Public art is any visual artwork that is meant to be seen by the general public, unlike private art which is often only enjoyed in homes and museums. Public art can be a valuable asset to communities and can inspire future generations of artists and designers. Public art can also promote a city’s cultural heritage, foster community pride, and encourage tourism.
Public artwork is designed to be seen by the public and often commissioned and funded through public agencies, such as local governments or civic groups. It can be permanent or temporary and created in a variety of media and techniques. Some popular examples include statues, sculptures and murals. Other forms of public art include video, projections and performances. It may be made of a range of materials from plants and chalk to paper, clay and concrete. Some types of public artwork are very large and can be seen from a distance, while others are smaller and more intimate.
Most public artwork is designed with a specific location in mind and is intended to remain in place for a long period of time, sometimes centuries. It is often installed or staged in publicly accessible spaces such as city parks, squares or streets and is not usually a part of touring exhibits like paintings or sculptures. Some types of public artwork are specifically rooted in place, such as the Statue of Liberty or Mount Rushmore, while others move around to different locations as they change ownership.
Some artists specialize in creating public art, often working by commission or on their own initiative. The Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland spent more than 20 years working on his Vigeland Sculpture Park and Mexican muralist Diego Rivera dedicated much of his life to public work. Street and graffiti artists often create works of public art on their own or as a way to beautify urban spaces.
While some public art is designed to simply entertain or amuse, other public art is a vehicle for conveying messages or eliciting an emotional response from the viewer. For example, a work depicting a contested version of a hero can inspire an intense debate over the values and beliefs the hero symbolizes. This type of public art can have a powerful impact, as shown by the controversy over the removal of Confederate monuments in the United States.
Creating public art isn’t always easy. It requires extensive planning and collaboration with stakeholders to ensure that the project is a success. It can also be very expensive, especially when the artwork is large and requires specialized materials. However, studies show that investing in public art has a range of benefits, including increased tourism and economic development, improved street safety, lowered feelings of anxiety and social isolation and community-building.
Many artists who engage in public art find that the process of working with communities and the openness of public space provide a more effective forum for their aims than private galleries and museums. In the case of participatory and dialogic practice, public spaces prioritize communalism over individualism while the commercial art world and museum programming continue to revolve around lucrative single figures.