This quarter’s topic was public art. I had no clue what this even was and I kind of mixed it up with social practice art. I was hoping to get a definite answer as to what social practice art is from either one of these articles but neither completely explained what it is. Both the articles written by Brooke Kamin Rapaport and Rachel Cooke expressed each author’s love for the art form. They only really explain how public art is a good thing, not what it entails. From what I’ve read, public art is art that is in a public space, as opposed to a gallery, and is funded by the government. All aspects of public art are controversial because not everyone is happy with every decision made about it. One of the biggest debates is that some people claim that the money could have been better spent elsewhere. There is no right or wrong answer in this situation because it is tricky--there will be people complaining no matter where money goes towards. Another controversy regarding public art is why the art cannot just be in a gallery. Cooke writes “ Its great virtue – its chief virtue – is that it is just there: you do not have to choose to see it; you must wander no hushed gallery to find it.” Public art is a difference experience than “private” art. It is intended to be within a public space for a reason. Sometimes, it is created to specifically compliment the space. Cooke also argues that “Like points on a compass, they were a way of seeing your city.” From how I interpreted it, she is talking about these public art pieces as if they are monuments. They are similar to murals, however they take up space. People also argue about what the art looks like. Someone always has something negative to say about a piece after it is created and the money is spent. John Willenbecher, a man who responded to Rapaport’s article, says that “Art intended to be permanent is another matter entirely and great care ought be taken before it is approved.” I agree with this, especially because the art is in an open area. I think these pieces can be more strictly regulated because everyone will see them whether they want to or not. I like the idea of art causing an impact on the community like this but it is very hard to manage and plan.
Coach
3/27/2017 08:08:31 am
Great points made here. I think the confusion with public art is that currently, much of it contains aspects of social practice art.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorGrace Barron Archives
June 2018
Categories |