We often talk about infrastructure in terms of roads, schools, and hospitals. But arts and culture are infrastructure too. They provide spaces for connection, creativity, and identity — the social foundations that keep communities resilient and cohesive.
Building Civic Life
From libraries with performance spaces to community centers hosting murals and music, the arts anchor public life. They create places where people gather not only to be entertained, but to engage, reflect, and imagine together.
Resilience Through Culture
During crises — whether economic, environmental, or social — communities often turn to art for healing and solidarity. The arts act as both a record of struggle and a rehearsal for hope, helping people make sense of uncertainty.
Rethinking Investment
If the arts are infrastructure, then funding them isn’t an optional luxury but a civic responsibility. Just as governments plan for bridges or healthcare, societies must plan for cultural vitality as part of the public good.
The Question
If we treat arts as social infrastructure, then they become central to how we build our communities. Which leaves us to ask: how can we reframe cultural investment as essential civic planning, not discretionary spending?
Arts as Social Infrastructure
Beyond Galleries and Stages
We often talk about infrastructure in terms of roads, schools, and hospitals. But arts and culture are infrastructure too. They provide spaces for connection, creativity, and identity — the social foundations that keep communities resilient and cohesive.
Building Civic Life
From libraries with performance spaces to community centers hosting murals and music, the arts anchor public life. They create places where people gather not only to be entertained, but to engage, reflect, and imagine together.
Resilience Through Culture
During crises — whether economic, environmental, or social — communities often turn to art for healing and solidarity. The arts act as both a record of struggle and a rehearsal for hope, helping people make sense of uncertainty.
Rethinking Investment
If the arts are infrastructure, then funding them isn’t an optional luxury but a civic responsibility. Just as governments plan for bridges or healthcare, societies must plan for cultural vitality as part of the public good.
The Question
If we treat arts as social infrastructure, then they become central to how we build our communities. Which leaves us to ask:
how can we reframe cultural investment as essential civic planning, not discretionary spending?