Public art is a way for communities to share their cultural heritage and artistic expressions. It can also be a powerful tool for economic development, community-building and promoting a city’s brand.
In general, public artwork is commissioned by government and private entities and displayed in publicly accessible spaces such as parks, sidewalks, streets, plazas, and buildings. Artworks can range in size and style from murals, sculptures, monuments, landscape architectural work, or site-specific installations. Contemporary forms of public art include crowdsourced community art, digital new media, experiential art and performances.
One of the key characteristics of public art is its “site specificity,” which means it is created in response to the place and community in which it is situated. Artists may be prompted to respond to a particular location or site through research, community engagement, and the physical experience of the space. This process can often take years to complete, requiring the participation of numerous people such as architects, designers, fabricators/construction workers, local residents, civic leaders and politicians, funding agencies, approval boards, and construction teams.
In addition to its site specificity, public art is also characterized by its democratization of art, which makes it available to a wide audience beyond the traditional museums and galleries that typically showcase and exhibit it. Because public art is a form of social activism, some artists choose to use it as a platform for political and social change. This can be in the form of protest, commemoration and memorialization, or criticism of society or politics. Some artists even choose to document and reflect on daily life through public art, much like the street artist Keith Haring did with his murals that challenged societal taboos surrounding homosexuality and the AIDS crisis.
Studies show that public art has many benefits for cities, including increasing tourism, improving street safety, and decreasing feelings of anxiety and isolation. However, for the benefits of public art to be realized, racial equity must be at the forefront of planning and implementation processes. This requires the inclusion of diverse voices and experiences in design and planning of urban spaces, particularly those historically marginalized by structural racism and disinvestment.
The ACCA’s Public Art Initiative is committed to addressing racial equity in our neighborhoods through the planning and development of public artworks. We believe that when all voices are represented in the planning and creation of public art, it can be a powerful tool for creating and shaping city identity.
We welcome the opportunity to collaborate with community leaders and organizations to create public artworks that reflect the unique cultural and geographic character of our neighborhoods. We hope that these projects inspire the next generation of artists, promote a sense of ownership and pride in a city’s history, and serve as a catalyst for civic dialogue.
The ACCA Public Art Initiative has been provided a grant from the Oregon Arts Commission to support our efforts to engage the community in planning and the creation of public artworks that celebrate our local heritage, culture and history, foster a sense of place and civic pride, and stimulate economic development in our city’s historic neighborhoods.