Thursday, September 30, 2004
Thoughts on Public Art
Over time I am becoming more interested in the theoretical issues raised by the relatively new concept of "public art."
By this I don't mean art that is shown in public or art that is commissioned to be installed permanently in a public space. I mean, rather, artworks that are specially created to be displayed for a short period of time in a specific public place. These pieces are often commissioned and managed by groups whose mission is solely to bring art to view in this manner.
I glanced across the topic of public art (and showed where my thinking is heading) in a post earlier this month about Jonathan Borofsky's Walking to the Sky which is up now at Rockefeller Center.
Earlier this week Franklin Einspruch at Artblog.net pointed to a piece Felix Salmon wrote recently on the topic of public art. While I don't agree with Salmon's evaluation of several individual works, his thoughts on the difficulties faced in conceiving a good public art project are interesting--and worth a read.
By this I don't mean art that is shown in public or art that is commissioned to be installed permanently in a public space. I mean, rather, artworks that are specially created to be displayed for a short period of time in a specific public place. These pieces are often commissioned and managed by groups whose mission is solely to bring art to view in this manner.
I glanced across the topic of public art (and showed where my thinking is heading) in a post earlier this month about Jonathan Borofsky's Walking to the Sky which is up now at Rockefeller Center.
Earlier this week Franklin Einspruch at Artblog.net pointed to a piece Felix Salmon wrote recently on the topic of public art. While I don't agree with Salmon's evaluation of several individual works, his thoughts on the difficulties faced in conceiving a good public art project are interesting--and worth a read.
