We may associate public art with a monumental bronze statue or a kinetic sculpture in a park but there is more to it than that. As defined by the Americans for the Arts organisation, public art is “art that occurs in a space open to the general public” (Public Art 101). The broadest definition of public art can also include art installations in buildings, as well as artworks that are integrated into a city’s architecture.
Public art can be temporary or permanent and the materials used vary, from plants and paper to concrete and steel. The concept of community involvement in public art is closely linked with the practice of community art. This is where residents, rather than a professional artist, create an art project as a response to a specific issue or cause. Community artists often collaborate with local organisations to conceive, fund and execute a project that expresses the concerns of the community.
A more common approach to public art is that of the commissioned piece. The artists may be a professional, but the process of planning and building is more like an extended team than a traditional one of the artist alone in his studio. Often these teams have to work with architects, engineers and construction teams, as well as civic leaders, approval agencies and funding bodies.
Sculptures can be either static or kinetic and are an extremely popular form of public art. Examples range from the murals painted onto walls to statues carved out of marble and cast in bronze. Some kinetic public works are designed to encourage direct hands-on interaction, such as the kinetic musical instrument Hydraulophone created by Steve Mann in which people can block water jets to produce sounds. Others, such as the small-scale bronze birds perched by Tracey Emin in Macquarie Place, Sydney, draw attention to the quieter and more intimate aspects of a city.
The ephemerality of some public works is another important aspect of the practice. Artist Nick Selenitsch drew chalk drawings on the pavements of Frankston, Victoria in 2009-10 and these were washed away a few weeks later, leaving only photographic documentation of the artworks. In contrast, the installation of the Great Petition 2008 by Susan Hewitt and Penelope Lee consists of a series of replicas of the original Women’s Suffrage petition which was 260 metres long.
In addition to sculptures, public art can take the form of mosaics, murals, creative landscaping, banners and environmental sculpture. It can also be incorporated into the design of city infrastructure such as public seating, street paving and artist-designed glazing (windows). Public art is frequently functional in addition to being attractive or interesting, with examples including acoustic paving that resonates with a city’s vibrations, light-activated benches that change colour and environmental artworks that help to filter stormwater. A city’s public art can help to promote its identity and attract visitors to a region. This has been proven by research which shows that cities with more public art have higher tourism rates.