Agenda - Parks and Recreation Commission - 01/09/2025

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By its nature, public art is meant for the everyday person, not just the person that chooses to go to an art museum and may have an understanding and appreciation of art. In fact, the art literature captures this notion of`public' as in the field of political science, using such terms as public realm, the public sphere, public life, and public space (Arendt, 1958; Deutsche, 1998; Phillips, 1994; Yngvason, 1993). These terms indicate that art in the public square not only exists in itself, but becomes part of the democratic discussion, and that the process of implementing public art influences both the art and the public. The definition of public art used in this study refers to art that is commissioned and owned by a public entity such as a municipality or public non-profit agency. A decision-making process that demands public engagement characterizes this type of art, as opposed to art commissioned and installed by a private company. Moreover, the use of public resources, such as tax dollars and public land, means the public has a sense of ownership and is critically empowered. Public art engages people on an everyday basis at both the street-level and at the community social-political level. Mitchell (1992) observes, "The public artist today engages issues of history, site, politics, class, and the environment. These multiple visions may help transform communities as they find common ground." (as cited in Boros 2010, p. 7) Public art is generally understood in the literature to be public when viewed and experienced in the "public sphere"rather than in a museum or gallery(W.J.T. Mitchell 1992). Hannah Arendt (195 8) introduced the term "public realm" as concept to describe the public place where people discuss concepts and ideas. Arendt theorizes that the"public" realm has two essential characteristics. First, to be public means that "everything that appears in public can be seen and heard by everybody and has the widest possible publicity." She argues that exposing private ideas and thoughts to the public is transformational and the way by which human 29