A Brief Definition of Public Art in America
editPublic art does not have one conclusive definition, but in this context, public art is community-oriented artwork that is accessible to that community both in location and in content.
To qualify as public art, the content of the work must relate to the community it represents. The community must be freely and equally able to access the physical space the art occupies. Public art functions to connect social communities to the physical spaces they occupy while also celebrating that connection.
Public art is work that should not just be seen but experienced by the surrounding community [1]. It should engage the public by representing values and ideas, contextually and visual, that are important to that community. Above all, public art should be relevant to the community as a whole (law), revealing something about what it means to be a part of that population.
(Public art is different than monumental art, which is also physically accessible to the public and created in reaction to a community event, but generally expresses the ideas of government rather than the values of the community itself. [2]
History
editIn the 1970s, the American art world was dissatisfied with the commercial gallery system. This system physically and socially separated fine art from the general public, putting art behind doors through which not everyone was able to pass, “keeping art in the realm of the privileged” (Blum et al.). In response to their distaste with galleries, artists began developing site-specific works created for public spaces. Unlike in the galleries, the whole community was able to engage with these spaces. To be site-specific, a piece of art had to not only fit into a certain physical location but also represent the community living there; the piece needed to link both aesthetically and culturally to the location. [3] Public art as we understand it today grew from the creation of these first site-specific artworks.
Gallery systems attempted and often succeeded to dictate what is and what is not art. Because public art grows from an aversion this system, the discipline continues to strive for diversity. Public art does not want to have an “official style” or “official approach”. That would be going against the principles of its formation and would severely limit an artist's ability to create unique work that truly functions as public art for a community.
Impact
editPublic art should be representative of its local community, but making art to please everyone is not possible. Instead, public art should function as a possible point of view surrounding a community, adopted by the artist and translated to that community through their work. The public nature of this type of art allows that idea to be picked up (or passed over) by the community. Each piece of public art functions as one of many possible representations of a community. A community's public art works both individually and as a collection to educate about what it means to be a part of that public [4].
Each piece of public art represents a different response to the community. This diversity allows community observers to use public art to grow personally and within their community by learning about other cultures within their own neighborhoods. These connections made between people and communities “have the power to transform and heal” [5]. They provide an avenue to come together as a diverse community. The public in public art comes not only from its physical location or who is meant to experience the work, but also from who inspires its creation; the public [6] .
Practical Definition
editHuston Conwill, a public artist himself, developed a list of 15 qualities an effective piece of public art should possess. A piece of public art can be evaluated on these qualifications as a whole or individually [7].
- Integration of public and spiritual
- Celebrates cultural heritage
- Inspires world consciousness
- Facilitates cultural recovery and healing
- Explores out communities location within history
- Restores language to its first meaning
- Facilitates self-critique and self-renewal
- Restores the value of art
- Breaks down barriers
- Stands in the face of adversity
- Allows reminiscing
- Contextualizes visual symbols and metaphors
- Is self-reflexive
- Invites participation
- Helps us see ourselves in the universe
References
edit- ^ Blum, Andrea (Winter 1989). "From the Other Side: Public Artists on Public Art". College Art Association. 48 (4): 336-346.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Senie, Harriet (Winter 1989). "Critical Issues in Public Art". College Art Association. 48 (4): 287-290.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Senie, Harriet (Winter 1989). "Critical Issues in Public Art". College Art Association. 48 (4): 287-290.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Blum, Andrea (Winter 1989). "From the Other Side: Public Artists on Public Art". College Art Association. 48 (4): 336-346.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Fisher, David H. (Spring–Summer 1996). "Public Art and Public Space". Soundings: An Interdisciplinary Journal. 79 (1/2): 41-57.
- ^ Hein, Hilde (Winter 1996). "What is Public Art?: Time, Place, and Meaning". The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism. 54 (1): 1-7.
- ^ Blum, Andrea (Winter 1989). "From the Other Side: Public Artists on Public Art". College Art Association. 48 (4): 336-346.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help)