Examples of Contemporary Public Art

The term public art properly refers to works of art in any media that have been planned and executed with the specific intention of being sited or staged in the physical public domain, usually outside and accessible to all.  In addition to to traditional figurative and abstract sculpture that commemorates historical events and figures, public art also extends to participatory and relational art, environmental, and community-driven work.  Check out a few examples below.  Also, see the links below for great examples of the various ways artists are engaging the public through their work.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_art
Urban Arts: http://www.uap.com.au
Creative Time:  http://creativetime.org

Christo and Jeanne-Claude, The Gates

    http://www.christojeanneclaude.net

Claus Oldenburg: http://www.oldenburgvanbruggen.com

Paul Ramirez Jonas, Key to the City

http://creativetime.org/programs/archive/2010/keytothecity/about-the-project/

Jenny Holzer:

http://projects.jennyholzer.com/

JR: http://www.jr-art.net/projects/women-are-heroes-brazil

David Hammons, Higher Goals Project: http://www.publicartfund.org/view/exhibitions/5753_higher_goals

Louise Bourgeois

Sam Durant, Scaffold

http://www.samdurant.net/index.php?/projects/scaffold/

 Taken from the artist's statement: Because of the intricacy and complexity of this structure, it may not be immediately apparent as to exactly what its origins are or how it is to be used; while children use it as a play structure, adults, perhaps attracted by its architectural novelty can slowly discover its origins and meaning. While some might see a resemblance to constructions in an adventure playground from the 1970’s, the sculpture is actually made up of a combination of reconstructed gallows (or scaffolds as they were once called) that were used in executions of significance throughout U.S. history. Through this formal uncertainty there is an attempt to signify both the free play of childhood and the ultimate form of control, capital punishment. These seemingly oppositional tracks have come together in the United States in the last decade, resulting in what is known as “the School to Prison Pipeline."

Heidelberg Project in Detroit: 

http://www.heidelberg.org