International Themes in Rural Arts Administration Research

This article explores the context of rurality and how it informs arts management pedagogy and practice around the world. Drawing from a wide-ranging international literature review, it critically examines how rural spaces are framed not only by what they lack in comparison to urban areas—such as infrastructure, density, or access—but also by unique, place-based cultural identities and practices. Through the lens of Critical Rural Theory, the paper challenges the urban-normative frameworks that have historically shaped arts administration, arguing that strategies designed for metropolitan contexts are often inappropriate or ineffective when applied to rural communities. Instead, the article advocates for an intellectual shift that embraces the innovation, self-definition, and inter-sector collaboration inherent to rural arts practice. Ultimately, the article calls for an arts management pedagogy that centers rural experiences not as derivative of the urban, but as distinct and equally valuable sources of knowledge and practice.