
Jon is currently based at the University of Leeds. His research interests include issues around cultural and creative labour, and culture-led urban policy, particularly in relation to issues of sustainability. He obtained his PhD in sociology from the University of Kent. This research critically explored artistic labour and culture-led regeneration in two coastal towns and found that, while being an artist may be considered a kind of ‘good job’, there remain important structural issues that limit access to the field and further call in to question the sustainability of artist-led regeneration.
Jon was working on the A Theme in CUSP, exploring the role of art and culture in sustainable prosperity.
Publications:
Ward, J (2016). Down by the sea: visual arts, artists and coastal regeneration, International Journal of Cultural Policy.
Ward, J and P Hubbard (Forthcoming). Urban regeneration through culture, in T Schwanen and R van Kempen (eds.). Handbook of Urban Geography. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.