Francis, Joshua2016-09-072016-09-072016-06-07https://hdl.handle.net/1794/20072130 pagesThe contemporary circus arts are in an era of increasing prominence in the United States dues to increased exposure in a wide range of media and throughout a variety of different performing arts forms. However, in spite of this, the art form still maintains a degree of separation from public understanding. Furthermore, those who are participating in the circus arts either as an artist, administrator, teacher, or any number of other categories are not as aware as they could be of the services and products present throughout the country for and by other circus organizations. This project endeavors to explore the activities present in the circus field by approaching it as a microcosm of the "creative sector," as articulated by Cherbo et al. (2008). Understanding the resultant circus sector in this way involves analyzing the people that work at the core of the sector, the circus activities in which this core engages, the downstream distribution infrastructure that connects the sector with its markets, the upstream production infrastructure that supports and develops the sector itself and its workers, and the general public infrastructure that externally influences the sector. From there, conclusions are drawn about what the state of these various sections say about the state of the circus sector as a whole.en-USAll Rights Reserved.Circus sectorCreative sectorCircus artsContemporary circusTerminal Project