Jordan’s international aid sector has grown rapidly as Jordan has become a hub of response to the Syrian refugee crisis. This development has directly benefitted artists, and Jordan’s creative sector has boomed in connection with the growing aid economy. Artists are often directly funded by aid organizations for services such as camp beautification, creative activities for refugee communities, and organizational branding. Artists are also a frequent target of cultural diplomacy funds. At the same time, the aid economy has supported the emergence of a young, cosmopolitan, middle class of aid workers, both domestic and foreign born, who gain cultural capital by patronizing the arts and art related businesses. One impact has been to raise the political profile of the arts, as artists now occupy positions of political, economic, and cultural influence. From this position, artists are empowered to present visions of Amman/Jordan to a wider public, and through these visions to make claims on the city and nation, its communities and politics. This dynamic has been especially visible in two sites: Jabal al Luweibde, a neighborhood that is an increasingly popular hub of artistic activity, where people come to be part of an artistic scene; and Amman Design Week, a new, annual festival that celebrates the creative sector and highlights the potential contribution of creatives to Amman’s urban governance. In this paper, I explore how these intersections between aid and creative production are transforming Ammani/Jordanian identity, creating new possibilities for urban community and political engagement. I also critically examine how artists’ political engagements negotiate intersections of local and transnational power in Amman’s emerging art world.