The creative fire: An interactional framework for rural arts-based development

The research literature suggests that arts-based development, and rural entrepreneurship, have the potential to strengthen interactional networks that foster civic engagement, sense of community, entrepreneurship, and creative transformation. Arts business incubators, festivals, and community arts venues also present opportunities to enable collaborative network interactions that can build community capacity and support an inclusive community field. This article reviews research and case study literature to present a preliminary conceptual framework for considering the conditions that facilitate community-embedded arts-based development in rural areas—sparking a creative fire. These conditions are categorized under the community creative context, the entrepreneurial context, and the network/interactional context. •A preliminary conceptual framework is presented to facilitate arts-based development in rural communities.•The framework categories are the: community creative context, entrepreneurial context, and network/interactional context.•Collaborative network interactions through arts initiatives can build capacity and support an inclusive community field.