelling but there was little meat joined to those bones. More research was needed in this department. She will undoubtedly be published again -- The Warhol Economy generated bountiful buzz -- and her next work is sure to reflect a more mature writer and economist.

[Alejandro · Rating 2 out of 5]

El punto del libro es que la vida social y los lugares en dónde ocurre (bares, restaurantes, antros, etc.) son espacios importantes para el funcionamiento de las industrias creativas. La información que aporta es limitada y ejemplifica con unos pocos artistas y creativos. La prosa es entretenida y bien estructurada.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this more for its cultural/economic history of NYC, from the 60s to the late 90s, which is fascinating. There isn't a big lesson or deep thought in this book, though... it's the details of the story that make this interesting.

[Evan Corey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but obvious. The most useful chapter was the last (Chapter 7). The rest is extremely redundant and often states the obvious.

[Michael]

http://press.princeton.edu/chapters/s...

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting topic, the writing was rather dry and repetitious - more of an academic approach.

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book to understand why NYC is what it is now and how culture tends to gather in cities.