Public art is a diverse form of artistic expression. It takes many forms, from the monumental sculptures adorning city squares to intricately painted murals on the sides of buildings and interactive installations in parks and transportation hubs. Public art is meant to be seen and enjoyed by a broad audience, and its unique ability to break free of the confines of traditional gallery settings makes it a powerful medium for communication.
Unlike artwork in a museum, which can be sold or removed at will, public art is often intended to be permanent and is funded with a combination of public and private funding. Typically, it is created using safe and durable materials that can withstand extreme weather conditions and constant human activity. It is also often designed to evoke an emotional response from the public and inspire conversation.
In the past, public art has been used to express political messages and reinforce a cultural identity. For example, a monument to a war hero can be a source of pride for a community. But it can also be controversial if it depicts a hero who has been fought over or whose legacy is being debated. These kinds of works elicit strong reactions from the public and stimulate discussion, reflecting contemporary social and political issues.
The contours of public art are continually being redefined. For instance, Anish Kapoor’s 110-ton reflective sculpture Cloud Gate – better known as The Bean – has become a tourist attraction for visitors to Chicago’s Millennium Park, but its beauty goes beyond its form. Its success lies in the way it interacts with its environment, mirroring and distorting the skyline and the faces of its visitors. The work is also a clever metaphor for the way that public art often works, and demonstrates how its ideals of truth, beauty and democracy are both overtly and covertly conveyed.
More recently, artists are redefining what is considered public art by incorporating socially engaged themes. Mierle Laderman Ukeles’ Flow City project, for example, engages New York residents in one of the most crucial but maligned aspects of urban life by inviting them to visit a cavernous marine transfer station to witness garbage trucks unloading their loads. The installation suggests that the definition of public art is a conceptual one, and can be defined by subject rather than object.
The current issue of Public Art Review explores these trends, with articles about how two communities are using theater to envision their futures; a discussion between artist Mary Miss and environmental ecologist Adrian Cerezo on collaborating to bring the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals into public art; and an article that looks at how museums can incorporate socially engaged practices in their exhibitions. In addition, we have a feature that highlights the work of two artist-in-residence programs who are working with community members to create new and interesting art projects. The idea behind these programs is to bring artists into a community, which not only allows them to develop their own work, but also helps local people become more aware of the rich culture and history that surrounds them.