Arts and Culture As Tools for Urban Transformation: An Analysis of Spoleto Festival USA Impact on Charleston, South Carolina

Over the past few decades, research has shown that arts and culture contribute to urban renewal and economic development as well as cultural tourism, community engagement, and an overall improvement in the quality of life within a region.  By incorporating arts and culture into economic development plans, community leaders can pump new life into their local areas.  The arts invigorate schools with new curriculum opportunities, attract tourists to explore an area's cultural offerings, draw in new businesses, and improve the quality of life of a community.  Above all, partnerships amongst city leaders, local citizens, businesses, and arts organizations are born with the common goal to make a community a better place to live, work, and visit.  My thesis investigates the economic, cultural, and social impacts Spoleto Festival USA has had and continues to have on the Charleston, South Carolina community.  This study delves into answering many of the questions raised by the festival's effects upon this southern city: In what ways has Spoleto Festival USA been a catalyst for a cultural and urban renaissance in Charleston, SC? How does the festival continue to be an agent of change within the community? How does the example of Spoleto and Charleston support or contradict the theories on arts and culture being tools for community development? How can the relationship between Spoleto and Charleston serve as a role model for other arts organizations and their communities?