Public art is artwork that is not housed in a private gallery context, but rather exists within a publicly accessible space, either indoors – such as foyers, atriums or airports – or outdoors – such as parks, squares, freeways or plazas. It can take on many forms including statues and sculptures, architectural elements and integrated spaces, landscape items and functional objects, murals, graffiti, actions, interventions, land art and more, but what all these works have in common is that they engage with audiences outside of the narrow realm of the museum or private gallery.
Whether it is a legally-commissioned statue of a notable community leader in a town square or a slap dash stencil spray painted guerrilla style on a storefront, public art has become the democratic way for artists to express their work to a wider audience. As such, its role is more diverse than ever, serving a variety of purposes from aesthetically beautifying space to commemorating important events or to act as social propaganda.
As such, it is often commissioned by government agencies or incorporated into larger planning projects as a means to promote civic pride or inspire creativity. It can also function as a catalyst for dialogue on critical issues such as environmental sustainability or social justice. Moreover, it is not uncommon for public art to be used as a tool to stimulate economic growth, such as the popularity of art-focused bus and walking tours in a number of cities across the globe.
Because they are designed to reside in a specific place, public artworks have a strong sense of permanence. This is a significant difference from studio art in private collections or museum exhibitions, which can easily be moved between galleries and other venues. In addition, because public artwork is meant to be a permanent display, it must meet high design standards and be made from durable materials that will stand the test of time. This is especially true for outdoor works, such as the Burke and Wills Monument by Charles Summers in Melbourne, which has been on display since 1865.
However, some public artworks are removed from their original setting for a variety of reasons. Often, this is done as part of a controversial debate, such as the removal of the Parthenon Marbles from the Greek temple in London by the British Museum, which was considered a theft of cultural heritage. Other times, it is because of complaints from local residents that a public artwork offends them in some way, such as Roy Lichtenstein’s Modern Head, which was removed from a busy New York intersection this summer.
Independent art created or staged in the public arena, but which lacks official or tangible public sanction (such as graffiti or street art) has traditionally not been considered part of the genre of public art, although this is changing. Nevertheless, many artists dedicate large parts of their careers to creating works that are intended for public space, sometimes on commission and other times of their own volition. These include Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland, who spent over 20 years working on over 200 pieces in his public sculpture park, and Mexican muralist Diego Rivera.