First, you will read 4 (brief) articles:
https://www.cnn.com/style/article/power-and-politics-of-installation-art/index.html
https://www.kcet.org/shows/artbound/what-is-the-role-of-public-art-in-creating-a-sense-of-a-city
https://www.widewalls.ch/magazine/richard-serra-tilted-arc
NYT article attached as PDF: “In New York and More, Public Art is Taking on Thorny Social Issues” (PDF attached in the Week 5 folder)
While reading these articles, internally consider:
Can public art be neatly defined as a category? What are some definitions of public art according to the articles?
What is the purpose of public art – is there more than one purpose? What role does public art serve?
What matters more – the intention of the designer/artist, or how the public/audience experiences the work? Is there nuance to this?
For the assignment submission, you will write a paper.
The paper should consider both the broad topic of public art and one specific case study.
This means you will select one piece of public art (local for you or international/well-known) to analyze in your critical exploration of public art. You do not have to have seen the artwork in person.
Public art must be freely accessible to the public (no cost to view) and in a public viewing space. This does not include art situated within institutions/buildings which one must pay to enter. Do not choose a piece of artwork located in a museum.
The paper should include:
What you believe the purpose of public art is.
Is there a singular purpose, or can there be multiple purposes to public art? What makes something public art?
This should involve referencing specific points from the articles (and citing what you used).
A photo of the public artwork which you have chosen (your case study).
The title, artist, date, and location of your case study.
Identify for the case study:
The purpose of the specific work – what were the artist intentions in creating this piece of art? This may require some digging.
How the work fits into its environment – what is its physical context? Why is it in that specific place? What about the artwork’s content makes it appropriate for that space?
How does the public interact with the artwork? Does the public like it or dislike it?
Your opinion on the work – do you like it? Do you think its effective in its space? Does the work serve the purpose designed by the artist?
Formatting:
Paper should be 2 – 5 pages, size 12 font, and double spaced.
Citations should be in parentheses after quotes or references within paragraphs.
References at the end of the paper should list the articles assigned to read for this assignment.
You should use an approved manual of style for listing your citations. This means either Chicago, MLA, or APA. As long as you remain consistent in your choice of style, the style you pick should be ok. If you are unfamiliar with manual of style, please review this page:
Style Guide Overview – Purdue OWL.
