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

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uneven power relationships among social-economic groups. However, the installation of site- specific art acts as a counter force to art developed for mass consumption and does "generate a sense of authenticity and uniqueness of place" (Kwon 2002,p. 54). Placemaking itself relies upon a concept of collective memory and a shared representation of the past that is shared by specific social groups (Halbwachs 1992). The creation or preservation of a physical space that captures that shared memory is a means by which people are bound together, allowing them to communicate with each other. Over the course of history, the field of urban planning has used art as a tool for cultural and historical interpretation of sites, civic beautification, urban renewal, and image making. Some art projects in urban centers become the focal point, a tourist attraction, or an integral part of the City's brand. The Cloud Gate sculpture in Chicago and the Cherry on a Spoon sculpture in Minneapolis exemplify the ability of art to shape and define both public space and image for a community. The concept of place branding utilizes the connection of public art to the function of image building for the community. These efforts comprise a strategy by which city leaders seek to shape or remake the perception of the community. Peel and Lloyd describe the role of public art in placemaking, noting that public art and well-designed streetscapes "have an important contribution to make in the design of public spaces through giving a sense of identity and by enhancing a sense of place." (Peel and Lloyd 2007, p. 268) Pryor and Grossbart observe in their research that `marketplace symbols and rituals' are a key component of developing a brand identity. These `marketplace symbols' include public art as physical objects placed in the landscape that contribute to brand identity(Pryor and Grossbart, 2007). As symbols of a place brand it is important that public art used for this purpose is consistent with the intended brand and culturally coherent to the local community. Anholt 59