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

by Elizabeth Currid (Author) "In 1977, a graffiti duo with the name of SAMO (standing for Same Old Shit) began bombarding New York subways and slums..." (more)
Key Phrases: social production system, creative scene, creative producers, New York, Los Angeles, Silicon Valley (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
In detailing the inner workings of New York's creative industries-ostensibly to demonstrate what policymakers ignore when their appreciation for art begins and ends at the museum-urban planning Ph.D. Currid gives readers an eagle-eyed look at the networking mechanics of the art-as-business crowd. Colorful description abounds, as do colorful characters, such as "petite, personable" Claw, who "has clothing lines with Calvin Klein and Ecko, and is the fashion editor for the indie magazine, Swindle," as well as "one of the most celebrated female graffiti artists of all time." Using Claw's success to illustrate "three important characteristics of the cultural economy"-"unique and symbiotic" inter-industry relationships, rapid commodification of cultural goods and multiple streams of self-generating buzz-Currid is at her lucid best. Unfortunately, the policymaking conclusions she draws are weak; Currid doesn't get very far beyond admonitions to stop "shutting down nightclubs" where the art community connects and instead to support, publicly, "ways in which this artistic and cultural environment is reinforced." Funding for cultural organizations such as GenArt are discussed, as are tax initiatives and artist living subsidies, but Currid doesn't take into account the examples of other cities, like Providence, RI, that have already taken such steps; thus, Currid's blanket statements about the state of urban affairs, and her vague recommendations to improve it, aren't nearly as convincing as her vivid cultural reportage. 25 halftones, 22 line illus.
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Review
"...a new spine that fingerless-gloved intellectuals are cracking all over the Muni." -- Marke B. The San Francisco Bay Guardian

"...she has, quite cleverly, identified something we're seeing growing momentum daily. No small thing." -- Jeff Simon, The Buffalo News

"Currid's memo to city planners: Support creativity wherever it happens." -- Christine B. Whelen, The American

"Elizabeth Currid argues that the cultural industries are actually a much larger economic force than is traditionally understood." -- Simon Houpt, The Globe & Mail

"New York depends on art and culture not only for the quality of life but also for jobs." -- The Economist

"Sweeping, gossipy, flawed and fun ...Currid pulls this trick off nicely." -- Carly Berwick, Bloomberg News

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 280 pages
• Publisher: Princeton University Press (July 9, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0691128375
• ISBN-13: 978-0691128375
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #429,346 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fuelled completely by shoes, April 7, 2008

By	Neal Van Winkle (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Completely redundant in that she mentioned only a handful of New York City's avante-garde. The book is interesting but limited in its discussion of the subject. Apparently she thinks that Charles and Ray Eames are brothers and that the MMA is now the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art. I wouldn't waste your time, if I were you.

2 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars one of the cool kids, September 10, 2007

By	Jocelyn S. Chapman (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Huffingtonpost.com says it best! "Interviews with bold-faced names including designers Diane Von Furstenberg and Zac Posen, musicians The Talking Heads, and club owner of the legendary CBGB's, Hilly Kristal, make The Warhol Economy an engaging cross between the academic and the gossipy-like an intellectualized Page Six of The New York Post."