Whether it’s a legally commissioned statue of a historical leader in a city square or a spray painted guerrilla-style mural on a building, public art engages with audiences beyond the confines of galleries and museums. It interprets a city’s history, its people, and often addresses a social issue. Public art can take many forms, including sculpture, memorials, integrated architectural or landscape architectural work, and digital new media projects. It may be temporary or permanent and can range from the grandiose—like the classical bronze statues of Florence’s Piazza della Signoria—to the ephemeral such as Nick Selenitsch’s line markings on pavement (see photo above).
Public artworks are usually located in publicly accessible spaces that are open to everyone. These spaces can be indoors – foyers, atriums, airports or shopping centres — or outdoors – parks, squares, streets and freeways.
A key difference between public art and other artistic works is that it is rooted in place, and typically does not go on touring exhibits. This is because public art is often a result of a city’s desire to share the story of its community with others, or because it was part of a capital project, such as a new building or park, and is therefore an integral component of the development.
It is also the case that some artists dedicate their entire careers to creating public art, either by commission or on their own initiative, such as the Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland who created his Vigeland Sculpture Park. Muralists like Diego Rivera and graffiti artist Banksy have similarly dedicated themselves to public art. In addition, city-led public art programs can be a powerful tool to help communities identify and articulate their needs through a creative lens.
For example, the New York City-led Public Art Fund’s newest commission, by artist Jenny Holzer, seeks to address the issue of gun violence in the United States. The artwork is a series of luminous laser-cut words that spell out “Guns Don’t Kill People” in multiple languages and will be placed on a wall at the site of a former gun store in Brooklyn.
Public art can also be a way to serve communities by providing economic benefits, such as tourism, or helping residents connect with one another through shared culture. For instance, when artist Lacy gathered 400 women—chosen to represent a diversity of ages and backgrounds—onto the stoops of residential buildings in Brooklyn for her 2013 installation Between the Door and the Street, they engaged in unscripted conversations about a range of gender politics issues that were important to them.
Public art is not always a winner with all audiences. It is often controversial, because it invites the audience to challenge conventional thinking and assumptions, which can be uncomfortable. But that is a good thing, because it encourages people to think about how they are connected to one another and the world around them. And that is a vital skill in our increasingly diverse society.