Keywords

public art, cultural tourism, image-based social media, tourism, photography

Abstract

Through a case study of Prada Marfa, a site-specific public art sculpture located in West Texas, this dissertation examines the connection of public art, cultural tourism, and image-based social media engagement. Little scholarship that combines all three areas of study exists. To fill this gap, this study incorporates five methods of research to determine how one public art sculpture's existence can contribute to its surrounding community by prompting economic activity and influencing the way that community is seen through a public lens. The five methods encompass a historical analysis of news articles about The City of Marfa and Prada Marfa, a content analysis of Instagram posts, observations of interactions at the Prada Marfa site, a survey sent to Instagram users, and interviews with key stakeholders related to the sculpture and the Marfa community. This dissertation finds that the acts of photography and performance work together to show how Prada Marfa's existence generates intrigue for The City of Marfa and can influence tourism. It emphasizes that, regardless of a tourist's motive to visit the sculpture, they were still influenced to travel to the region specifically to see Prada Marfa. This dissertation also finds that the public narrative of Prada Marfa does not fully represent its local community and that the tourism dollars earned through arts engagement do not touch all individuals living in The City of Marfa. This research further reveals how image-based social media engagement, seen through the lens of cultural tourism to visit an Instagram-able site, can contribute to a community's economy and public-facing identity. This research can be used as an advocacy tool for the nonprofit arts community when trying to discuss the benefits of public visual art.

Completion Date

2023

Semester

Fall

Committee Chair

Stanfill, Mel

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Arts and Humanities

Department

English

Degree Program

Texts and Technology

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

DP0028041

URL

https://purls.library.ucf.edu/go/DP0028041

Language

English

Release Date

December 2023

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access)

Campus Location

Orlando (Main) Campus

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