Cultural murals and the evolving nature of the hero concept: an arts marketing context

PurposeThe authors provide an understanding of how the hero identity is culturally constructed and evolving. The authors focus on heroism within an arts marketing framework through an interrogation of Northern Ireland murals. In this paper, the authors elaborate on the links between arts marketing thought and the notion of hero and draw conclusions around what the authors see as a fruitful area for arts marketing theory.Design/methodology/approachThe authors have adopted a narrative approach, incorporating biographical method, visual analysis and ethnography in interpreting cultural murals. The authors assess representative examples in Northern Ireland using a thematic framework.FindingsThe murals the authors assessed have evolved from having a specific community focus to increasing numbers which now represent a “shared”, and therefore more modern version of the hero.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors identify an emerging, aesthetically balanced portrayal of cultural murals, with a different set of heroic priorities compared to the past, which should encourage further related research elsewhere.Practical implicationsNorthern Ireland murals are no longer the preserve of specific communities and are now also shared spaces which appeal to both the local population and cultural tourists.Originality/valueAlthough analysis and evaluation of political murals has been carried out in other disciplines, the authors add to the limited insight from an arts marketing perspective.