PUBLIC ART TELLS A TALE

To posit that public art identifies a locale’s, culture, cultural identity or philosophy is not too far off the mark. Although monuments, memorials and civic statuary have been around for millennia and have been the most obvious form of public art, in the beginning they most likely were a form of propaganda that supported and/or was sponsored by the ruling authority of the time. It wasn’t until recent history (whose parameters can be debated) that the citizen began to take an interest in the choice and display of public art as a way of expressing their individuality, separating and identifying their very core of existence from the others, consciously or not.

One of the earlier and most recognizable public art forms that identified a culture was the Egyptian art of three to five thousand years ago. The art of that time was all about meaning, not feeling or interpretation. Through the use of accepted color and form, their art was about spirituality, death, rules of the various Deities and lives of the Kings and Pharaohs, with no self expression, originality of form or social relevance. Jump forward a few thousand years or so and look at what is known as the ‘Stalinist Art’ that followed the doctrine of “Social Realism”, free of any individual ideology. Now think about “The Little Mermaid” perched on her rock in the water near the Langelinie promenade in Copenhagen. When you see examples of these art forms, you form your own personal opinion of life in those societies. In the examples above, there is a community identity implied by the images. The Little Mermaid statue was commissioned in 1909 by Carl Jacobsen who was fascinated by a ballet. What does the Little Mermaid tell you about the Danish society? For the purposes of this article, what differentiates the Little Mermaid from the Egyptian and “Social Realism” art is that the Little Mermaid was a private commission dedicated to art and the artists involved whereas the other two were ’Official’ government sponsored works used for political or religious ends.

Public art matters in many ways. It adds meaning and gives a unique view of our communities. It interrupts our daily thoughts and give us respite, if only for a moment, from the mundane. It sets us apart from the ‘other’ out there. It adds value to the community. Inviting the Artist into the planning process along with engineers, planners and designers, invites a freshness into the concept at hand. Public art can stimulate social interaction, activate inner awareness and encourage public pride.

Establishing a culturally active environment is an invitation to businesses and individuals looking for that ‘right’ place to settle. A municipality must actively seek out the artist and build a partnership to create a dynamic cultural environment. Public art is only a part of that environment but it is the most visible and therefore must be rigorously pursued.

How to do it and how to pay for it will be covered in later articles.