Public Art Review issue 42 - 2010 (spring/summer) by forecastpublicart

R i b l i c A r t R e V i e w

issue 42 â&#x20AC;˘ spring/summer 2010

Barbara Grygutis "The Color of Snow", NW Light Rail Transit Station, Calgary, Alberta, Canada (Photo: Andrew Bako)

Michele Oka Doner "Healing Plants", University of Medicine and Dentistry, Newark, NJ, New Jersey State Council on the Arts (Photo: Ricardo Barros)

Franz Mayer of Munich, Inc Architectural Art Glass and Mosaic

The Professional Studio for the Independent Artist

since 1847

www.mayer-of-munich.com

Ann Gardner "Convergence", 4 2 6 Terry Ave Nâ&#x20AC;&#x17E; Seattle, WA. Commissioned by Schnitzer West/Vulcan Real Estate, Seattle, WA (Photo: Lisa Jacoby)

GORDON HUETHER STUDIO

ART

A R C H I T E C T U R E

Over Houston w a s commissioned for t h e connector bridge of t h e William P. Hobby Airport. The six 12- x 20-foot art glass pieces a r e c o m p o s e d of imagery Huether abstracted from aerial p h o t o g r a p h s he shot of t h e Houston area. Art glass technigues including etching, fusing, laminating a n d painting w e r e used to fabricate t h e 4 8 individual panels of Over Houston.

D E S E R T

P A S S A G E :

D R E A M S

PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE CHANDLER-GILBERT COMMUNITY

COLLEGE

PECOS CAMPUS, CHANDLER, AZ

Barbara Grygutis

SCULPTURE

P O Box 3028 TUCSON A Z 85702-3028 U S A TEL: 520-882-5572 FAX: 520-206-0692 EMAIL:

BARBARA@BARBARAGRYGUTIS.COM

www.BarbaraGrygutis.com PHOTO:

KELLEY

KIRKPATRICK

LLC

P u b l i c A i t R e v i e w issue 42 • spring/summer 2010 • volume 21 • number 2

Australia + ueieaz M9I + eiiej^snv

FEATURES The Farm: The Alan Gibbs Sculpture Project at Kaipara Harbour, New Zealand IAN W E D D E

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow: Ephemeral Public Art Practices in Australia's Capital Cities TAMMY WONG

20 Smart Art: 40 Years of Kaldor Public Art Projects DINAH DYSART

24 When the Journey Becomes the Destination: Freeway Art in Melbourne SIMON MAIDMENT

Ground Cover: Fiona Foley + Reuben Paterson Indigenous Strategies tor Public Art AARON SEETO

36 Swings and Roundabouts C A T H E R I N E DE L O R E N Z O & NANCY M A R S H A L L

38 Speaking of Public Art: Leon Paroissien + Pontus Kyander ANNE LOXLEY

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA: WHERE ART LIVES

P l i b l i c A r t R e v i e w issue 42 • spring/summer 2010 • volume 21 • number 2 AUSTRALIA + NEW

ZEALAND

DEPARTMENTS 11

Foreword

Artist Page

Soap

Featured State: Maryland

ANNELOXLEY BROOK ANDREW

BOX JOHN MCDONALD

Maryland's murals, monuments, and memorials artscape, giving voice to conservatives, liberals,

comprise a diverse and independents.

public

G A R Y K A C H A D O U R I A N and G L E N N D I X O N

On Location: Reports from the Field Expanded

coverage

of people,

places,

and projects

from

around

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globe.

Cultural and International Art in Vancouver RACHEL ROSENFIELD LAFO

Bob Cassilly's Cementland: A New Spirit of St. Louis EMILY BLUMENFELD

Recent Glass I n s t a l l a t i o n s in Charlotte LINDA LUISE BROWN

Conference Reports J E N N I F E R M C G R E G O R and A A R O N L E V Y

From the Home Front JON SPAYDE

Book Reviews K A R E N OLSON, ADRIANA GRANT, JON S P A Y D E , LAINE B E R G E S O N , J O S E P H H A R T and C H R I S D O D G E

www.ForecastPublicArt.org

Recent Publications

News

U.S. Recent Projects

International Recent Projects

Last Page

DEBORAH KELLY

ON THE C O V E R Celebrating Australia's obsession with cars. Melbourne's Freeway Art program represents one of the most impressive roadway public art collections in the world. The w o n d r o u s Craigieburn Bypass by Tonkin Z u l a i k h a Greer Architects—with Corten. blue blades and colored LED lights that respond to the movement of c a r s — a n d Robert Owen's Serra-like p e d e s t r i a n bridge make any trip w o r t h w h i l e . See article on page 24. Photo by Peter Hyatt. ON THE ARTIST P A G E Brook Andrew, the prolific Australian artist comfortable in any m e d i u m , addresses the global context of Indigenous experience, often revealing uncomfortable t r u t h s . His two-page spread for PAR offers a s a m p l i n g of his incredible body of work. www.brookandrew.com

P u b l i c A r t R e v i e w AUSTRALIA + NEW ZEALAND issue 42 • spring/summer 2010 • vol. 21 no. 2 EDITOR + P U B L I S H E R

If you work in the public art field, it is a good idea to travel, to take a look around once in a while. In addition to gaining perspective about what you're doing back home, you can learn quite a bit about a place by examining the public art you find. I think public art serves as a kind of cultural barometer. Is it gaudy or subdued? Realistic or abstract? Does it take risks or play it safe? Is it controversial or conservative? Or perhaps there is no public art to be found, which says something else altogether.

A m e r i c a n s for t h e Arts Arts & S c i e n c e C o u n c i l Barbara Grygutis Sculpture

G U E S T EDITOR

A n n e Loxley

Broward County Cultural Division Christian Bjone

ASSOCIATE EDITORS

City of A l b u q u e r q u e , N M J o s e p h Hart

City of P a l m Desert, CA

Karen O l s o n COPY EDITOR

C M C F i n e Arts

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CMYinc. C R A / L A Art P r o g r a m

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D a v i d Griggs

Jon S p a y d e

Derix Art Glass C o n s u l t a n t s Digital S t o n e Project

EDITORIAL A S S I S T A N C E L a i n e Bergeson Kaisa C u m m i n g s

D o n a l d Lipski + S a n A n t o n i o River F o u n d a t i o n Fire F a r m L i g h t i n g

PRODUCTION A S S I S T A N C E

Fort W o r t h P u b l i c Art

Kaitlin Frick

F r a n z M a y e r of M u n i c h , Inc.

Elijah G o o d w e l l

Gordon Huether Studio

Pati H i b b a r d

Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen. Tffis artwork is open to interpretation, but for me it's about celebrating wintertime, when mounds of snow surround the sculpture like so much whipped cream.

national coverage, and building an online companion for the journal that will provide more frequently updated content. With additional support from the NEA and the University of Minnesota we are developing a digital archive of back issues that will offer a valuable and unique educational resource, one that reaches a much broader, international audience. Until then, dear readers, our steadfast paper version allows you to sit back and travel the world right here in these pages.

A. Z a h n e r C o m p a n y

Nichole Goodwell

the iconic Spoonbridge and Cherry by

is expanding Public Art Review's inter-

4Culture

D E S I G N + PRODUCTION

The giant and wonderful folk art statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox in Bemidji, Minnesota, say something about that community: Tall tales are good for tourism in the great north woods. Closer to home, Minneapolis has its own tall tale,

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FOREWORD

Australia + Zealand + Public Art Down Under

ei|i

T h i s i s s u e offers a s n a p s h o t — v i v i d yes, b u t o n l y a s n a p shot—of t h e state of p u b l i c art in A u s t r a l i a a n d N e w Z e a l a n d today. T h e p r o g r a m s , artists, a n d ideas in f o c u s in t h e s e s e v e n f e a t u r e articles, a n d in Public Art Review's r e g u l a r S o a p Box, Artist Page, a n d Last Page d e p a r t m e n t s , reveal as m u c h a b o u t m y editorial bias as t h e y d o a b o u t t h e d e n s e l y active areas of p u b l i c art in o u r t w o c o u n t r i e s . A s a c u r a t o r of p u b l i c art, I a m d r i v e n by t h e goals of artistic a n d d e s i g n e x c e l l e n c e , e n g a g e d c o m m u n i t i e s , a n d satisfied c o m m i s s i o n e r s . T h e s e i d e a l s u n d e r p i n m u c h of t h e f o l l o w i n g pages. I a m e x c i t e d b y t h e c o n t r i b u t o r s ' w o r k , b o t h as i n d i v i d u a l p i e c e s a n d by t h e c u m u l a t i v e p i c t u r e t h e y create. Local preocc u p a t i o n s w i t h c u l t u r a l cringe a n d t h e r e g i o n a l / i n t e r n a t i o n a l polarity are s i d e l i n e d by t h e original v i s i o n s of John K a l d o r in Australia a n d A l a n Gibbs in N e w Z e a l a n d . T h e 40-year-strong K a l d o r P u b l i c Art Projects, w h i c h brings i n t e r n a t i o n a l artists to A u s t r a l i a to create e p h e m e r a l w o r k , is, as D i n a h Dysart writes, u n p r e c e d e n t e d on t h e s e shores. Kaldor's m o t i v a t i o n s are invalu a b l e a n d effective: T h e y o u n g b u s i n e s s m a n w a n t e d visiting artists to k n o w t h e A u s t r a l i a n art c o m m u n i t y a n d , conversely, h e h o p e d to c o n n e c t A u s t r a l i a to t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l art w o r l d . W h i l e accessibility h a s b e e n a m a i n s t a y of t h e Kaldor projects, m a n y of w h i c h h a v e b e e n glorious s p e c t a c l e s e n j o y e d by h o r d e s , A l a n Gibbs' project in N e w Z e a l a n d , as Ian W e d d e reveals, is p u b l i c only in o r c h e s t r a t e d or i n c i d e n t a l c i r c u m s t a n c es. B u s i n e s s m a n a n d e x p e r t e n g i n e e r Gibbs is a n a u d a c i o u s , rigorous c o m m i s s i o n e r w h o h a s b e e n h e a v i l y i n v o l v e d in t h e d e v e l o p m e n t a n d fabrication of 23 m a j o r s c u l p t u r e s to date. Along w i t h giraffes a n d zebras, t h e y a d o r n T h e F a r m , his 1,000acre p r o p e r t y i n f l u e n c e d by s u c h e x e m p l a r s as S t o r m King. Back in t h e w o r l d of civic s p a c e a n d p u b l i c f u n d s , t h e p r o j e c t s that h a v e b e e n part of M e l b o u r n e ' s f r e e w a y s y s t e m s over t h e past 10 years c o n s t i t u t e a n a m b i t i o u s , h i g h l y visible suite. In h i s article " W h e n t h e Journey B e c o m e s t h e Destination: F r e e w a y Art in M e l b o u r n e , " S i m o n M a i d m e n t reflects u p o n t h e s e s c u l p t u r e s a n d bridges, t h e i r s y m b o l i s m as c u l t u r a l l a n d m a r k s , a n d t h e i r efficacy in t h e " c o n t e x t of f r e e w a y art," w h e r e t h e v i e w i n g e x p e r i e n c e is u s u a l l y v e h i c u l a r a n d at considerable speed. W h i l e M a i d m e n t l a u d s D e n t o n Corker M a r s h a l l ' s Bolte Bridge, Robert O w e n a n d T o n k i n Z u l a i k h a Greer's C r a i g i e b u r n Bypass, a n d C a l l u m M o r t o n ' s Hotel, Sydney Morning Herald art critic John M c D o n a l d d e n o u n c e s p u b l i c art in o u r h a r b o r city. In h i s S o a p Box, M c D o n a l d p r o n o u n c e s S y d n e y ' s p u b l i c art a " c a t a s t r o p h e , " local a p p r o a c h e s to p u b l i c art " a m a t e u r i s h , " " e m b a r r a s s i n g , " a n d " h a p h a z a r d . " For M c D o n a l d , Stones Against the Sky by Ken U n s w o r t h (one of A u s t r a l i a ' s finest s c u l p t o r s ) is a " p e r f e c t e x a m p l e of t h e city's careless a t t i t u d e

towards public art" w h e r e engineering and budget problems r e s u l t e d in a n " u n h a p p y c o m p r o m i s e . " C a t h e r i n e De L o r e n z o ' s a n d N a n c y M a r s h a l l ' s " S w i n g s a n d R o u n d a b o u t s " tells a d i f f e r e n t story of u n h a p p y c o m p r o m i s e . W h e n d e v e l o p e r s h a l v e d t h e d e l i v e r y s c h e d u l e of a n a r t w o r k b y o n e of A u s t r a l i a ' s m o s t e m i n e n t p u b l i c art t e a m s , J e n n i f e r Turpin and Michaelie Crawford, the result was a technically f l a w e d w o r k t h a t w a s e v e n t u a l l y d i s m a n t l e d . In a rare t w i s t of fate, t h e artists are n o w d e s i g n i n g a n e w w o r k for t h e site. In m y i n t e r v i e w " S p e a k i n g of P u b l i c Art," e x p e r t s L e o n P a r o i s s i e n a n d P o n t u s K y a n d e r s h a r e t h e i r i n s i g h t s . Paroissien's c i r c u m s p e c t i o n a n d c a u t i o u s o p t i m i s m is c o u n t e r e d b y K y a n d e r ' s c a n d i d a d m i s s i o n s that t h e c o m p l e x i t i e s of t h e p u b lic d o m a i n can b e e x a s p e r a t i n g . The heavily sanctioned public d o m a i n more than exasperates m a n y w h o feel u n r e p r e s e n t e d b y t h e n a r r a t i v e s e n c o u n t e r e d t h e r e — e s p e c i a l l y o u r first p e o p l e s . In h i s article " G r o u n d C o v e r — F i o n a Foley a n d R e u b e n P a t e r s o n : I n d i g e n o u s Strategies for P u b l i c Art," A a r o n Seeto d i s c u s s e s s o m e of t h e p u b l i c w o r k s by t h e s e p o w e r f u l artists. A s t h e a u t h o r w r i t e s , B a d t j a l a artist Foley a n d Maori artist P a t e r s o n b o t h a d d r e s s l a n d a n d h i s t o r y " i n a w a y t h a t is p r o d u c t i v e a n d e n c o u r a g e s r e t h i n k i n g of d o m i n a n t i d e a s of l a n d a n d history." Similarly, Brook A n d r e w , a n A u s t r a l i a n artist w h o p l a y s w i t h u n c o m f o r t a b l e h i s t o r i c a l t r u t h s , often a d d r e s s e s t h e global c o n t e x t of I n d i g e n o u s e x p e r i e n c e . In his Artist Page, h e rep r o d u c e s a s e l e c t i o n of p r o j e c t s t h a t u s e h i s o p v e r s i o n of t h e t r a d i t i o n a l p a t t e r n of h i s m o t h e r ' s W i r a d j u r i p e o p l e . T e m p o r a r y p r o j e c t s , as T a m m y W o n g details, a r e o n t h e rise in A u s t r a l i a n c a p i t a l cities a n d t h e y c a n t i c k l e a t t i t u d e s in w a y s t h a t w e w i l l n e v e r see in l o n g - t e r m p u b l i c w o r k s . A case in p o i n t is D e b o r a h Kelly's Beware of the God project, f e a t u r e d on t h e Last Page. Kelly's m u l t i m e d i a p r o j e c t a d d r e s s e s t h e p h e n o m e n o n of r e l i g i o u s zealots; ironically, its original m e d i u m ( c o m m i s s i o n e d by S y d n e y ' s M u s e u m of C o n t e m p o r a r y Art) d e l i v e r e d h e r m e s s a g e w i t h t h e p a n a c h e of Cecil B. DeMille. F r o m c i n e m a t i c m o m e n t s to s a n d d r a w i n g s t h a t d i s a p p e a r w i t h t h e tide, f r o m r e c l a i m i n g key m o m e n t s in A b o r i g i n a l h i s tory to m a j o r w o r k by D a n i e l B u r e n m a t c h e d w i t h r o a m i n g zebras, p u b l i c art d o w n u n d e r offers u n i q u e r i c h e s . I h o p e t h a t r e a d e r s of t h i s i s s u e e n j o y o u r w o r k . ANNE LOXLEY is the Director of Penrith Regional Gallery &• The Lewers Bequest. A former S y d n e y M o r n i n g H e r a l d art critic, she was Curator, and later Director, Public Art, Olympic Coordination Authority (1997-2001) and Director, S.H. Ervin Gallery (1991-1994). She has worked as a public art consultant for Lend Lease Development, City of Sydney and Arts NSW.

The Alan Gibbs Sculpture Project at Kaipara Harbour, New Zealand IAN W E D D E

he Farm, Alan Gibbs' sculpture park at Kaipara Harbour in New Zealand, consists of 1,000 acres

grazed

and

major

international

exotic

sculptures

artists. The

after a two-year

animals,

project

such

giraffes —

New Zealand

commenced

site hunt. While s o m e

works, such as Richard Serra's

of the

Te Tuhirangi

and 1991

largest Contour

(1999—2001), are visible from the road, the park is not a public space. This is a private collection. Vet it raises questions about what constitutes public art, and about the

kinds

social

encounters

generated

after

initial

contacts between commissioner and artist.

Knowing in a d v a n c e about Alan Gibbs' preference for the abstract, m i n i m a l , a n d often m o n u m e n t a l work of m o d e r n i s t masters such as Sol LeWitt, George Rickey, a n d Richard Serra, I a p p r o a c h e d T h e Farm w i t h s o m e critical f r a m e w o r k s already beginning to take shape. Chief a m o n g these were certain key ideas of the radical F r e n c h critic Guy Debord. In Society of the Spectacle (1967), Debord suggested that a m o d e r n alliance of capital a n d m e d i a h a d shifted public e n c o u n t e r s w i t h art away f r o m r e l a t i o n s h i p a n d t o w a r d s spectacle—from the social t o w a r d s commodity. S u c h potential alienation is still a critical factor in any evaluation of public art. A l t h o u g h Debord's late-1960s critique seems anachronistic in m u c h c o n t e m p o r a r y art practice, w h e r e the focus is more on "relational aesthetics" t h a n c o m m o d i t i e s , it becomes critically useful if located in an historical view-shaft back to the d a w n of m o d e r n industrial capitalism, and the p r o d u c t i o n by w e a l t h y art p a t r o n s of spectacular environments, both architectural a n d landscaped. Of relevance to T h e Farm are t h e mid- to lateeighteenth-century examples of the English l a n d s c a p e " i m p r o v e r " Capability Brown, and the Greek Revival p a r k l a n d s of the early n i n e t e e n t h century; a n d their N e w World successors in the n i n e t e e n t h - c e n t u r y w i l d e r n e s s painters of the H u d s o n Valley a n d the Catskill M o u n t a i n s in u p p e r N e w York State. N i n e t e e n t h - c e n t u r y N e w York art patrons such as Luman Reed and his son-in-law Jonathan Sturges forged r e l a t i o n s h i p s b e t w e e n urban wealth a n d the l a n d s c a p e s of artists s u c h as D u r a n d a n d Cole. T h e c o m p o s i t i o n or " i m p r o v e m e n t " of t h e w i l d e r n e s s w a s Giraffes roam through fountain spray on the grounds of The Farm, Alan Gibbs' in a sense their joint project. This project has its m o d e r n countersculpture park at Kaipara Harbour in New Zealand. Richard Serra's Te Tllhiiwgi Contour part in the landscape(d) location of the Storm King Art Center on the H u d s o n at Mountainville, as well as of Dia at Beacon lower (1999-2001) stretches across the background. Photo by Oavid Hartley. d o w n the H u d s o n .

Both eighteenth-century Capability Brown p a r k l a n d s a n d the m o d e r n Storm King enterprise have s h a p e d Alan Gibbs' vision for T h e Farm. He also a d m i r e s the scale and m i n i m a l ist preferences of Dia acquisitions both at Beacon a n d in N e w York City, n o doubt because they mirror the m o d e r n i s t aesthetic that has been the p r i n c i p l e focus of his o w n art collecting since t h e 1960s. Debord's critique highlights the possibility that relationships between u r b a n capital a n d spectacular l a n d s c a p e s will generate alienating effects, for example, in t h e case of the nineteenth-century H u d s o n Valley artists, paintings that in fact distance viewers from the natural world. His critique may also be relevant to paradoxical " n a t u r a l " interventions in urban space such as Joseph Beuys' 7,000 Oaks, especially its Dia manifestation in N e w York City in 1988. I thought about these paradoxes, as well as about Storm King and Dia, on the day Alan Gibbs drove m e a r o u n d T h e Farm in an open 4WD jeep. I also began to think about Debord's statement that, in t h e society of the spectacle, truth is a m o m e n t of falsehood. T h e truth of T h e Farm's l a n d s c a p e is its c a n d i d artifice, 1,000 groomed acres of what had been rough farmland. Gibbs has " i m p r o v e d " (the Capability Brown term) the landforms a n d i n t r o d u c e d water features; he claims w i t h o u t being i n g e n u o u s that h e has i m p r o v e d t h e ecological quality of the land, He is also frank about the fact that this i m p r o v e m e n t has been driven by aesthetic desires. Gibbs' passion for large-scale eighteenth-century English p a r k l a n d s , a n d his frank admission of spectacular aesthetic ambitions, may seem at first sight to invite a Debordian critique of his Kaipara enterprise. But in the end the sheer effrontery and even w e i r d n e s s of the enterprise may be its best defense.

Richard Serra's Te Tuhirsngi Contour (1999-2001) situated on the grounds of The Farm, consists of 56 Corten steel plates, each measuring roughly 15 by 19 feet, combining to reach a total length of over 843 feet. Te Tu/tirsngi Contour is Serra's largest work to date.

This defense is reinforced by the presence in the groomed landscape of spectacular animals such as giraffes. Asked "Why giraffes?" Gibbs has a simple answer: "Because they are the most beautiful animals in the world." T h e " m o m e n t of falseh o o d " is revealed as a detournement even Debord might have approved of: w h e n aesthetic motivation, fueled by substantial wealth, produces an e n c o u n t e r with startling transformation, spectacular in scale certainly, but also spectacular in its candour. The giraffe is a beautiful lie that discloses the truth of a subversive aesthetic impulse. A n d the striped zebra grazing alongside the stripes of Daniel Buren's Green and White Fence (1999-2001) represents an a u d a c i o u s act of curatorial will that moves any e n c o u n t e r with it well past mere spectacle. M u c h might be m a d e of the large scale of many of the works commissioned for The Farm, most famously Richard Serra's Te Tuhirangi Contour, the largest work by this artist. Much might also be m a d e of the competitive spirit that has c o m m i s s i o n e d such game-over works; Gibbs is on record as having told Serra he "[didn't] want any w i m p y piece in the landscape." But again, the temptation to unleash Debord's critique of the insidious connection between capital and spectacle is deflected by Gibbs' frank sizing-up of the scale of work d e m a n d e d by the l a n d s c a p e he has created. His appetite for major works of art may be large, but the landscape itself, as a total artifact, also establishes practical b e n c h m a r k s of scale easily read by

an expert engineer such as Gibbs, whose conceptual grasp of on The Farm: the restored grave and headstone of the Ngati the whole enterprise is comprehensively holistic. Even Andy Whatua chief Te Hemara Tauhia on a headland overlooking the Goldsworthy, who made numerous ephemeral works on The harbor. Nearby is the grave of Gibbs' own father. One senses Farm while engaged with his commission, produced what can that this may be the central genius loci of the place. only be described as a m o n u m e n t a l installation of keystoned We inch in low gear around subtle works by Sol LeWitt archways in handcrafted Scottish sandstone, stepping out into (Pyramid-Keystone NZ, 1997) and Richard T h o m p s o n (Unthe sea along an elegant axis titled-Red Square/Black of hip-swung angles. Square, 1994). Gibbs is at And even a skeptical pains to make sure I see the Debord might have been works comprehensively, as Asked "Why giraffes?" surprised by Gibbs' own he does, in terms of their Gibbs has a simple answer: commentary o n the art intentionality, their disposiworks. It is well informed, tion in the landscape, and, "Because they are the based on substantial knowlin the case of the excepedge of the art, its history, tional work by T h o m p s o n , most beautiful animals and his own close observaits echoes of rectangular tion, full of relish and pride, geometric paintings by the in the world." with a frequent use of the New Zealand artist Gordon key word fun (his company, Walters. As a genius loci, Gibbs Technologies Ltd., T h o m p s o n ' s work is clearly has produced an aquatic sports car called the Funster; we also emotionally important to Gibbs for the shelter it also affords climbed into Anish Kapoor's work and bounced on it). His the spirit of Walters. commentary is often, too, full of calm—as if the s t u p e n d o u s The other facet to Gibbs' commentary and his impulses, effort of commissioning, engineering, and then erecting these both peaceful and pugnacious ("Where else is anyone doing massive works has always wanted as its outcome an opportuthis?"), that underlie it are Gibbs' frequent references to the nity for peace. This effect—effort and awe followed by repose massive scale and problem-solving challenges of engineering and contemplation—was a sine qua non of the eighteenthand installation, especially of the Serra and Kapoor works. century parkland and, more particularly, of the Greek Revival Here, an important social dimension in the production of the parks with their emphasis on genius loci, spirits of place fuswork also appears. ing landscapes and artifacts, the land itself preferably browsed This social dimension involves a triangulation in the creby herbivorous animals. An entirely literal shrine site exists ative process of commissioning, producing, and installing the

work. Gibbs insists on robust discussions with the artists he invites for e x t e n d e d stays at T h e Farm. Not all m a k e it through this process, a n d those w h o do will have e n c o u n t e r e d Gibbs' distaste for meek c o m p l i a n c e . "The process is 75 percent of everything," Gibbs said, followed by the e m p h a t i c closure, "My guys built it." T h e artist is paid a flat fee for the p r o d u c t i o n of an agreed concept, as well as generous expenses for as m a n y visits as t h e concept d e v e l o p m e n t takes. Subsequent costs for p r o d u c t i o n a n d installation are paid by Gibbs himself. T h e scale of these works certainly exceeds what can be afforded by even w e l l - e n d o w e d institutions, and it is the engineering resources a n d expertise of Gibbs' o w n industrial enterprise—"my guys"—that constitute the second "problem-solving" stage in the creative process, w h i c h Gibbs clearly regards as c o m p l e m e n t a r y to the initial conceptual, artistic process. Materials research and d e v e l o p m e n t , load-bearing calculations, heat e x p a n s i o n and contraction solutions, the establishm e n t of sustainable f o u n d a t i o n s — t h e scope of creative thinking required for these and other issues are the responsibility of p e o p l e Gibbs celebrates as " m a d buggers." These are his heroes, p e o p l e capable of excessive, risky thought, like the artists w h o

ABOVE RIGHT: Sol LeWitt, Pyramid (Keystone HI), 1997, standard concrete blocks. ABOVE LEFT: Anish Kapoor, Dismemberment Site /, 2009, steel tube and tensioned fabric. BELOW: Richard Thompson, UntilM (Ret Squire/Black Square), 1994, welded & painted steel.

have challenged h i m to think riskily; like the pioneer electrical engineer Nikola Tesla (1856-1943) w h o s e "Tesla coil" drives Eric Orr's Electrum: for Len Lye (1997), itself a kind of vindication of Tesla's u n c o m p l e t e d Wardenclyffe Tower (c. 1901) on Long Island Sound, w h i c h was s u p p o r t e d by the leading venture capitalist of the times, J.P. Morgan. T h e third stage involves degrees of site-specificity. The locating and erecting of the work in a landscape c o m p r e h e n sively s h a p e d by Gibbs' o w n oversight completes a kind of virtuous circle. It begins with a challenge to the artist to think big about the place. It c o n t i n u e s through a d e v e l o p m e n t process driven by discussion a n d engineering audacity. It returns to its point of origin at the m o m e n t the installation is committed to its site. Often, this will have been modified en route. In the case of Serra, the site-specificity of the work complies rigorously with the land-forms a n d contours agreed after robust discussion—though the discussion has been finessed by Gibbs's unilateral decision to expose the work to w i d e vistas, rather t h a n enclose it in trees as Serra initially intended. In the case of Kapoor, the work retains the artist's intention to intervene in the l a n d s c a p e rather t h a n comply with it. How " p u b l i c " can the works be? This question m u s t be answered not at the termination of the process just outlined, w h e n "a public" might be given access, but through and b e y o n d it. C o m m e n c e m e n t in initial contact between Gibbs and artist, concept d e v e l o p m e n t through conversation and argument that will also d r a w in l a n d s c a p e architects and engineers, the engagement of problem-solving teams of " m a d buggers," and the work of installing and subsequently unveiling the work, already constitute a substantial network of social encounters. In Latourian actor-network terms, we might say that the work has already performed a complex society. It is worth comparing this process with its parallels in public art institutions effectively colonized by the wishes of trustees w h o are also art collectors. Such trustee-collectors will often be leveraging the values of an art market w h o s e b e n c h m a r k s are established by the very institutions they govern. T h o u g h u n a b a s h e d l y egoistic, Gibbs' enterprise is already more " p u b l i c " in m a n y respects than the institutional m o d e l governed through culturally indebted chains of c o m m a n d . Beyond the installation and unveiling of works at T h e Farm, they are available to selected publics. Art schools are regularly invited; Gibbs provides opportunities for charity fundraisers to be staged at T h e Farm; varieties of individual a n d group visits are encouraged, as are visits by artists and their families or friends; the media (myself included) are treated hospitably. There is a c h a n c e that in the future T h e Farm may be o p e n e d to a more general public; for now, as far as Gibbs is concerned, it is a work in progress. It is also his h o m e for three m o n t h s of

each year, and includes the holiday homes of several family members and their children. As such, its resemblance to t h e eighteenth-century English parkland estates Gibbs admires is again striking. And like those estates patrolled by gamekeepers, T h e Farm is in most respects beyond the reach of civic regulation. There is no way it could meet Occupational Health a n d Safety regulations, though Gibbs has already, at considerable cost, negotiated the Resource Management Act (RMA); and those of us w h o have worked in large public art institutions know how inimical to m e a n i n g f u l public access such restrictions can sometimes be. Some lingering questions raised by T h e Farm: What kind of c o n t i n u u m links (or distances) "social" and " p u b l i c " life? Similarly, w h a t is the stretch between "private" a n d "institutional" space? A n d finally, given that T h e Farm by its very n a m e is associated more with the familiar and unspectacular industrialized farming l a n d s c a p e with w h i c h it is s u r r o u n d e d (deforested land, fences, hay bales, etc.) than it is with any original forest ecosystem, w h e r e are w e to locate the word spectacular in relation to it? Might T h e Farm be exposing one of New Zealand's most egregious lies, the spectacularizing, so

to speak, of a v a u n t e d "100 percent p u r e " w i l d e r n e s s masquerading as devoid of h u m a n p r e s e n c e but m a d e p u b l i c as a national b r a n d ? T h e Farm project's a n t h r o p o c e n t r i s m is by contrast a c a n d i d celebration of h u m a n aesthetic intervention, a n d as s u c h an act of large p u b l i c significance well before issues of privilege a n d access are invoked. IAN WEDDE is a freelance writer and curator. From 1994-2004 he was head of art at New Zealand's National Museum. His most recent art book (2009) is Bill Culbert: Making Light Work (NZ: AUP; U.K.: RGAP).

40 Years of Kaldor Public Art Projects DINAH DYSART

may have been 40 years since Christo and Jeanne-Claude wrapped the Sydney coast at Little B a y - a n d that may have been "a defining moment in the story of

modern and contemporary art in Australia," as Edmund Capon, director of the

Art Gallery of New South Wales, wrote in the recently published 40 Years: Kaldor Art Projects

(edited by Sophie Forbat). Yet I am sure if Wrapped

Public

Coast w a s recreated

today it would receive the same startled, delighted response as it did in 1969, despite 20

the fact that w e are now thoroughly used to unexpected artistic interventions. The project w a s utterly absurd, looked wonderful, and absorbed the energy of a large number of enthusiastic volunteers. But, sadly, there is no way it could happen in today's overregulated society, given all our rules controlling impacts on the environment, health, and safety.

ars I h a v e l e a r n e d f t h e a r t i s t s ; it h a s sat p r i v i l e g e to s h a r e its a n d to w i t n e s s process." - John

Kaldor

Wrapped Coast - One Million Square feet, Little Bay, Sydney, Austral Christo (pictured) and Jeanne-Claude led a team of more than 100 workers and volunteers over four weeks to cover the site with 90,000 square meters of fabric.

^ I | f S | £ 3 3 | S J S

Wrapped Coast was the first of a series of projects initiated by John Kaldor, a young Hungarian-Australian textile designer w i t h a passion for contemporary international art fostered by n u m e r o u s visits to Europe and New York in the 1960s. In 2009, Sydney celebrated 40 years of Kaldor Public Art Projects w i t h a retrospective exhibition, a n e w project at the Art Gallery of New South Wales created by the Japanese artist Tatzu Nishi, and a h a n d s o m e publication [see review on page 79]. There have been 20 projects to date, occurring at irregular intervals and w i t h n o discernible t h e m e except, perhaps, one of challenging the public to ask questions about the nature of art and its purpose. T h e works have been witty, irrational, political, technologically innovative, e n v i r o n m e n t a l l y conscious, experimental, and educational. Some have been more memorable, others decidedly more influential, but each one has presented a highly original proposition d e m a n d i n g complete visual and intellectual attention.

T h e projects have b e e n created in a variety of p u b l i c locations—in S o u t h Australia, Victoria, a n d most often in N e w S o u t h Wales—but w h a t they all h a v e in c o m m o n is ephemerality. As a result, there were few actual w o r k s of art i n c l u d e d in the retrospective exhibition. Instead, film, p h o t o g r a p h s , letters, archival material, m e m o r a b i l i a , an occasional leftover object, or an artwork c o m m i s s i o n e d by Kaldor to c o m m e m o r a t e t h e project acted as p r o m p t s to suggest the artwork in its original form. Some projects were r e p r e s e n t e d more s u c c e s s f u l l y t h a n others. T h e impact of Sol LeWitt's Wall Drawings w a s readily conveyed (although p e r h a p s their i m p o r t a n c e in defining the notion of c o n c e p t u a l art w a s a little obscure). To a p p r e c i a t e t h e sheer w a c k i n e s s of Charlotte M o o r m a n ' s antics, however, o n e really n e e d e d to be there in 1976 w h e n s h e played t h e cello s u s p e n d e d from a b u n c h of h e l i u m balloons floating above t h e Sydney Opera House. Gregor S c h n e i d e r ' s cage-like e n c l o s u r e

LEFT: Charlotte Moorman suspended from helium balloons above the Opera House, 1976. RIGHT: Jeff Koons, Puppy, 1995, in front of Sydney's Museum of Contemporary Art.

from his 21 Beach Cells installation at Bondi Beach in 2007 m a d e a strong political statement, but it was impossible to get any sense of the astonishing impact of Bill Viola's video Tristan's Ascension (The Sound of a Mountain Under a Waterfall) as it was originally presented in St. Saviour's Church, Redfern, in 2008, from seeing this Bodies of Light video in the exhibition gallery. War and Peace and in Between, the latest project, is very m u c h in the Kaldor Public Art tradition w i t h its surprising, a m u s i n g c o m m e n t s on the way in w h i c h w e r e s p o n d to our e n v i r o n m e n t . Tatzu Nishi (also k n o w n as Tazro Niscino, Tatzu Oozu and Tatsurou Bashi) has created a domestic setting a r o u n d each of the two Gilbert Bayes sculptures, entitled The Offerings of Peace and The Offerings of War, that have flanked the entrance to the Art Gallery of N e w South Wales for more t h a n 80 years. T h e effect of the work is to call into question our reactions, or nonreactions, to public works of art that seem to have been in place forever. A n u m b e r of the artists c o m m i s s i o n e d by Kaldor were not well k n o w n at the time and their Australian piece kicked off

their careers and established their international reputations. This was particularly the case with The Singing Sculpture, w h i c h was presented at the Art Gallery of N e w South Wales and the National Gallery of Victoria in 1973 by two young u n k n o w n (in reality "aspiring") artists, Gilbert and George (Gilbert Proesch and George Passmore). These days the pair is written into art history books so that about 2,000 people t u r n e d u p to hear Capon interview t h e m at the gallery on the last day of the 40-year retrospective. Other artists had a considerable reputation, even notoriety, before their participation in the program. Jeff Koons was already r e n o w n e d for his controversial take on the excesses of contemporary life before creating Puppy for the forecourt of the M u s e u m of Contemporary Art in Sydney in 1995, an installation comprising "55 tonnes of soil a n d 60,000 cascading plants." T h e spectacular location on Sydney Harbour afforded s p l e n d i d l y kitsch photo opportunities incorporating the Sydney Harbour Bridge; amateur photographers attempted to immortalize themselves and their pets for the family a l b u m u n d e r the benevolent gaze of Puppy. Tony Bond, the curator (with John Kaldor) of the retrospective exhibition and contributor to the excellent catalogue w h i c h thoroughly d o c u m e n t s every project, points out that "it is hard to c o m p r e h e n d h o w Kaldor came to take the first step" as there were no precedents for his highly original concept of bringing artists to Australia to create a work in situ. W h e n asked in a recent interview at the Art Gallery of New South Wales w h y he felt it was important to do so, Kaldor said that not only w o u l d the visiting artist have an o p p o r t u n i t y to get to k n o w the Australian art community, but he also h o p e d that something of Australia w o u l d "stick" for the future and t h u s Australia w o u l d be connected to the international art world. He used the e x a m p l e of Richard Long's walk in the outback in 1977. Photographs from Long's A straight hundred mile walk in Australia were s h o w n at Lisson Gallery, London, in 1978 and again at the Tate last year, and indeed a n u m b e r of the other works have served to introduce Australia and its artists to an international audience. It is extraordinary that a young m a n with not a lot of m o n e y but a great idea fueled by passion and persistence could create something of such long-lasting significance as

Photograph from Richard Long's artist book, published by John Kaldor Art Projects in 1978.

this art project, w h i c h is " p u b l i c " in the best sense of t h e word. T h e invited artists create works in public spaces w i t h o u t interfering with the e n v i r o n m e n t in any p e r m a n e n t way a n d they are works that exist only in the public space, having no collectible status. Kaldor Art Projects n o w operates as a f o u n d a t i o n with a board of trustees that i n c l u d e s John Kaldor. He has stated that the organization i n t e n d s to have two art projects and an education project each year. A video art project for schools is already in place. Happily, w e can look forward to more surprises and more challenging projects in the future. DINAH DYSART is an Australian writer and arts advisor. The former editor of Art & Australia and inaugural editor of ArtAsiaPacific, she was also previously the deputy chair of the Australia-China Council for the Australian Government.

ABOVE RIGHT, MIDDLE and BELOW: Tatzu Nishi, Mr end Peace snt in between, (exterior and interior views), 2009-2010. Nishi transformed the Art Gallery of New South Wales' two eguestrian sculptures by Gilbert Bayes, enclosing them in playful, domestic living spaces.

IS WIDELY KNOWN AS AUSTRALIA'S "CULTURAL CAPITAL," OR SO WE TELL OURSELVES HERE. WHAT'S INDISPUTABLE IS THAT FOUR ASPECTS OF MODERN LIFE UNDERPIN THE IDENTITY AND EXPERIENCE OF THIS, THE MOST SOUTHERN MAJOR CITY ON AUSTRALIA'S MAINLAND: SPORTS, CARS, FOOD, AND THE ARTS, ARGUABLY IN THAT ORDER.

SIMON MAIDMENT

Denton Corker Marshall Architects, Melbourne Bslen/sy 1999, Photo by Tim Griffith.

elbourne; i s a rapidly growing city, both in p o p u l a t i o n — currently lour million wilh a projection of live million by 2020—iind in geographic size. Like Sydney, the nation's largest city at 4.4 million, Melbourne: is one of the: most suburbanized cities in the world, with a population density of 4,056 people per square mile. To put this into a global perspective, Los Angeles, the world's most famous bloated suburbia, has 7,01)8. T h e most famous "international art cities" tend to have much higher densities, including New York City (26,403), Tokyo (15,148), London (10,596), and Paris (9,648). T h e "Great Australian Dream," a desire to own a quarteracre slice of suburbia, c o n t i n u e s to propel the urban sprawl farther anel faster. Moreover, Australians are obsessed wilh cars—our vast land seems to d e m a n d it from our people, much like in the United States—but Melburnians seem especially so. Graeme Davison, a u t h o r of Car Wars: How the Car Wan Our Hearts and Conquered Our Cities, has noted that in Melbourne in 1951 only one in ten people drove to work, but by 1974 two-thirds c o m m u t e d by car. These conditions have, in turn, m a d e roads something of an obsession in M e l b o u r n e . No longer content with merely traveling along them, Melbourne has found cause to turn its freeways into cultural and p u b l i c art l a n d m a r k s .

In 1999, amid a seismic shift of privatization by the government, Melbourne's road system entered new, uncharted territory. Sections of Citylink, Melbourne's first tollway, o p e n e d to the public. This controversial road project was eight times larger than any attempted before in Melbourne, and was the result of a public-private p a r t n e r s h i p between the Victorian state government and Transurban. T h e road linked Melbourne's international airport to the central city, and was m a d e u p of a combination of newly built and existing sections of freeway.

Citylink is important to the emerging story of Melbourne's freeway art for two reasons: It was the first t i m e large-scale " s c u l p t u r a l " structures had been c o n s t r u c t e d to e n h a n c e the aesthetics of a Melbourne freeway, and it has b e c o m e t h e model du jour for developing n e w major road i n f r a s t r u c t u r e projects to a d d r e s s the dispersal of the city's p o p u l a t i o n . For the first time, the g o v e r n m e n t n e e d e d a road to be more than just a m e t h o d of moving a u t o m o b i l e s f r o m one point to another; it needed to make this section of freeway w o r t h y of charging the driver for a road previously traveled gratis. T h i s road needed to stand for something, and that s o m e t h i n g was progress, m o d e r n i z a t i o n , and the idea of M e l b o u r n e as a m a j o r international city. T h e resulting m o n u m e n t s to this agenda are all still standing p r o u d today: a series of large red and yellow m o n o l i t h s , and, followed by a short brirlge enclosed by a steel "tube," the Bolte Bridge, or more important to our narrative, the two slender gray c o l u m n s flanking this bridge at its apex, dwarfing it as they rise a full 90 meters from the water below. T h e single yellow and 39 red m o n o l i t h s are officially titled Melbourne Gateway, as this is t h e point w h e r e a visitor catching a cab from the airport finally reaches the north e n d of the city center. T h e structure, like the others previously m e n tioned, was designed by Denton Corker Marshall Architects (DCM) and is meant to symbolize the city-defining n i n e t e e n t h century gold rush. T h e massive 70-meter yellow form—quickly d u b b e d the "Cheese Stick" by M e l b u r n i a n s — c a n t i l e v e r s over t h e road at an alarming angle and recalls in h u e t h e controversial watershed public artwork Vault by Ron Robertson-Swann (more on this later). It is by far the most s u c c e s s f u l of the phalanx, despite t h e disparaging n a m e a n d general agreement by m u c h of the intelligentsia that it resembles a fascist salute, a c o n c l u s i o n quickly d e t e r m i n e d as a reaction a n d reference to the reigning Victorian State Premier (and Arts Minister) of the day, Jeff Kennett, and his policies. While this s e n t i m e n t lingers as a kind of nostalgia, w h a t r e m a i n s is a d y n a m i c a n d dramatic form that certainly e m b o d i e s the ambition to arrest the imagination of a visitor to M e l b o u r n e .

i-%,

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ABOVE: Denton Corker Marshall Architects, Bolte Bridge, 1999. MIDDLE: Ron Robertson-Swann, Vault, 1980 (shown here installed at ACCA in 2002). BELOW: Tonkin Zulaikha Greer and Taylor Cullity Lethlean with Robert Owen, Craigieburn Bypass sculptural footbridge, 2005, showing blue blades in the background.

If traveling to the south e n d of town, or the eastern, s o u t h e r n , and western s u b u r b s of Melbourne, w e c o n t i n u e on Citylink to Bolte Bridge. Now if a n y o n e doubted the political detractors, surely the thin silver towers that serve no f u n c t i o n but to extravagantly flank the 490-meter-long bridge were proof of the totalitarian i m p u l s e of the architects and their masters. Through its sheer audacity, simplicity, and ambition, the Bolte Bridge is a work of art. It doesn't just reference or borrow from the language the architects of fascist Italy and Stalinist Russia, it seems to e m b o d y it. Here, clearly, is a city's delicate fingers reaching for, a n d maybe connected to, the stars. W h e n viewed from the city center, the twin forms have a void as a backdrop, day or night, serving to create the illusion they are in fact far higher (their 90-meter height is actually d w a r f e d by the nearby buildings of the city, the largest of w h i c h , Eureka Tower, stands more than three times their height). A n d yet for all this monumentality, w h e n you pass t h e m in a car on the bridge you feel you can reach out and t o u c h these sentinels. While the Gateway is a series of bright primary colors—a sin to most Melburnians and one best consigned to Sydney or, better still. Brisbane—the Bolte is reassuringly m o n o c h r o m e , like the medium-gray suits of Mad Men. N o w that's Melbourne, w e say to ourselves.

The City of Steel 26

Another tonality quickly becoming inseparable from Melbourne's visual identity is that of Corten steel, a self-weathering metal that has a deep b r o w n rust finish, echoing the notion of Australia that poet Dorothea MacKellar articulated as the " w i d e b r o w n land." T h e iconic building n a m e d Ngargee, w h i c h h o u s e s Melbourne's Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA) and state contemporary d a n c e c o m p a n y C h u n k y Move, is p e r h a p s the most celebrated of these buildings, designed by Wood Marsh Architects. T h e w o n d e r f u l Craigieburn Bypass by Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects, a stretch of freeway that links the H u m e Highway w i t h the Melbourne Ring Road, is another Corten structure worth celebrating. With folding, curved, rusted Corten walls, this 32-kilometer road is something to behold, not least the matching pedestrian bridge that s w e e p s Serra-like over the road, surely the most magnificent footbridge I've seen. Involved at all stages of the design process was the senior Australian artist Robert Owen, w h o s e s h a d o w stretches over public sculpture i n this country. As one drives, at 100 kph, the Corten walls make w a y for an array of blue blades, interspaced w i t h clear acrylic sheets. These are i m b e d d e d with a field of colored LED lights that react to the cars, a n d the density of cars, that are speeding past. Together they form a shifting color m a p , recalling Owen's large-scale painting Cadence #1 (a short span of timeJ. At night, this body of color seems to act as a kind of Sputnik—a disembodied, organic traveling c o m p a n i o n , moving w i t h us as w e head through Melbourne's north. Returning to Corten, a curious t u r n of serendipity further interlinks the practices and materials described t h u s far. N o w sitting atop the fine sandy gravel forecourt of ACCA is the m u c h discussed, bright yellow geometric sculpture Vault m e n t i o n e d previously in relation to DCM's "Cheese Stick." A little k n o w n fact in the checkered history of this work is that DCM c o m m i s s i o n e d it as the centerpiece for Melbourne's n e w City Square that the firm was designing in 1978. There was dissent to the work within the w i d e r M e l b o u r n e c o m m u n i t y w h o quickly dubbed it "The Yellow Peril" (further pillorying the work with association to the scaremongering m e t a p h o r for an i m p e d i n g " i n v a s i o n " of Southeast Asian immigration).

M u c h to Robertson-Swann's vociferous dismay, Vault was m o v e d from the City Square in 1980 to a down-at-home and, frankly, m u d d y park by the Yarra River w h e r e it was to serve as a canvas for graffiti artists and a shelter for the homeless. Soon after the Wood Marsh cultural building w a s completed in 2002, Vault was rescued and placed between the Victorian College of the Arts and ACCA, arguably the two most eminent organizations concerned with contemporary art practice in Melbourne. T h e work is n o w widely recognized as ahead of its time, w h i c h is quite untrue. In fact, its resurrection is a clear e x a m p l e of h o w far Melbourne has come from such parochial a n d ungenerous attitudes to public art (though w e still have some way to go in the eyes of this critic).

Art of the Road

Context is all-important to the reception of art, a n d there are few contexts that are as specific as that of "freeway art." In my estimation, Callum Morton's Hotel, situated a little further on from Public Art Strategy, joins the Bolte Bridge a n d Craigieb u r n Bypass in being the most effective e x a m p l e s of harnessing this u n i q u e way of presenting a n d experiencing art. Hotel is a s h r u n k e n version of the u b i q u i t o u s tilt-slab highrise hotels that have s p r u n g u p next to airports a n d f r e e w a y s over t h e past decade. T h e 20-meter-high s c u l p t u r e is virtually indistinguishable f r o m the "real" thing from afar, an illusion that m a k e s use of a speedy a p p r o a c h across relatively barren landscape. T h i s affords the eye a n d brain plenty of t i m e to get t h e m s e l v e s in a m u d d l e of s p e e d , distance, visual perception, a n d w o n d e r m e n t that a hotel could exist in a place so desolate, A Connecting Hue before it flies past, leaving an afterimage of its sign, the w o r d As well as the slightly obstinate use of the particular s h a d e "Hotel," e m b l a z o n e d on the retina. At night the illusion is inof yellow by DCM some 20 years later (and w h o can b l a m e tensified as the sign is i l l u m i n a t e d along w i t h a r a n d o m selecthem?), w e also find this color in Public Art Strategy, a work by tion of w i n d o w s at the front. Emily Floyd that sits beside the recently completed EastLink, a Hotel c o n t i n u e s t h e artist's interest in a k i n d of theme-parkfive-kilometer freeway linking the existing Eastern Freeway to style illusion, playing w i t h scale, a n i m a t i n g t h e i n a n i m a t e , a n d the city of Frankston, situated on the very edge of metropolitan generally skirting a r o u n d phantasmagoria. In a recent essay, Melbourne. The road is a showcase for Wood Marsh ArchiMorton r e c o u n t s two tales relating to Hotel: first, that t h e local tects' extensive use of detailed a n d large-scale urban design elcouncil w a s contacted by s o m e o n e w i s h i n g to book a r o o m at ements, referencing t h e topography, geology, and flora that the the hotel, a n d t h e n , a clothes s h o p i n F r a n k s t o n began sellfreeway passes through. Further, ConnectEast, the c o m p a n y ing T-shirts bearing t h e legend "I stayed at t h e EastLink Hotel." b e h i n d this public-private p a r t n e r s h i p project, c o m m i s s i o n e d These stories u n d e r l i n e the effectiveness of Morton's o w n p u b four major contemporary art c o m m i s s i o n s by highly esteemed lic art strategy: mirroring t h e familiar to create a reality that is Australian artists Floyd, James Angus, Callum Morton, a n d slightly out of focus. S i m e o n Nelson. T h e sophisticated, a n d highly visible, art c o m m i s s i o n s o n Public Art Strategy is a 13-meter-high, painted-steel the Craigieburn Bypass a n d EastLink have e l u c i d a t e d a n e w sculpture that depicts a wooden-toy-like blackbird pecking a p p r o a c h to the experience a n d p r o m o t i o n of Australian freeat a " w o r m , " taking the form of a yellow geometric sculpture ways, m a k i n g t h e road itself s o m e t h i n g of a destination. So w i t h similar angular planes as Vault. In her artist statement, m u c h so that even public freeways—built long before this age Floyd writes that the work is a cut-and-paste of a n u m b e r of of e n l i g h t e n m e n t — a r e beginning to be seen as requiring visual key public art sculptures i n Melbourne, r e n d e r e d via a nosupgrades a n d stimuli for t h e driver-spectator. talgic recollection of her father, an old-school toy maker w h o It certainly seems the " w o r m " Emily Floyd d e p i c t s in Pubworked in w o o d . One can picture the model that Floyd might lic Art Strategy has t u r n e d . T h e w i d e r p u b l i c is not only enhave presented to the commissioning committee, and in small gaging w i t h this n e w way of presenting art, it is enjoying a n d scale n o doubt it displayed the delicacy and incredible finish celebrating it. T h e dark reactionary days that beset Robertsonher sculptures embody: the h a n d of a craftsperson—along w i t h S w a n n ' s Vault may almost be b e h i n d us. her intellectual a n d critical playfulness—clearly evident. Unfortunately, the work becomes rather clunky w h e n its material SIMON MAIDMENT is a media-based artist with a practice that changes from the organic to industrial steel, and its scale inoften involves collaboration, curation, and writing. He is also creases. Worse, once the context of its presentation is changed the director of Satellite (www.satellite.org.au] and the visual to that of an outer s u b u r b a n freeway, its self-reflexivity speaks arts coordinator of the Melbourne International Arts Festival. only to art and design world insiders.

A s p u b l i c a r t p r a c t i c e s increasingly take on new approaches to become more integrated into everyday life, short-term, site-specific approaches are becoming more common in urban Australia. Ephemeral public art practices have become increasingly popular. Local governments have recognized the benefits of nonpermanent work and revised their policies to become more inclusive and flexible. The quality of ephemeral practices varies. Melbourne has embraced these practices since the mid1990s while other capital cities are just beginning to formally introduce temporary programs into their public art policies. These changes in direction have created opportunities for artists to engage with the broader community through the processes of art-making and to avoid the problems associated with permanent works such as Ron Robertson-Swann's Vault, originally commissioned for Melbourne's city square in the late 1970s. This infamous modernist sculpture single-handedly divided the city through public opinion of the work and consequently has been rr@ved to several locations. It now remains a O

nostalgic part of the city's urban history [see page 26 for details]. Here's a look at how ephemeral art is making its way into Australia's cities.

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Ephemeral Public Art Practices in Australia's Capital Cities TAMMY W O N G

Darwin, Northern Territory In Darwin, the biannual Sculpture in the Park exhibition, traditionally held at the civic center, is a popular event. In 2011, it will occur at multiple sites around the city. Support of temporary public art practices is fairly new to the city, but recent reforms of its public art policies are more inclusive. A recent project developed by the City of Darwin in collaboration with the Charles Darwin University and the Casuarina Library invited emerging artists to submit concepts for temporary public projects. Holly Eve Angeles' Buttons lor Breakfast, 2008, uses buttons to transform ordinary objects into a colorful and whimsical sculpture. Photo courtesy the artist.

Brisbane, Queensland In Brisbane, there has been a renewed commitment to ephemeral public art. Here, the focus is on the cultural activation of public spaces and the development of a public art database that records and archives nearly 1,000 permanent and temporary works. Recently, the City of Brisbane made its first attempt at commissioning temporary work when it invited emerging and established artists to create temporary projects through Vibrant Laneways and Inhabit programs for the Brisbane Arts Festival. Norbert Francis Attard, Jacob's Ladder, 2009, King Edward Park. Photo by Shane Holzberter.

Brisbane.

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Adelaide, South Australia Adelaide's central market has held a changing program of temporary public art projects using light boxes, murals, and three-dimensional installations, The City of Adelaide also annually commissions for their Outdoor Gallery program, which is open to temporary public art practices. Recent works by artist Matthew Stuckey included a series of colorful stickers placed on parking ticket machines. Matthew Stuckey, Mel Machines (1 of 7 designs), 2010. Photo by Jonathon van der Knapp,

Perth, Western Australia The state of Western Australia, which has seen increased building due to the recent mining boom, has been a leader in introducing policies around percentage-for-art programs. As a result, the City of Perth is currently revising and updating its public art policies. The city also runs the TRANSART program, a yearly commission dedicated to temporary art practices. This year's commission went to artist Geoffrey DrakeBrockman. Another program that focuses on ephemeral practice is Three by Three, which got started in 2008. Geoffrey Drake-Brockman, Counter, 2010. Photo courtesy the artist.

Melbourne, Victoria Melbourne leads the way with visible and imaginative artistic street intervention. The presence of the city's street artists, working in a variety of inventive media, can be seen throughout the city center. More formally, the City of Melbourne holds its annual Laneways Commission, a program focused on engaging emerging contemporary artists to develop site-specific works in unused street lanes for up to six months. The program, active since 2001, has seen the Commission embrace artists working in disciplines outside of the traditional framework of public art practice. In 2009, highlights included Huang QingLan's City Dream, an animated "electric graffiti" style drawing projected in one of the darkened spaces of Lingham Lane that revealed a gentle play between street intervention and commissioned art. Huang QingLan, City Dream, 2009 (detail). Photo by Greg Sims.

Hobart, Tasmania Most major public art projects in Hobart have been permanent. That's due to change, however, since the current revision of the public art master plan proposes to be more inclusive of temporary public art practices. Hobart's ephemeral art has primarily taken place in conjunction with popular arts festivals such as Ten Days on the Island and the Taste of Tasmania. Big hART Inc, Junk Theory, 2007, created by Scott Rankin with creative producer Michelle Kotevski. The group opened the Ten Days on the Island festival in 2009. Photo by Keith Saunders.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Canberra, Australian Capital Territory Developed by Arts ACT between 2 0 0 0 and 2006, 24:7 was a successful program of intervention-based public art commissions. Installation, video, and performancebased works occured in unconventional public s p a c e s like shop fronts and motels. Domain, a new program currently being developed by Arts ACT and the Australian National University School of Art, engaging emerging public artists in the city's health buildings district. Clare Martin, Speech Balloons, 2004, for 24:7 program. Photo courtesy City of Sydney and Jamie Williams Photography.

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TAMMY WONG is an arts manager who recently completed her PhD on "The City as a Curated Space" at RMIT. She has worked in the arts in Beijing, Sydney, and Melbourne and is currently developing Meridians, an art in public space collaboration for the 2010 Shanghai World Expo.

Since 1997, Sydney annually turns to the beauty of the landscape between the famous Bondi Beach and Tamarama as an inspirational site for temporary sculpture. Sculpture by the S e a is one of Australia's most popular contemporary annual sculpture exhibitions, inviting international and local artists to participate. The works of the exhibition vary, from more traditional forms of sculpture to installation work that often challenges the notion of how sculpture is currently defined. Last year, Pam Brenner and Emma Medwell playfully worked with the beach site in Step by step, inch by inch... toward the precipice, which consisted of a series of shoes made out of sand. Pam Brenner and Emma Medwell, Step by step, inch by incb... tonari the precipice, 2009. Photo courtesy Jamie Williams Photography.

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A s western nations situated within the Asian Pacific, both Australia and New Zealand have particular anxieties in relation to the politics of place. The unique geographies, indigenous histories, colonization and modernities of the countries, all of which are intimately linked with experiences of |

migration, produce a mixed experience. Though their governing institutions are still mostly based on

British cultural and social norms, in recent times a new consciousness has arisen that sheds light

on the historical and cultural diversity of these two modern nation states. As part of this process, a

widening appreciation of indigenous politics has helped transform debates about place and public.

Specifically, the body politic has begun to acknowledge the complex layering of dominant settler

histories, indigenous perspectives, and other migrant experiences. As the public grapples with the complexity of the geography in which they live and the history they have inherited, many issues arise for artists who create public art. The idea of a landscape, site, or even a public that is sanctioned or void of conflict and contest is illusory. How, in a layered cultural landscape, w h e n one of public art's f u n c t i o n s is to c o m m e m o r a t e and memorialize, do contested ideas of public space impact art production? Can public art allow artists to reflect critically u p o n processes of exclusion and erasure and histories of discrimination, fear, and assimilation, experiences that in part arise from the f u n c t i o n of institutional power? Can public art in the public domain address issues of white-teleological power? T h e experience of indigenous artists working in the public domain may shed some light on strategies for navigating contested sites and institutional processes. Fiona Foley, a Badtjala w o m a n from Fraser Island (Hervey Bay, Australia) and Maori artist Reuben Paterson, a descendent of the Ngati Rangitihi and Ngai Tuhoe (Aotearoa, N e w Zealand), have developed significant bodies of work in the public domain. Though emerging from different experiences of colonization and different indigenous contexts of Australia and N e w Zealand, their work navigates the idea of landscapes in flux, w h e r e d o m i n a n t perspectives are continually being transformed by indigenous knowledge and law, settler history and migration. In both cultural contexts, Foley and Paterson question the fraught relationship between making s u p p r e s s e d indigenous history visible and its sanctioning by the d o m i n a n t culture w i t h i n the public domain. ABOVE and RIGHT: Fiona Foley's Witnessing to Silence, showing the project's three elements: cast bronze lotus lilies surrounded by inground water misters, stainless steel columns embedded with ash in laminated glass panels, and etched place names in granite pavers.

Witnessing to Silence In 2004, Fiona Foley created a major work for the Brisbane Magistrates Court called Witnessing to Silence. As one of the leading indigenous artists practicing in Australia, Foley

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F i o n a Foley + R e u b e n P a t e r s o n I n d i g e n o u s Strategies for Public Art linn

iiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii AARON SEETO

has developed a significant body of public art commissions. Witnessing to Silence illustrates m u c h of the political i m p e t u s that drives her workâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the historical treatment of Aboriginal people, their erasure and silencing through the political action of institutions and governments, a n d the w i d e r elision of indigenous voices from society. In tackling histories that are mostly h i d d e n from mainstream view, Foley's work d e m a n d s not only a public declaration of their disappearance, but subtly and powerfully, she engages the process of public art and the institutions that c o m m i s s i o n it. In this sense, public art is not just the opportunity to create work of m o n u m e n t a l scale, but can be read as a tool describing Foley's artistic and political intention. Her body of work could be described as engaging a n d gutsy in its refusal to reassure the a u d i e n c e of the safety of their idealized historical positions. At the time, Foley's commission for the n e w Brisbane Court represented a major public art project, w i t h a significant $1.7 million budget arising from a government initiative requiring that 2 percent of d e v e l o p m e n t m o n e y be allocated to public art. In the official statements f o u n d in the online catalog promoting this commission, Foley's work is described as "payjing] tribute to Q u e e n s l a n d ' s people and its legal s y s t e m . . . r e c l a i m i n g ] the historical and cultural significance of a large inner-city site," as well as reflecting cultural diversity a n d regional identities. Throughout the c o m m i s s i o n i n g process the artist m a i n t a i n e d silence as to the true nature of the work, instead stating that it referred to sites of natural disaster. As the design incorporated a water-misting device and laminated ash panels, the artist indicated that they represented floods and fire.

At a 2005 conference, arts writer Louise Martin-Chew suggested that throughout this process, officials harbored concern for the w h i t e tiles linking its two p r i m a r y circular motifs (which looked suspiciously like h a n d c u f f s ) a n d that t h e 94 place n a m e s in t h e work w e r e q u e s t i o n e d for looking s o m e w h a t like a memorial. T h r o u g h o u t t h e process, Foley m a i n t a i n e d her work w a s about sites of natural disaster a n d that the place n a m e s were representative of these sites. It wasn't until two years after t h e c o n c l u s i o n of t h e c o m m i s s i o n that the true n a t u r e and i n t e n t i o n of Witnessing to Silence was revealed. It referred to 94 Aboriginal massacre sites in Queensland. Since then. Foley has created other large-scale public art projects for public institutions in Brisbane, i n c l u d i n g Black Opium (2006), a major c o m m i s s i o n for the State Library of Q u e e n s l a n d . Also engaging w i t h histories outside of m a i n stream historical consciousness, Black Opium relates to t h e artist's ongoing research into early colonial legislation. Specifically, Foley h a s been interested in the Aboriginals Protection a n d Restriction of the Sale of O p i u m Act of 1897 (QLD), w h i c h regulated the sexual relations b e t w e e n Aboriginal. Chinese, and E u r o p e a n s living w i t h i n the colony. But at its core, t h e legislation's m o t i v e w a s to m a i n t a i n a n d exploit the i n d i g e n o u s p o p u l a t i o n as a c h e a p a n d accessible labor force. T h r o u g h her research, Foley has also i n d i c a t e d that the regulation of n o n European sexual relationships alleviated the British settlement of their fear of i n d i g e n o u s and Asian c o m m u n i t i e s b a n d i n g together and posing a significant threat to w h i t e settlement a n d colonial rule.

ABOVE: Fiona Foley, Black Opium, 2006, State Library of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.

BELOW: Reuben Paterson, Te Puu Oa: the tirst step in the history of mlkins (detail), 2007.

Black Opium, one of the key public works that has arisen from this research, is located in the ceiling of the State Library's atriu m . It i n c l u d e s 777 a l u m i n u m p o p p i e s arranged in an infinity symbol. Its location, in a state repository of information and history, provides this work its conceptual power; s u s p e n d e d over the collection and the activities of the library's users, it inserts potential points of difference w i t h i n the safely idealized national stories.

Notions of Home Reuben Paterson is also interested in ideas of contested spaces, particularly architectural devices like openings and entrances that mark out sites of welcome. Paterson works fluidly bet w e e n t h e gallery and the public domain, incorporating ideas of collaboration, performance, and installation. In the gallery, he d r a w s attention to the contested spaces of the built envir o n m e n t by i n t r o d u c i n g Maori architectural ideas, making us aware that even the institutions of c o n t e m p o r a r y art are not separated from t h e discussions of o w n e r s h i p and custodians h i p that play out in the public d o m a i n . He r e m i n d s us that all land is marked by i n d i g e n o u s knowledge. In 2007, in Sydney, Australia, Paterson presented a n e w work, Te Puu Oa: the first step in the history of walking. A 12-meter carpet with a repeated image of green grass, the work

was positioned strategically at the entrance of the exhibition, looking like one of the oversized w e l c o m e mats often f o u n d at the doorsteps of s u b u r b a n houses. W h e n devising this piece, Paterson spoke of the important function "places of w e l c o m e " h o l d w i t h i n Maori society. For him, entrances do not just bridge inside a n d out; rather, entrances are contested areas, w h e r e ceremonies and protocols are necessary to direct us on h o w to move through the space. Because Paterson w a s a Maori artist invited to exhibit in Australia, the ideas of permission and w e l c o m e in the work resonated, as did other Maori ideas such as tangata whenua (people of the land) and the associated protocols required to pay respect to local people as Maori move from place to place. Importantly, this work involved a process of c o m m u n i t y engagement. Campbelltown Arts Centre, w h e r e the work was sited, is situated among large c o m m u n i t i e s of migrants from N e w Zealand and the Pacific Islands, as well as a large indigenous urban population. During the opening weekend, this work was activated through the performance of a kapa haka, or war dance, p e r f o r m e d by the local c o m m u n i t y w h o had been taught the haka by a master w h o m Paterson had brought w i t h h i m from N e w Zealand. T h e w e l c o m e carpet held m a n y meanings. For the workshop participants, this artificial patch of grass acted like a bridge between n e w h o m e and h o m e l a n d . It embodied a desire for migrant families to seek n e w lives and w e l c o m e in unfamiliar lands. T h e image of the grass was taken by Paterson from Bastion Point, Orakei, in Auckland, a significant site of peaceful Maori protest (which lasted for 507 days and e n d e d on May 25, 1978) against the forced alienation of Maori land for use by Pakeha N e w Zealanders. T h e p e r f o r m a n c e of the haka acknowledged the potential conflict and contest arising from moving from one place to another. The particular haka Paterson chose to be performed, k n o w n as the Haka Peruperu, has a particular aggressive and swift foot m o v e m e n t , as if one is wiping one's feet. This subtle action e m b o d i e d all of the uncertainties of finding h o m e within a shifting cultural landscape. Paterson has employed ground covers in other large-scale works, amplifying a n d extending some of the concerns he introduces w i t h i n galleries a n d institutions. In 2004, he created a dazzling extension and transformation of the porch of a historic settler h o u s e in the Canterbury region of Christchurch.

Using black and w h i t e h o u s e h o l d vinyl, and working with a local tradesman, Paterson extended the house's patio into a psychedelic-op-art-inspired floor covering. Though the western aesthetic and conceptual influence of p o p art was i m m e d i ately recognizable, Whakatata Mai: Do you see what I see? had its conceptual f o u n d a t i o n s in Maori architectural space a n d traditional design. At certain m o m e n t s in its fantastic optical oscillations, it appeared as if the historic settler cottage emerged from land marked w i t h i n d i g e n o u s design and, equally, cast s h a d o w u p o n i n d i g e n o u s land.

On the Shore Both Foley and Paterson address issues of land and history with a forthright political u n d e r p i n n i n g , yet it in a way that is productive and encourages rethinking of d o m i n a n t ideas of land and history. W h e n I talked with Paterson about his most recent, temporary, large-scale earthwork, There Goes the Moon (2009), w h i c h w a s situated on Te Henga (Bethells Beach) on the North Island of A u c k l a n d , I asked h i m about the decision to work at this particular beach site, a n d w h e t h e r it carried specific political meaning. He a n s w e r e d by stating simply that any work on the land, and especially w h e n you work on the shore, carries with it an ongoing legal contest arising f r o m Te Tiriti o Waitangi (the Treaty of Waitangi) and the ongoing Waitangi tribunal. T h e treaty is N e w Zealand's f o u n d i n g d o c u m e n t and takes the form of an agreement in Maori and English, b e t w e e n the British Crown and about 540 Maori Rangatiri (chiefs). It is inevitable a n d inescapable that working on the land will relate to political issues. There Goes the Moon also has a deep relationship to the natural world. Its e p h e m e r a l nature was based on his o w n ancestral land, Matata, w h i c h had been devastated by floods and rain. Initially, Paterson w a n t e d to use volunteers from Matata to assist h i m in making this large, circular, moon-like design in order to connect the beauty and p o w e r of the natural world with the devastating trauma of disaster. Paterson has described this earthwork as belonging to a b o d y of work that he has called Narcissus in w h i c h t h e rel a t i o n s h i p between the beauty and the power of the natural world described through indigenous k n o w l e d g e is a subtle

ABOVE: Reuben Paterson, Whikitita Mai: Do you see what I see? (detail), 2004, Christchurch. BELOW: Reuben Paterson, There Goes ilie Moon, 2009, Te Henga (Bethells Beach), Auckland.

and poetic articulation of s o m e of the contestation to be f o u n d w i t h i n public space at the intersection of i n d i g e n o u s a n d n o n i n d i g e n o u s knowledge. In his other Narcissus works, traditional k o w h a i w h a i designs, w h i c h e m b o d y i m p o r t a n t Maori knowledge, are d e v e l o p e d into reflective a n d glittered surfaces, w i t h aesthetic u n d e r t o n e s that refer to the work of Bridget Riley a n d op art. There Goes the Moon, w h i c h w a s carved into t h e b e a c h by local volunteers at low tide, u s e d the s h i m m e r i n g black sand of Te Henga to create a reflection a n d conversation w i t h the full m o o n , as t h e i n c o m i n g night tide destroyed its intricate beauty. Like t h e m y t h w h e r e Narcissus is b l i n d e d by h i s o w n beauty a n d a t t e n d e d by a bodyless Echo, Paterson offers us a m o m e n t of reflection a n d destruction a n d the c o n t i n u i n g echo of i n d i g e n o u s art a n d knowledge. AARON SEETO is the director of 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art. He has co-curated large-scale projects for Campbelltown Arts Centre and Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney.

s ^ g I 2 35

Swings

and

Roundabouts CATHERINE DE LORENZO & NANCY MARSHALL

o s t s t o r i e s a b o u t p u b l i c a r t p r o j e c t s f o c u s on the finished product, the artist w h o m a d e it, a n d t h e context in w h i c h it is sited. This is a different story, about a permanent work that w a s m a d e a n d

installed but just a s quickly dismantled. It s p e a k s to the p o w e r of inspiration, the value of ingenuity a n d commitment within the d e s i g n a n d fabrication team, a n d the i m p o r t a n c e of building up g o o d relations to realize a major public art project. This particular story, w h i c h c o u l d b e s a i d to b e about a "failed" art work, e v e n h a s a silver lining, a n d that, too, is entirely d u e to the strength of the collaborations.

Jennifer Turpin and Michaelie Crawford designed Water Swing for the Landmark Centre at 363 George Street, Sydney. This commercial site, adjoining a heritage precinct, was designed by one of Sydney's leading architects, Richard Johnson, w h o years earlier had discovered the e n j o y m e n t of working with artists. In 1998, Johnson asked Turpin Crawford Studio to come u p with a public art concept for a public linkage spaceâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a narrow three meters w i d e by 20 meters high and 20 meters longâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;adjacent to the foyer of his building. T h e project t h e n came u n d e r the p u r v i e w of the City of Sydney's public art program. T h e architect h a d already proposed to have a shallow pool at floor level, and fairly quickly the idea emerged to create a giant swing form that slowly brushed the surface of the pool w i t h an arc of falling water. Turpin and Crawford's slender stainless steel "swing," hinged 12 meters above t h e pool, was designed to release a gentle shower of water from the base of the swing's "seat" without splashing the glass walls only one meter away. T h e artists i n t e n d e d Water Swing to engage the public with this p e r m a n e n t work and to enliven the elegant lobby m a d e of glass and marble. To realize the project, they collaborated w i t h Richard Green of Taylor T h o m p s o n Whitting (TTW), an engineer to m a n y artists in Australia, as well as m e c h a n i c a l engineer Dirk Slotboom from Sydney Fountains (now Sydney Waterforms International), a fine water features consultant. Together they worked to develop a distinctive project w h e r e elegantly u n d e r s t a t e d engineering could creatively harness water and light through the r h y t h m of the swing. In order to meet a very tight s c h e d u l e from the project developers, the c o m p l e x engineering a n d installation processes were r u s h e d from the preferred 42 weeks to just 20. Nonetheless, they met the d e m a n d s a n d m o v e d into the b u i l d i n g one night w h e n the busy m a i n street in Sydney's b u s i n e s s district was sealed off from traffic to allow in cranes a n d other e q u i p m e n t . Recalling w h e n it was first c o m m i s s i o n e d , Green thought t h e elegantly curved steel Water Swing "a beautiful thing." Turpin says, "It w a s just magic." That was in 1999. But w i t h i n six months, the swing stopped working. In projects like this, it's desirable to have an iterative process between the artists and consultants that results in the d e v e l o p m e n t of a 1:1 model installed off-site that can fully test the resolution of the design. In this instance, although various plywood and other m o d e l s were developed to test the suitability of the d i m e n s i o n s and water flow of the

ABOVE: Turpin and Crawford's renderings for WW Swing (left) and Circumference (right).

work, there was no time to make a 1:1 steel m o d e l to m e a s u r e its resonance (vibrations) against the predicted m o v e m e n t s of a tall building. Consequently, metal fatigue occurred in the p e n d u l u m structure and this u n i q u e artwork was dismantled. According to the engineers a n d the artists, had the project d e v e l o p m e n t process allowed adequate time for research and d e v e l o p m e n t of a technically ambitious though conceptually artistic work, s u c h an u n f o r t u n a t e o u t c o m e w o u l d not have h a p p e n e d . T h e artists' team was then sidelined a n d the developers went to work creating w h a t the artists believed was an unsightly alternative, until the artists were able to exercise their intellectual property rights a n d veto any work that appeared to echo their o w n . For 10 years the space remained empty. But then magic h a p p e n e d again. In 2009, the artists, with exactly the same team of engineers and fabricators, put in a successful bid to the n e w o w n e r of the site to develop a project that could build on the technical lessons of the past and deliver an even more liberating form. T h e n e w project, Circumferenceâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a simple, elegant, chopstick-like formâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;is a swinging p e n d u l u m that kisses the water pool as it passes the center point in ever-increasing arcs. Unlike Wafer Swing, whose arc was a consistent length, Circumference's arc incrementally increases until a crescendo is reached and it finally goes all the way around, scribing a big circle in the air and capturing the imaginations of the passersby as it does so. What lessons can be learned from this experience, other t h a n the need by all parties concerned to respect the time required by artists and their collaborators for adequate research and development? From the artists' points of view, there is little doubt: the value of good relationships. Over the years, Turpin and Crawford, w h o espouse collaboration, have worked at building u p strong relationships with their engineers and fabricators so that there is a real synergy among their team. As a group of professionals, all the players get involved in the spirit of the work and p u r s u e a collective goal of success. S u c h an investment in relationships has paid off for Turpin and Crawford because their team was able to h a n d l e the tensions that arose after the d i s a p p o i n t m e n t of the problems arising from Water Swing a n d enthusiastically regroup to develop Circumference. T h e artists are h o p e f u l that contracts to complete the work will soon be signed so Circumference can be installed in 2010. The authors

acknowledge

BELOW: Jennifer Turpin and Michaelie Crawford, Water Swing, October 1999, Sydney. OPPOSITE PAGE: Artists Jennifer Turpin (above) and Michaelie Crawford (below) with assistants testing out the controls for the mock-up of Water Swing, 1999.

D R . C A T H E R I N E D E L O R E N Z O is an

art

historian

and

has

been researching public art and the public domain for at least two decades. DR. NANCY MARSHALL'S key areas of research include place-making, considering creative cities and sociocultural policy. Both are senior lecturers in the faculty of the Built Environment at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, and are currently researching creative partnerships and policies in the nurturing of public art projects. Rachel

Cogger and Queenie

Tran for their research

assistance

on this

article.

Speaking nfPnhlin Art Leon Paroissien + Pontus Kyander Interview by A N N E

LOXLEY

Finnish-born curator and critic P o n t u s K y a n d e r w a s the public art manager for Auckland City Council before taking up the directorship of Sorlandets Kunstmuseum in Norway in early 2010. H e has been a member of the board of the Skissernas Museum (a museum dedicated to public art) in Lund, S w e d e n , and has frequently discussed public art issues as an art critic, lecturer, and writer. H e w a s a guest professor at E w h a University in S e o u l in 2008. Australian L e o n P a r o i s s i e n has been a leader of contemporary arts in the Asia Pacific region for more than 3 0 years. His achievements include being the founding director of the Museums of Contemporary Art in S y d n e y and Taipei and the chair of two public art advisory committees: the 2 0 0 0 S y d n e y Olympic G a m e s site and the City of Sydney. Our G u e s t Editor, Anne Loxley, asked their opinions on some key public art issues. 38

A N N E L O X L E Y : What are the characteristics of s u c c e s s f u l public art planning strategies a n d delivery p r o c e s s e s ? L E O N P A R O I S S I E N : T h e first c o n s i d e r a t i o n m u s t be t h e quest i o n s of t h e s e l e c t i o n , t h e a p p r o v a l p r o c e s s e s , a n d p e r m a n e n c y of t h e w o r k . W h o is t h e client? W h o will give a p p r o v a l for i s s u e s r e l a t i n g to safety, m a i n t e n a n c e , a n d s u s t a i n a b i l i t y ? During t h e d e l i v e r y p r o c e s s , w h o w i l l w o r k w i t h t h e artist a n d e n s u r e t h a t s y m p a t h e t i c s u p p o r t is p r o v i d e d for m a i n t a i n i n g design q u a l i t y a n d p r o v i d i n g t e c h n i c a l a d v i c e a n d d i v e r s e cons u l t a n t d e s i g n e r s a n d t h e c o o r d i n a t i o n of p r o f e s s i o n a l expertise? Under w h a t conditions can a work ultimately be removed and w h a t are t h e rights of t h e artist? S u c c e s s f u l p u b l i c art c o m m i s s i o n i n g d e p e n d s on h a v i n g a c o h e s i v e t e a m c o m m i t t e d to t h e artist s e l e c t e d , a n d on giving g e n e r o u s s u p p o r t for t h e d e v e l o p m e n t of t h e final design s p e c i f i c a t i o n s a n d t h e u l t i m a t e r e a l i z a t i o n of t h e w o r k . P O N T U S K Y A N D E R : T h e k e y is to h a v e a good p r o c e s s w i t h great integrity. T h e r e are so m a n y s i d e i n t e r e s t s that n e e d to b e c o n s i d e r e d , a n d still y o u c a n n o t e n d u p c o m p r o m i s i n g t h e art project just b e c a u s e t h e r e w e r e s u d d e n o b j e c t i o n s to it f r o m p o l i t i c i a n s , civil s e r v a n t s , users, r e s i d e n t s , b u s i n e s s o w n e r s , a n d so forth. If t h e p r o p o s e d a r t w o r k d o e s n o t m e e t t h e e x p e c t a t i o n s a n d r e q u i r e m e n t s , y o u n e e d to h a v e t h e p o s s i b i l i t y to n o t p r o c e e d w i t h it. T h e w o r l d is full of f l a w e d a n d just b a d p u b l i c art, a n d w e s h o u l d n o t litter it w i t h m o r e of t h e s a m e . T h e p e o p l e w o r k i n g w i t h p u b l i c art s h o u l d be just as good a n d w e l l - i n f o r m e d as t h e best m u s e u m or gallery curators. In your opinion, what are the highlights a n d low points of temporary a n d permanent public art projects? P A R O I S S I E N : Lack of clarity a b o u t w h e t h e r a w o r k is t e m p o rary, p e r m a n e n t , or to be i n s t a l l e d for a d e f i n e d t i m e o f t e n leads to w o r k s that are e i t h e r u n s u i t e d to their c o n t e x t or are of curr e n t interest b u t a n c h o r e d in t h e p a r t i c u l a r tastes or f a s h i o n s of t h e t i m e . C o m m i s s i o n e d w o r k s , by their very n a t u r e , t e n d

Thomas Hirschhom, Poor-Hscer, 2009, for the One Day Sculpture project in Christchurch.

to b e by artists at t h e p e a k of t h e i r career. P u b l i c art c u r a t o r s d o n ' t h a v e t h e l u x u r y that m u s e u m c u r a t o r s h a v e of s u s p e n d ing j u d g m e n t for s o m e years (although t h e latter s u b s e q u e n t l y h a v e to p a y h i g h e r prices). K Y A N D E R : Regarding h i g h l i g h t s of t e m p o r a r y p r o j e c t s in m y e x p e r i e n c e of N e w Z e a l a n d , I can p o i n t to t h e O n e Day S c u l p t u r e projects that w e r e r e a l i z e d across t h e c o u n t r y in t h e t i m e I w a s w o r k i n g t h e r e a n d finished w i t h a great s y m p o s i u m in Wellington. T h e r e w e r e s o m e a s t o n i s h i n g p u b l i c p e r f o r m a n c e projects in t h e m i d - a n d late 1970s, w h i c h generally s e e m s to h a v e b e e n a f a n t a s t i c p e r i o d for art in N e w Z e a l a n d . In A u c k l a n d , s o m e really good p u b l i c art w o r k s w e r e created or p u r c h a s e d , like M i c h i o Ihara's Wind Tree (original p r o p o s a l 1971), Greer Twiss's 1969 Karangahape Rocks, a n d George Rickey's 1985 Double L Excentric Gyratory. T h e initiative f r o m t h e early 1980s a n d on to f o r m t h e i n d e p e n d e n t W e l l i n g t o n S c u l p t u r e Trustâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;to w o r k w i t h p u b l i c (mostly kinetic) art a n d gift it to t h e city of W e l l i n g t o n â&#x20AC;&#x201D; h a s p r o v i d e d t h e city w i t h a better-thanu s u a l c o l l e c t i o n of p u b l i c art.

From the late 1980s a n d on, w h e n too m u c h attention was given to the " u n i q u e N e w Zealand identity," there w a s a period of general deterioration in art, a n d the most visible signs of this are the public art works. Do you see any significant differences in the purpose and potential of temporary versus permanent public art? P A R O I S S I E N : Commissions that are integral to the design of the built e n v i r o n m e n t require special care in projecting h o w the entire context might look in 10, 20, or 50 year's time. Some of the most attractive public squares a r o u n d the world are devoid of public sculpture. However, in the same way w e "dress u p " the Harbour Bridge or t h e Opera House for special occasions, often c o m m i s s i o n i n g artists for this p u r p o s e , so public spaces that don't cry out for p e r m a n e n t public art installations may be great locations for temporary installations. T h e engagement of artists to enliven our cities w i t h temporary works (and decorations) for special occasions is to be encouraged. T h e Laneways By George! projects provide an excellent e x a m p l e of the way temporary installations may enliven the city. With temporary works there are still n u m e r o u s safety a n d design considerations and neighborhood consultations to be taken into account, but the process does not have to be as thorough and as time-consuming as for a p e r m a n e n t work. KYANDER: P e r m a n e n t works need to be interesting, good, beautiful, and challenging 20 or 50 years later—"forever," even. Temporary works can be challenging, poetic, beautiful, a n d so forth, for a day or any limited period of t i m e — a n d they are not necessarily m a n h a n d l e d by committees. Still, a bad temporary work is not better t h a n a bad p e r m a n e n t work; it is just less a disaster. Neither do temporary works resolve the difficulty of making good p e r m a n e n t public art. They are responses to entirely different questions and challenges. Permanent is a misleading word, for various reasons, mostly related to city developments, lead to the resiting or removal of most public art works w i t h i n a time span of, say, 100 years—especially in a city like A u c k l a n d w h e r e city planning is constantly in flux. Long-term is a better phrase, and all public art s h o u l d be evaluated at different points. They should not be considered holy, but neither they s h o u l d be at the mercy of temporary o p i n i o n s or political w h i m s . Still, w e

ABOVE: Keizo Ushio, Oustli-zvhli, 2008, for Sculpture by the Sea at Cottesloe Beach, Perth. BELOW: Greer Twiss, Karsngahape Hoc/is, 1969, Auckland, New Zealand.

s h o u l d keep in m i n d that there are fabulous " p e r m a n e n t " artworks from the Neolithic Age to our day, like Michelangelo's Campidoglio, Rodin's Balzac, a n d so forth. T h e r e are w o n d e r ful s c u l p t u r e s by a n o n y m o u s artists sited w i t h great consideration in places all a r o u n d the world. "Site specificity" is a common theme in public art discourse. Is there a place for "plonk art" in the public domain? P A R O I S S I E N : Yes. One of t h e reasons that Sculpture by the Sea has been such a public success is that art works are located w h e r e p e r m a n e n t art installations w o u l d be either not feasible or not permitted. Australia has strong traditions of painting a n d photography but not of sculpture. P e r h a p s our previously small houses and our inherited British tradition of focusing on bronze sculptures of significant figures (and not m u c h else) in our public spaces generates an enthusiastic response to t h e anachron i s m of art works on a b e a c h — p l o n k art for people to enjoy! KYANDER: I have n o p r o b l e m w i t h p l o n k art, if you p l o n k it well. S o m e t i m e s you might have a great artwork, a n d you need to create t h e site for it. O t h e r works h a v e a sort of m o n o lithic quality a n d might work in m a n y different contexts. A site-specific work might create quite site-specific issues, if it does not work out as expected. It is a c o m p l e x interaction not only w i t h t h e site, but also w i t h the p e o p l e u s i n g it. In t h e best of w o r l d s , artworks s o m e h o w charge t h e place w i t h their presence; r e m a i n valid t h r o u g h o u t their life s p a n s , w h e t h e r p e r m a n e n t or temporary; a n d trigger constructive r e s p o n s e s from their a u d i e n c e s . Are the artist and the artist's concepts appropriately respected and protected in current procedures in the public art sphere? P A R O I S S I E N : There is growing respect for t h e artist's role a n d work. If w e consider that the growth of art curatorship—especially in relation to c o n t e m p o r a r y art—in p u b l i c institutions is a very recent p h e n o m e n o n , t h e n t h e extension of this to i n c l u d e curators for the c o m m i s s i o n i n g a n d realization of public art c o m m i s s i o n s is an even more recent i n n o v a t i o n . Previously, artists w e r e fortunate if architects were overseeing t h e

if an artist w h o has d o n e nothing on such scale is given the o p p o r t u n i t y — a l t h o u g h he had previously been c o m m i s s i o n e d to do the ceiling of the 1988 Federation Pavilion by Alec T z a n n e s in Centennial Park. Through the kind of demonstration increasingly being p r o v i d e d by Australian cities, through innovative invitations being e x t e n d e d to artists by commissioning authorities generally, and through the e m p l o y m e n t of curators, the range of artists working in the public s p h e r e s h o u l d steadily grow. KYANDER: It is a matter of trust. The artist needs to trust the commissioner, and the commissioner needs to trust the artist. There is often reason to distrust city councils and such, as there is a bad precedence. My experience in New Zealand is that w e managed to break that wall. We s h o w e d the artists that we were n o less professional than the A u c k l a n d Art Gallery or Artspace, and ultimately only very few artists turned d o w n the offer to work with public art projects. We showed them the process, and they could see that we a p p r o a c h e d other good artists. If you could change three things about the way the world of public art functions in Australia/New Zealand, what would they be?

Imants Tillers with Tzannes Associates, fhe /Utrtcar, 2002, at Sydney Olympic Park,

process, although architects were often not as informed about c o n t e m p o r a r y art as they had been a century earlier, or as they are becoming today. KYANDER: Very often not. You need a process and an organization that allows for artistic integrity. You need to have arm'slength distance to politicians, bureaucracy, and the public, but you also need to bring these people into the process at different stages. How do you m a k e people outside of your team u n d e r s t a n d that the artist is doing great a n d w o n d e r f u l things? T h e likelihood to achieve anything w i t h o u t s o m e s u p p o r t from politicians, bureaucracy, and the public is close to nil. That is w h y you need a truly professional public art team that clears the way for the artist. Public art always n e e d s to be negotiated. If you are working in true public space, used for multiple p u r p o s e s and sometimes in ways you cannot predict by people, vehicles, and so forth, you need to see to it that the artwork can survive a n d not b e c o m e a p u b l i c danger or nuisance. You n e e d the advice of engineers, city planners, police, experts on health and safety, a n d you n e e d the s u p p o r t from administrators and politicians. So w h i l e you need integrity to develop public art, you s h o u l d not place yourself inside a glass bowl. It just does not work. In Australia, visual artists of caliber whose practices are highly suited to the public domain are often reluctant to try their hand. Please comment. P A R O I S S I E N : I believe that there is a growing inclination to source artists w h o have not previously worked in the public d o m a i n and, most importantly, give them the s u p p o r t and professional advice and expertise they need to extend their practice to p u b l i c art. T h e works by Imants Tillers at Sydney O l y m p i c Park provide an excellent e x a m p l e of w h a t is possible

P A R O I S S I E N : As is the case with architecture commissions, I w o u l d promote the fact that there are diverse ways to a p p r o a c h a commission, including inviting a specific artist or having a limited competition. W h e n Daniel T h o m a s was a p p o i n t e d to the Art Gallery of New South Wales in 1958 there was n o position titled "curator" in any field in that institution. Consequently he was not initially given that title. N o w universities are training more curators than institutions can absorb w h i l e there is a shortage of experienced curators to work on public art commissions. T h e more w e can develop this branch of art curatorship the more liveable our cities should become. T h e Institute of Architects s h o u l d c o n d u c t short courses for architects on presenting public art options to their clients a n d in managing an o p t i m u m outcome. This w o u l d assist architects to source a w i d e range of possible artists and curatorial expertise. KYANDER: First, get rid of the risk-averseness in New Zealand public culture. A c o l u m n in the New Zealand Herald is just a c o l u m n , not the end of the world. If the critique makes sense, adjust; if not, respond. Stand for what you believe in and carry on your good work. Second, create a public forum w h e r e culture is discussed seriously. T h e media situation is difficult, as the papers—particularly in Auckland—are populist and love bashing "the c o u n c i l " for whatever reason. That i n c l u d e s public art. Still, public art needs public debate. It is a responsibility to actually meet the people the artwork is commissioned for. Third, don't brood so m u c h on the " u n i q u e N e w Zealand identity." U n d e r s t a n d that it is changing but will remain u n i q u e as no other place has this Maori, Pskeha, Asian, and Pacific mix. Include all and keep the door open to the world. ANNE LOXLEY has been a member of the City of Sydney's Public Art Advisory Committee since 2007. As curator and later director of public art for Sydney's Olympic Coordination Authority, she was responsible for numerous major public artworks. Her most recent project is Jennifer Turpin's and Michaelie Crawford's Windlines at Circular Quay to be installed in 2010.

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Hugo Heredia, broken chandelier; Nancy McGehee, Glass vessel; San Diego Guild of Puppetry, Circus Minimus; Christie Beniston.Time Interwoven; High Tech High School, Calculicious; Taylor Guitar exhibit; Japan Society, Fan

art.san.org 0200) San Diego County Regional Airport Authority All rights

'Colony: Lord Burgher King, the Messenger and the Executioner', 2007 Cotton, leather, plastic and velvet. Dimensions variable Courtesy Hague Historic Museum and Den Haag Sculpture. The Netherlands 'Colony', 2007 Painted caravan Courtesy Den Haag Sculpture. The Netherlands 'Loop: A model of how the world operates', 2009 Animated neon and wall drawing. 12x6metres Courtesy Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney

3D rendering of 'Jumping Castle war Memorial', 2010 PVC vinyl and tunnel fan blower 4x7x7metres 2010 Biennale of Sydney

Optical illusions Giddy stealth Colonies consumed Conflicted histories Alluring products Shunting news Captive natives Paradise now Institutional default Diplomatic melt-down Spiritual highs Slippery fields Distorted truths Fabricated identities Take a bow

Brook Andrew, 2 010

'Clown I', 2008 PVC vinyl and tunnel fan blower 600x520x270cm Courtesy National Australia Bank

Brook Andrew is represented by Tolarno Galleries, Melbourne www.tolarnogalleries.com www.brookandrew.com

Metro congratulates the following artists for their public art contributions to our transit system: 1. H i r o k a z u K o s a k a (Little

Tokyo/Arts

District)

2. Rob Neilson (Pico/Aliso)

5. Paul Botello (Indiana) 6. Jose Lopez (MaraviHa)

3. Alejandro de la Loza (Mariachi Plaza)

7. C l e m e n t H a n a m i (East

4. Nobuho Nagasawa (Soto)

8. Adobe LA (Atlantic)

LA Civic

Center)

Affirming that art can make the transit experience more inviting and meaningful for the public, Metro commissions artists for a wide array of projects throughout Los Angeles County. To find out more or to add your name to our database for new art opportunities, call 213.922.4ART or visit metro.net.

IOHN MCDONALD

SOAP BOX

Sydney's Haphazardous Public Art

y d n e y S e e S I t s e l f as

a p i c t u r e of n a t u r a l beauty, but t h a t ' s o n l y t h e case if o n e ignores all t h e m a n m a d e r u b b i s h o c c u p y i n g t h e f o r e g r o u n d . F r o m t h e earliest d a y s of settlem e n t , t h e h a r b o r h a s p r o v i d e d a n alibi for every k i n d of architectural disaster. So d o n ' t look at t h e b u i l d i n g s — f o c u s i n s t e a d on t h e gaps b e t w e e n t h e m , w h e r e that s e d u c t i v e e x p a n s e of r i p p l i n g , d e e p blue water may be glimpsed.

* J J. s 1 f f g j 1 •J I

At t h e fin-de-si&cle Sydney b o a s t e d m a n y attractive e x a m p l e s of Victorian a n d Georgian a r c h i t e c t u r e , b u t by t h e 1970s m o s t of t h e s e buildings had been destroyed and r e p l a c e d w i t h n o n d e s c r i p t office blocks. In r e c e n t years S y d n e y h a s u n v e i l e d n e w b u i l d i n g s by celebrity architects s u c h as R e n z o P i a n o a n d N o r m a n Foster, b u t t h e legacy of t h e t w e n t i e t h c e n t u r y is h a r d to e x p u n g e . While architecture has taken a f e w faltering steps in t h e right direction, t h e a s s o c i a t e d field of p u b l i c art r e m a i n s a c a t a s t r o p h e . S y d n e y ' s City C o u n c i l ' s last p o l i c y p a p e r s o n p u b l i c art w e r e i s s u e d in 2006, as part of its City of Villages initiative. T h e y f o r m a n a n t h o l o g y of good i n t e n t i o n s a n d h i g h - m i n d e d ideals, b u t t h e y h a v e n o t b r o u g h t a b o u t a s t r e a m of firstclass p u b l i c art projects. For m a n y y e a r s it s e e m e d t h e o n l y artist w h o ever m a d e a p u b l i c Bert Flugelman, Pyramid Tom, s c u l p t u r e in S y d n e y w a s Tom Bass ( 1 9 1 6 - 2 0 1 0 ) , a t e x t b o o k m o d e r n i s t w h o s e w o r k o w e s a debt to British artists s u c h as H e n r y M o o r e a n d Lynn C h a d w i c k . Bass's s u r v i v i n g s c u l p t u r e s h a v e b e c o m e p e r i o d pieces, b u t a t h i r d of his o e u v r e w a s d e s t r o y e d w h e n t h e b u i l d i n g s that d i s p l a y e d the works were demolished. O t h e r s c u l p t u r e s h a v e b e e n erected for o n e r e a s o n only: T h e y w e r e gifts f r o m artists or w e a l t h y p a t r o n s . In t h e case of D e n n i s Wolanski, w h o s e Angled Wheels of Fortune r e s i d e s n e a r t h e El A l a m e i n F o u n t a i n in Kings Cross, t h e w e a l t h y p a t r o n w a s t h e sculptor. Over t h e years m a n y h a p h a z a r d p i e c e s h a v e a c q u i r e d n i c k n a m e s : " t h e u r i n a l " (Tom Bass's P&O wall fountain); " t h e c o p u l a t i n g s l u g s " (the First Fleet M e m o r i a l , aka Bond of Friendship, a p p a r e n t l y by o n e of S y d n e y ' s favorite p u b l i c s c u l p t o r s , A n o n . , b u t a c t u a l l y d e s i g n e d by John Robinson); " t h e s h i s h k e b a b " (Bert F l u g e l m a n ' s Pyramid Tower)-, a n d t h e c r o w n i n g glory, " p o o on stilts" (Ken U n s w o r t h ' s Stones Against the Sky). T h e latter, e r e c t e d as late as 1998, p r o v i d e s a perfect e x a m p l e of t h e city's careless a t t i t u d e t o w a r d s p u b l i c art. U n s w o r t h is a w e l l - k n o w n artist, b u t his design for a s c u l p t u r e to sit in a p r o m i n e n t location at t h e t o p of W i l l i a m Street w a s p u r e fantasy. T h e original idea w a s to s u s p e n d large, s m o o t h s t o n e s on s l e n d e r m e t a l poles. T h i s p r o v e d to b e an e n g i n e e r i n g impossibility. W h e n t h e b u d g e t w a s s l a s h e d , U n s w o r t h settled for t h e u n h a p p y c o m p r o m i s e of fiberglass s p h e r e s p a i n t e d b r o w n , s k e w e r e d on iron rods.

E v e n today, w h e n cities s u c h as M e l b o u r n e a n d B r i s b a n e a r e taking a m o r e p o s i t i v e a n d c o n s i d e r e d a p p r o a c h to p u b l i c art, t h e S y d n e y City C o u n c i l h a s o n l y a fistful of p o l i c i e s a n d n o s t i p u l a t i o n that a d e v e l o p e r m u s t s p e n d a p e r c e n t a g e of t h e i r b u d g e t on art. D e v e l o p e r s are t o l d t h e y m u s t i n c l u d e some f o r m of art b u t t h e y h a b i t u a l l y try to get a w a y w i t h t h e c h e a p e s t o p t i o n . W h e n a p r o p o s a l is k n o c k e d b a c k by a C o u n c i l c o m m i t t e e , a t o r r e n t of protest ensues. S y d n e y is t h e g a t e w a y to A u s t r a lia for t h e vast m a j o r i t y of o v e r s e a s visitors a n d likes to i m a g i n e itself a w o r l d city, yet its a p p r o a c h to p u b lic art is n o t o n l y a m a t e u r i s h , it is embarrassing. With c o n t i n u o u s p o p u lation g r o w t h a n d f u r t h e r s t r a i n o n an already inadequate infrastructure, i s s u e s s u c h as p u b l i c art h a v e attracte d little a t t e n t i o n f r o m p o l i t i c i a n s . In fact, t h i s is a n e s t a b l i s h e d s y n d r o m e in A u s t r a l i a : W h e n b u d g e t s are tight, t h e first c u t s are to f u n d i n g for p u b lic m u s e u m s , galleries, a n d t h e arts, w h i c h a r e s e e n as s u p e r f l u o u s b y a m a j o r i t y of t h e electorate. N e e d l e s s to say, t h e m o r e s u c h matters are neglected, the less a t t r a c t i v e t h e y b e c o m e . In o r d e r to p r e s e r v e t h e a p p e a r a n c e of s u p p o r t i n g t h e arts, a r a n g e of trivial a n d s e c o n d rate p r o j e c t s a r e f u n d e d , l e a d i n g to a n 1978, Sydney, Australia. i n c r e a s e in v i s u a l p o l l u t i o n . A u s t r a l i a h a s w e a t h e r e d t h e global financial crisis b e t t e r t h a n a n y o t h e r c o u n t r y , a t e s t a m e n t to o u r p r o s p e r i t y a n d stability. W i t h s u c h r e s o u r c e s , it is t i m e t h a t w e b e g a n to consider our cities—especially Sydney—as something more t h a n p l a c e s to w o r k a n d sleep. T h e r e h a s to b e a greater c o m m i t m e n t of f u n d s a n d a m o r e p r o f e s s i o n a l a p p r o a c h . T h i s will entail a h i g h e r degree of c o n s u l t a t i o n a n d c o l l a b o r a t i o n b e t w e e n s p o n s o r s , g o v e r n m e n t s , a r c h i t e c t s , e n g i n e e r s , artists, curators, and the public. It h a s b e e n e s t a b l i s h e d that w i t h o u t a p r o p e r p e r c e n t a g e for-art s c h e m e , d e v e l o p e r s w i l l rarely c o m m i t a d e q u a t e f u n d s to a p u b l i c art project. T h i s m e a n n e s s trickles d o w n t h r o u g h t h e e n t i r e p r o c e s s , l e a d i n g to i n a d e q u a t e e n g i n e e r i n g s u p p o r t , lack of artists' fees, p o o r c o n s u l t a t i o n a n d r e s e a r c h , a t e n d e n c y to u s e c h e a p m a t e r i a l s , a n d so on. T h e o n l y p r e s s i n g m o t i v a t i o n is to get a p r o p o s a l p a s t t h e P u b l i c Art C o m m i t t e e , w h i c h h a s t h e p o w e r of veto b u t c a n n o t k n o c k b a c k o n e s c h e m e after a n o t h e r in a n e n d l e s s p r o c e s s i o n . A f t e r e x p e r i m e n t i n g w i t h t h e soft o p t i o n of c o n s u l t a t i o n , S y d n e y h a s o n l y o n e a l t e r n a t i v e ; to c o m m i t to a p e r c e n t a g e a n d e n d t h e reign of c o n f u s i o n .

JOHN MCDONALD is art critic for the S y d n e y M o r n i n g H e r a l d and author of Art of A u s t r a l i a V o l u m e O n e : E x p l o r a t i o n to Federation.

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FEATURED STATE

Public Art on the Streets of Baltimore From the Top Down and Bottom Up GARY KACHADOURIAN

In the n i n e t e e n t h century, Baltimore became k n o w n as " T h e M o n u m e n t a l City," as a result of copious s p e n d i n g on art in this pioneering railroad and port city. Art from that era is best seen in M o u n t Vernon Place, h o m e to 14 bronzes a n d the 1829 Washington Monument designed by Robert Mills, w h o also designed the Washington Monument in the U.S. Capitol. Such traditional urban art p r o d u c t i o n c o n t i n u e d at a healthy pace until World War II. Since then, the creation of public art in Baltimore has been a bit bumpier. Today, the city is seeing an u p s w i n g in p r o d u c t i o n , including the recent installation of a n u m b e r of large-scale public sculptures, the beginning of a reworked and reinvigorated city percent-for-art program, a healthy m u n i c i p a l m u r a l program, a temporary public s c u l p t u r e program, and the constant o u t p u t of u n a u t h o r i z e d public art, i n c l u d i n g graffiti art and conceptualist public interventions by young artists. Home-Grown Campaigns An ongoing project by S h a u n Flynn exemplifies the solo artist enacting a subtle intervention. In a series of works he meticulously applies small pieces of reflective tape onto leaves, dirt, a n d rocks along a section of rural-feeling Falls Road near the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). These installations create an optic m o m e n t for the driver at night. T h e most recent version, from t h e s u m m e r of 2009, was a blue, green, yellow, orange fade that occurred over a quarter-mile stretch of the road. Two veteran sticker artists have l a u n c h e d sticker campaigns that tweak the m e d i u m by either obscuring or eliminating the straight "tag" that is usually its central construct, ride is both the n a m e of the artist and the only word to appear on one of the longest-running sticker campaigns in Baltimore. While on the surface ride is a straight tag in various lower-case, twocolor formats, it is p r o d u c e d with the elegance of a corporate logo managed by a first-rate design firm. Placed on a utility box, it takes on an official presence. This ambivalence b e t w e e n corporate and street creates a c o m m e n t a r y on h o w both aspects insert themselves in the public view. Party People, a sticker campaign by motobus, depicts small, friendly figures with d u n c e caps. Rendered in black on w h i t e vinyl, they are usually placed low on utility poles and s o m e t i m e s even more charmingly on ground-level utility covers. These are happy, h u m b l e , a n d h u m a n i s t , the perfect foil to the cooler, false-official nature of the ride campaign. T h e more problematic field of graffiti, most often illegal, is a d d r e s s e d at one visible site near H o w a r d Street and North Avenue. T h e o w n e r of Load of Fun Studios has obtained permission from the neighborhood, the city, and adjacent building o w n e r s to m a k e the rear walls of a cluster of buildings and an alleyway a free zone for spray paint murals, creating a varied, visible, and legal display of this form of public art. To see a range of less legal painting, one can walk from there across the Howard Street bridge to see murals u n d e r the Jones Falls Expressway on a regular w a l k w a y for MICA students.

ABOVE: One ot Motobus' Party People from their Baltimore street art sticker campaign. BELOW: Shaun Flynn's Hide sticker, one of the longest-running campaigns in Baltimore.

FEATURED STATE

Antoine-Louis Barye (1795-1875), force, 19th century, Mount Vemon Place, Baltimore.

Collective S p a c e s A recent local outgrowth in public art is n e w public art spaces created and run by artist collectives. Participation Park, for example, is a working farm/garden run by the Baltimore Develo p m e n t Cooperative (BDC), a play on Baltimore Development Corporation, the City of Baltimore's i n d e p e n d e n t d e v e l o p m e n t branch. T h e park—built as a meeting place for c o m m u n i t y people, artists, and others—-is located on a plot of land in east Baltimore in the s h a d o w of the city penitentiary. It's also a food source for the neighborhood, with s u r p l u s harvest sold to help s u p p o r t the project. Last year BDC installed a geodesic d o m e m a d e of recycled materials in front of the Baltimore M u s e u m of Art (the BMA also has an excellent s c u l p t u r e garden of major twentieth-century sculptures) for the S o n d h e i m Prize exhibition, an a n n u a l $25,000 prize for regional artists w h i c h the collective won. Tinges C o m m o n s , another collective art space, exists on an adopted vacant lot next to the artist/organizers' h o m e . There, an ongoing series of temporary sculpture installations are a c c o m p a n i e d by sign panel installations. Current Gallery recently e n d e d its tenure in a city-owned building that was offered rent-free until the time the site was redeveloped. N o w A n d r e w Liang's mural of Whac-A-Moles on the fagade, painted for the final exhibition of this artist-run space in the s u m m e r of 2009, quietly awaits the wrecking ball.

Event-Driven Art In Baltimore, event-based art c o n t i n u e s to grow in the n u m b e r of both participants a n d attendees each year. T h e Kinetic S c u l p t u r e Race, a project of A m e r i c a n Visionary Art M u s e u m (which also has an excellent o u t d o o r sculpture collection), involves 35 to 40 h u m a n - p o w e r e d s c u l p t u r e s that m u s t travel on asphalt, dirt, a n d water in a race across d o w n t o w n Baltimore. This a n n u a l event has b e c o m e an essential outlet for the gear-head sculptors a n d e p h e m e r a l perform a n c e artists to c o m m i n g l e a n d stretch their skills in a highly public a n d s o m e w h a t surreal interface of the arts, p o p u l i s t ideology, and public spectacle. T h e T r a n s m o d e r n Festival—a five-day, volunteer-organized, p e r f o r m a n c e art festival—culminates w i t h the Pedestrian Service Exquisite. This one-day program consists of performances, street interactions, and one-day installations on a n n u a l l y chosen sites. M i d w a y a n d the Full Service Garage are both parts of Artscape, a huge festival that's b e c o m e a mid-July Baltimore institution. M i d w a y utilizes modified city festival booths as installation spaces c o n n e c t e d through an architect-designed form. T h e Full Service Garage mixes social activism w i t h art installations in a parking garage. Both face off installation/performance/activist art actions against a huge cross section of t h e general public with pieces such as T h e Missoula Oblongata's The Heartbreak Cafe, w h e r e the artists enact b r e a k u p s w i t h festival goers, and an air-conditioned room c o n s t r u c t e d a n d monitored by the Baltimore Hostel w h e r e visitors can take a nap.

FEATURED STATE T e m p o r a r y Installations T h e steadiest of Baltimore's temporary public art programs is the Artscape O u t d o o r S c u l p t u r e exhibition, l a u n c h e d in 1982. In recent years it has been e x p a n d e d to b e c o m e the Baltimore S c u l p t u r e Project a n d n o w installs a rotating collection of s c u l p t u r e s at locations a r o u n d the city. Standout works include a six-foot-diameter concrete meatball t o p p e d with sauce, by Virginia Warwick, facing a phantasmagoric h a m m e r e d a n d soldered sheet lead form on rockers by Richard Roussell; a sheet c o p p e r m o u n t a i n form by Coral Lambert; and Charlie Brouwer's giant w o o d e n walking m a n w i t h a huge leaf u n d e r his arm, a piece that creates a truly strange sight at night. S c u l p t u r e at Evergreen, a b i a n n u a l site sculpture exhibition instituted a d e c a d e ago on the g r o u n d s of Evergreen M u s e u m and Library, w h i c h occupies the nineteenth-century country h o m e of one of Baltimore's most important railroad magnates, uses guest curators Jennie Fleming and Ronit Eisenbach to select proposals that address the history of the site. This year's exhibition will have 10 n e w installations. A n o t h e r n e w site project is Axis Alley, an exhibition of often very e p h e m e r a l installations in the alleys, vacant lots, a n d backyards of vacant h o u s e s of three contiguous blocks of North Calvert Street. This project, involving 19 artists, w a s single-handedly organized by Sarah Doherty, a resident of the

ABOVE: Yolande Daniels, Tea Cozy, 2010, Evergreen Museum and Library. MIDDLE: Michael Owen's mural along Eastern Avenue, 2009, Baltimore's longest mural. BELOW: Tom Miller, However far The Stream Flows, It Hem Forgets Its Source, 1991.

neighborhood w h o recently m o v e d to Baltimore to teach at MICA, in coordination with the Baltimore Housing Authority and the Mayor's City Council. City-Produced W o r k s on Streets a n d W a i l s T h e biggest event in the Baltimore public art world in recent years is the restructuring of the city's one-percent-for-publicart program administered by the Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts (BOPA), w h i c h s p e a r h e a d e d the program's restructuring, in c o n j u n c t i o n with a n e w l y e x p a n d e d Public Art Commission. One u p c o m i n g project is an ambitious streetscape on North Charles Street in the area of Johns Hopkins University, to be collaboratively designed by landscape architects and a soon-to-be-selected artist. Another is the Druid Hill Park gateway and conservatory, w h i c h will i n c l u d e a 73-foot c o l o n n a d e by William Cochran. Glass panels on reclaimed cast iron c o l u m n s will depict the history of the Victorian park, an important recreational place for Baltimore's African-American community. This site will also i n c l u d e a 17- by 30-foot oval mosaic terrace by one of Baltimore's best-known living artists, Joyce J. Scott. T h e terrace will be her first outdoor public work in her native city. Murals in the city are p r e d o m i n a t e l y p r o d u c e d through the Baltimore Mural Program of BOPA, though there are some excellent i n d e p e n d e n t l y f u n d e d murals p a i n t e d by artist Michael Kirby. Two recent and important projects are Baltimore's longest mural, by Michael Owen, on the walls of the Eastern Avenue u n d e r p a s s , and the restoration of two seminal murals by Tom Miller at the intersection of Harford Road and North Avenue. While these are both on high-visibility sites, one of the strengths of the program is its ability to place art in less " i m p o r t a n t " locations. Some of the exceptional murals recently completed in less visible settings i n c l u d e a pair by Danamarie Hosier and Nelson Rivas in the neighborhood of Waverly, an astounding forest-at-dawn mural on a vacant section of Pennsylvania Avenue by Lyle Kissack, and Donald Tyson-Bey's historical m u r a l in the newly refurbished market area of the same avenue.

FEATURED STATE

steel forms, w a s f u n d e d by the State of M a r y l a n d and a private developer. Jonathan Borofsky's 52-foot-tall Male/Female, funded by the M u n i c i p a l Art Society of Baltimore, is a m a c h i n e d a l u m i n u m cutout of a m a n a n d a w o m a n bisecting each other. • • •

LEFT: James Earl Reid's sculpture of Billie Holiday (1985) on Pennsylvania Avenue. RIGHT: Rodney Carroll, Firebird, 2005, bronze and stainless steel.

B r o n z e a n d M o n u m e n t a l Sculpture Baltimore's resurgence of traditional bronze sculptures of historical figures i n c l u d e s Rodney Carroll's life-size statue of William Donald Schaefer in the Inner Harbor. A former mayor, Schaefer promoted the restoration of the Inner Harbor. Earlier in the same year, the Billie Holiday s c u l p t u r e on Pennsylvania Avenue u n d e r w e n t a major restoration. This sculpture by James Earl Reid was originally erected in 1985 to a great deal of controversy over the shortening of the pedestal and omission of a series of reliefs depicting songs from the singer's career, most notably a hanging man for the song "Strange Fruit." Coming up, there will be an installation of a s c u l p t u r e of Frank Zappa, the Baltimore-born musician, a gift from the city of Vilnius, Lithuania. A sculpture by S i m m i e Knox of Clarence "Du" Burns, Baltimore's first African-American Mayor, will be installed in the Inner Harbor. T h e past five years have been good for contemporary m o n umental s c u l p t u r e w i t h three new, large pieces a d d e d to the city. Alice Aycock's Swing Over is a series of a l u m i n u m roller coaster rails depicting the flight patterns of mating h u m m i n g birds. Installed above the entrance canopy of the multistory George H. Fallon Federal Office Building, the work was f u n d e d by the U.S. General Services Administration. Rodney Carroll's 50-foot-tall Firebird, a towering mix of bronze a n d stainless

T h e Borofsky has been an object of concerted hatred, occasional love, a n d constant discussion since its installation in 2004. T h e anger t o w a r d s the piece centers on its close proximity to the historic 1911 Pennsylvania Railroad Station, but it has to be deeper t h a n just that. This s c u l p t u r e seems to t o u c h a nerve w i t h everyone a n d raises an interesting question about w h a t public art is and maybe always has been: Is it possible to make truly m e a n i n g f u l public art w i t h o u t risking severe dissension? W h e t h e r this particular piece is ever a c c e p t e d by t h e c o m m u n i t y , s o m e t h i n g that n o one will k n o w for a very long time, it does raise the question of w h e t h e r a prolonged period of controversy about a public work h e l p s etch it into the p u b l i c conscience. O n e interesting a n d comic indicator of this possible e n t r e n c h m e n t is the cover of this year's Baltimore City Paper's "Best Of" issue, on w h i c h t h e s c u l p t u r e shares space in a cartoon w o r l d w i t h t h e historic Domino Sugar sign a n d Bromo Seltzer Tower, both less-than-tasteful commercial landmarks from the past that are n o w beloved Baltimore icons. In the end, w h e t h e r it's an almost invisible, obsessive installation on an u r b a n back road or a gigantic h u m a n form looming over a central area of t h e city, t h e real joy in p u b l i c art is the simple, often c h a n c e interactions b e t w e e n the art object and the people. These interactions w i t h both the h u g e a n d t h e tiny are occurring in Baltimore w i t h consistency a n d intelligence. That's a great t h i n g — a n d a great reason to look for the next public installation. GARY KACHADOURIAN was the visual arts coordinator for the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts from 1987 to 2009. He is a working artist and independent curator and is currently pursuing an MFA degree at the University of Maryland Baltimore County.

FEATURED STATE

The Free State: Public and Semipublic Art in Maryland GLENN DIXON

P u b l i c art f o l l o w s f u n d i n g , so it's n o s u r p r i s e that M a r y l a n d ' s W a s h i n g t o n , D.C. s u b u r b s see a h i g h c o n c e n t r a t i o n of activity. From the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) offices in d o w n t o w n Silver S p r i n g to t h e vast F o o d a n d Drug A d m i n i s t r a t i o n c a m p u s u n d e r w a y in W h i t e Oak, U n c l e S a m ' s r e a c h s t r e t c h e s b e y o n d t h e f e d e r a l city a n d e v e n o u t s i d e t h e Beltway. T h e G e n e r a l Services A d m i n i s t r a t i o n (GSA) Art in A r c h i t e c t u r e P r o g r a m h a s a n i m p r e s s i v e r e c o r d of locating a m b i t i o u s p r o j e c t s by w e l l - k n o w n artists in a n d around government buildings. T h e p r o b l e m is o n e of p u b l i c access. T a x p a y e r s m a y gain e n t r y to t h e g r o u n d s of t h e U.S. C o u r t h o u s e in G r e e n b e l t simp l y by w a l k i n g u p to t h e g u a r d b o o t h n e x t to t h e p a r k i n g lot a n d e x p l a i n i n g that t h e y ' v e c o m e to look at t h e Jim S a n b o r n i n s t a l l a t i o n . S u i t l a n d ' s n e w C e n s u s B u r e a u c o m p l e x is a n o t h e r m a t t e r entirely. S i n c e 9 / 1 1 , M a r y l a n d e r s in t h e m o r e p o p u l o u s parts of t h e state h a v e g r o w n a c c u s t o m e d to r o u t i n e bag c h e c k s a n d , at h i g h e r - s e c u r i t y facilities, t h e ritual of h a v i n g one's briefcase, coat, w a l l e t , cell p h o n e , keys, p o c k e t c h a n g e , a n d belt r u n d o w n a c o n v e y o r into t h e m a w of a n X-ray s c a n n e r . But t h e C e n s u s B u r e a u is a Level IV facility. G u a r d s o u t s i d e , u n d e r o r d e r s to n e i t h e r c o n f i r m n o r d e n y t h e p r e s e n c e of a n y p e r s o n or t h e e x i s t e n c e of a n y d e p a r t m e n t i n s i d e t h e b u i l d i n g , refer p o t e n t i a l v i e w e r s to t h e a g e n c y ' s w e b s i t e , w h i c h a u t o m a t i c a l l y g e n e r a t e s m e s s a g e s s u c h as, "Your q u e s t i o n h a s b e e n r e c e i v e d . You s h o u l d e x p e c t a r e s p o n s e f r o m us w i t h i n 24 h o u r s . " R e s p o n s e s , h o w e v e r , are not f o r t h c o m i n g . Instead, to see w o r k s by A n i t a Glesta, Jason Salavon, a n d S a m Gilliam, y o u n e e d to track d o w n an a p p o i n t m e n t w i t h a GSA r e p r e s e n t a t i v e . A c c e s s is easiest w h e r e t o u r i s m is m o s t e x p e c t e d . Shutterb u g s get n o grief in h i s t o r i c d o w n t o w n F r e d e r i c k , r o u g h l y 50 m i l e s f r o m b o t h B a l t i m o r e a n d D.C., or at G a t h l a n d State Park, a b o u t 20 m i l e s f a r t h e r d o w n t h e road f r o m Frederick. T h e y go similarly u n m o l e s t e d at N a t i o n a l Harbor, a n e w s i m u l a t e d d o w n t o w n d e v e l o p m e n t in P r i n c e George's C o u n t y a n c h o r e d by a c o n v e n t i o n c e n t e r a n d p a c k e d w i t h h o t e l s a n d u p s c a l e chain restaurants. S o m e d e v e l o p e r s , h o w e v e r , w a n t t h e c a c h e t of s u p p o r t i n g p u b l i c art b u t w o n ' t s t a n d for t h e t o u r i s t i c i n t e r a c t i o n s that n a t u r a l l y follow. In C h e v y Chase, at T h e S h o p s at W i s c o n s i n Place, y o u can recite t h e scrolling w o r d s of A t h e n a Tacha's Light Obelisk i n t o y o u r i P o d n a n o ' s voice recorder, b u t if y o u opt for v i d e o , y o u ' r e a s k e d e i t h e r to desist or to take t i m e out of y o u r d a y for a talk w i t h b u i l d i n g m a n a g e m e n t . The dispatch with which you're served notice indicates t h e i n t e n s i t y w i t h w h i c h y o u ' r e b e i n g s u r v e i l l e d in p s e u d o p u b l i c s p a c e s . But e v e n that b a r e l y raises an e y e b r o w t h e s e days. Negotiating i s s u e s of n a t i o n a l security, i n t e l l e c t u a l p r o p erty, a n d i n d i v i d u a l rights h a s b e c o m e a naggingly f a m i l i a r d u t y for t h o s e w h o w o u l d u n d e r t a k e t h e c o m p l e x n a v i g a t i o n of p u b l i c a n d p r i v a t e s p a c e a n d t h e n e b u l o u s z o n e in b e t w e e n . G L E N N D I X O N is based in Silver Spring, Maryland and has written for A r t f o r u m , Village Voice, and T h e N e w York Times.

The following public

photo tour highlights

art in the greater

state of

W i l l i a m C o c h r a n , The Dreaming, • Frederick, M a r y l a n d

the variety

Maryland.

2007

T h e seat of F r e d e r i c k C o u n t y is b e s o t t e d w i t h history, a n d m u c h of it—glassmaking, c l o c k m a k i n g , textiles, t h e village p l a n n i n g of Native A m e r i c a n s , t h e b a n j a r m u s i c of slaves, t h e avant-jazz of Lester Bowie—is a r t f u l l y c o m p o s e d into The Dreaming, a s h i m m e r i n g , p a i n t e d - g l a s s p a n e l that William C o c h r a n h a s i n s t a l l e d on t h e s i d e of t h e f o r m e r Francis Scott Key Hotel. A l r e a d y a local h e r o for 1998's Community Bridge, w h i c h i n c o r p o r a t e s s y m b o l s of c o m m u n i t y solicited f r o m t h e p u b l i c into a t r o m p e l'oeil l a n d m a r k that a t t e m p t s to s p a n l o n g - s t a n d i n g d i v i d e s of race a n d class, C o c h r a n h a s n o w a s k e d t h e p e o p l e to reveal their h o p e s for t h e f u t u r e , w h i c h are e t c h e d into t h e f a g a d e b e l o w t h e three-story p a n e l . P a r t i c i p a n t s ' c o m m e n t s w e r e e d i t e d i n t o a "sort of b l a n k verse p o e m " in an effort "to c a p t u r e t h e p o e t r y of e v e r y d a y l a n g u a g e . " M a k i n g c o n t e m p o r a r y art that is s e n s i t i v e to t h e visual a e s t h e t i c a n d official protect i o n s that a p p l y in a h i s t o r i c district is n o m e a n feat, b u t C o c h r a n has p u l l e d it off, scaling t h e p a i n t e d b a c k g r o u n d of t h e p i e c e to m e s h w i t h t h e brick next to it. "It's m e a n t to h i d e in p l a i n sight," h e says. Photo courtesy the author.

FEATURED STATE

G e o r g e A l f r e d Townsend War Correspondents Memorial • Frederick, M a r y l a n d

Arch, 1896

C o m b i n i n g h i s i n i t i a l s w i t h a n o b s c u r e Biblical reference, George A l f r e d T o w n s e n d b e c a m e GATH, one of t h e most prolific of Civil War c o r r e s p o n d e n t s a n d a j o u r n a l i s t i c f o u n t w h o s p e w e d forth u p to 18,000 w o r d s a day. He also w a s an inveterate a r c h i t e c t u r a l dabbler, p r o d u c i n g v a r i o u s s t r u c t u r e s — house, stable, o u t b u i l d i n g s , a m a u s o l e u m that lies b a r e — o n h i s 100-acre s p r e a d n e a r Burkittsville, along t h e A p p a l a c h i a n Trail. T h e most d i s t i n c t i v e is t h e War Correspondents Memorial Arch, a m o n u m e n t to h i s fellow scribblers. With its c r e n e l l a t e d tower, h o r s e s h o e a r c h , a n d tier of s m a l l e r Rom a n e s q u e arches, it r e a d s as t h e fagade to a f a n c i f u l folk-art palazzo. N a m e s of w r i t e r s a n d a r t i s t s fill p a n e l s on t h e r e a r of t h e s t r u c t u r e . S c u l p t u r a l e l e m e n t s on t h e f r o n t i n c l u d e a figure of M e r c u r y set into a n i c h e a n d a p a i r of high-relief terra cotta horse h e a d s , n o s t r i l s aflare. For clarity of p u r p o s e , "War" a n d " C o r r e s p o n d e n t s " h a v e b e e n i n c i s e d into fields of brick set into t h e stone above t h e m a i n a r c h . A short d r i v e f r o m A n t i e t a m National Battlefield, h o m e to c o u n t l e s s m o r e c o n v e n t i o n a l m e m o r i a l s , T o w n s e n d ' s o d d b a l l a r c h pays tribute to c h r o n i c l e r s of w a r f r o m t h e celebrated M a t h e w Brady to scores like GATH h i m s e l f — h i s o w n n a m e is i n c l u d e d — w h o h a v e lapsed into obscurity. Photos courtesy the author.

J . S e w a r d J o h n s o n , The Awakening, • National Harbor, M a r y l a n d

1980 (relocated 2008)

P e r h a p s n o one better e m b o d i e s the central p a r a d o x of p u b l i c art—that it is art for a nonart p u b l i c — t h a n J. Seward Johnson. T h e Johnson & Johnson heir is so nicely bankrolled that w h e n his contribution to the 1980 International S c u l p t u r e Conference Exhibition, The Awakening, proved a hit w i t h the hoi polloi, he s i m p l y left it on loan w i t h the National Park Service for 27 years. But plans for a National Peace Garden at Hains Point p r o m p t e d Johnson's Sculpture F o u n d a t i o n to put the r o u s i n g giant that delighted picnickers u p for sale. Three-quarters of a million dollars later, it has been u p r o o t e d f r o m its h o m e in the District a n d w e d g e d into a sliver of " b e a c h " at this multibillion-dollar a d v e n t u r e in destination-building. T h e sculpture's siting is u n f o r t u n a t e , but p e o p l e still line u p to take s n a p s h o t s that m a k e it a p p e a r as t h o u g h they are being p l u c k e d u p by t h e giant's h a n d . As is par for the course w i t h Johnson's work, it is clumsy, kitschy, and utterly beloved. Photos courtesy the author.

FEATURED STATE

R i c h a r d Deutsch, Against the Day, 2006 • Chevy Chase, M a r y l a n d

A t h e n a Tacha, Friendship Plaza, • Chevy C h a s e , M a r y l a n d

R i c h a r d Deutsch's t a s t e f u l yet p l a y f u l s c u l p t u r a l i n s t a l l a t i o n Against the Day in t h e c o r p o r a t e m i n i - p l a z a t h a t is Johnston Park w a s n a m e d for a T h o m a s P y n c h o n novel, but a d i f f e r e n t text g o v e r n s its use. " T h e f o u n t a i n a n d s c u l p t u r e s u r f a c e s are slippery. Do not c l i m b or play on s c u l p t u r e s a n d do not r u n t h r o u g h t h e f o u n t a i n . Do not d r i n k t h e water. We c a n n o t be r e s p o n s i b l e for any m i s u s e of t h e f o u n t a i n . " So say ugly little signs that s p e a k for t h e C h e v y C h a s e Land C o m p a n y (CCLC), d e s p i t e t h e fact t h a t n o s u c h w a r n i n g s a c c o m p a n y t h e b e n c h es, p a t h s , water f e a t u r e s , a n d a r t w o r k s in most p u b l i c spaces. A n d despite t h e fact t h a t p h o t o s on Deutsch's website of t h e sleek, m u l t i h u e d g r a n i t e f o r m s s h o w c h i l d r e n engaged in most of t h e p r o h i b i t e d b e h a v i o r s (not that t h e CCLC c o n d o n e s p h o t o g r a p h y either), w h a t is e v i d e n t is that t h e killjoys w h o c o m m i s s i o n e d t h e work failed to c o m p r e h e n d t h e i n v i t a t i o n Deutsch's s c u l p t u r e w o u l d e x t e n d to t h e public. If t h e C h e v y C h a s e Land C o m p a n y o w n e d t h e National Mall, it w o u l d erect signs r e a d i n g , "Do not look at yourself in t h e Reflecting Pool. It is not o u r fault if you d r o w n . " Photo courtesy the author.

A d j a c e n t to R i c h a r d Deutsch's Against the Day is a n o t h e r private d o m a i n m a s q u e r a d i n g as a p u b l i c asset: A t h e n a Tacha's Friendship Plaza. Here, t h e o w n e r s w a r n , "For Public Safety a n d Personal I n j u r y [sic] I ABSOLUTLEY [sic] NO SKATEBOARDING POLICE TAKE NOTICE." It's a pity that New E n g l a n d D e v e l o p m e n t a n d its p a r t n e r s haven't m a d e t h e s a m e comm i t m e n t to literacy t h a t t h e y h a v e to safety. If they had, perh a p s t h e letters on Tacha's Light Obelisk, t h e c e n t e r p i e c e of Friendship Plaza, w o u l d n ' t c r e e p by at a second-grade level. (Try s p e n d i n g t h r e e s e c o n d s per w o r d on "NATURAL ECOSYSTEMS ARE BEING DESTROYED." T h e w o r d s b e c o m e o r n a m e n t a l . ) T h e LED t o w e r s t a n d s in t h e m i d d l e of a f o u n t a i n in t h e r a t h e r nicely laid out S o u t h Plaza, w h i c h abuts an a r c a d e t h a t b l o o m s at night w i t h staggered c h e v r o n s of s h i f t i n g light. At t h e other end of t h e arcade, you can s t a n d at a r a i l i n g t h a t overlooks Tacha's WWW-Tower, a s t a l k y stack of p r i m a r y - h u e d Ws, w h i c h also flash on after dark. A decade after its c o n c e p t i o n a n d well past t h e p o i n t at w h i c h t h e Internet w a s novel, it s e e m s rather dated. Photo by Richard E. Spear.

J i m S a n b o r n , Indian Run Park, • Greenbelt, Maryland

2000-2009

1995

Best k n o w n for Kryptos, a 1990 c r y p t o g r a p h i c s c u l p t u r e at t h e Central Intelligence Agency's Langley, Virginia, headq u a r t e r s , Jim S a n b o r n e m p l o y e d s i m i l a r formal m e a n s for h i s Indian Run Park i n s t a l l a t i o n o u t s i d e t h e United States Courth o u s e in Greenbelt. But t h i s time, he h a d no q u a l m s about offering a t r a n s l a t i o n of t h e s t e n c i l e d text piercing t h e b r o n z e c y l i n d e r t h a t is t h e focal p o i n t of t h e s m a l l park. D u r i n g t h e day, s u n b e a m s t h r o u g h lines f r o m t h e Iroquois Book of the Great Law, said to have i n s p i r e d B e n j a m i n F r a n k l i n ' s work on t h e U.S. C o n s t i t u t i o n : "The d i f f e r e n t n a t i o n s , will b e c o m e just a single one, a n d t h e great law w i l l c o m e into being..." At night, t h e w o r d s are i l l u m i n a t e d f r o m w i t h i n . S a n b o r n has long b e e n interested in the m a n i f e s t a t i o n of d i s t a n t forces, in t h i s case e m p h a s i z i n g t h e g e o g r a p h i c a n d p h i l o s o p h i c a l l i n k s b e t w e e n a n c i e n t Native c u l t u r e s a n d t h e m o n g r e l i z e d A m e r i c a of t h e p r e s e n t day. Similarly, at NOAA, h i s 1993 Coastline t r a n s m i t s t h e w a v e p a t t e r n s at Woods Hole, Mass a c h u s e t t s , to a r o c k - r i m m e d pool t h a t c l i m a t e b u r e a u c r a t s pass on t h e i r way to t h e office. Photo courtesy the author.

FEATURED STATE

G a b r i e l e Schmidt-Heins, On Site, 1991, • Rockville, M a r y l a n d

A n i t a G l e s t a , Census, 2008 • Suitland, M a r y l a n d

As is t r u e a n y w h e r e , but s e e m s doubly so in M a r y l a n d , t h e public a r t s c a p e c o m p r i s e s m a n y h i s t o r y - l e s s o n m u r a l s , r a i n b o w - c o a l i t i o n mosaics, w h i m s i c a l a n i m a l s , a n d figurative s c u l p t u r e s of p e o p l e e n j o y i n g t h e m s e l v e s — w e l l - i n t e n t i o n e d , o p e n - h e a r t e d , "accessible" pieces devoid of s e r i o u s interest. A n d m a n y of t h e s e w o r k s are s p o n s o r e d at t h e m u n i c i p a l l e v e l — A n n a p o l i s , Rockville, a n d G a i t h e r s b u r g b e i n g typical offenders. Despite t h e u n i m a g i n a t i v e title On Site a n d an artist's s t a t e m e n t that r e s o r t s to s p i r i t u a l i s t n u m e r o l o g y , Gabriele S c h m i d t - H e i n s ' i n s t a l l a t i o n is a w e l c o m e e x c e p t i o n . I n s t a l l e d in t h e c o r n e r of a n e i g h b o r h o o d p a r k in a n o r d i n a r y m i d - c e n t u r y s u b d i v i s i o n , five 15-foot t r u n c a t e d t r i a n g l e s of c o n c r e t e define a s p a c e d i s t i n c t f r o m a n d yet l i n k e d to t h e soccer a n d b a s e b a l l fields nearby. A l u m i n u m - a n d - L u c i t e facing a r t i c u l a t e s t h e vertical f r o n t of each t r i a n g l e into a geom e t r i c series of doubles (or halves, d e p e n d i n g on w h e t h e r you r e a d top to b o t t o m or vice versa) a n d orient t h e v i e w e r t o w a r d t h e i n n e r circle d e s c r i b e d by t h e a r r a n g e m e n t of pillars. T h e scale of t h e piece s u i t s t h e site well, c r e a t i n g t h e i n t i m a c y a n d m u t e d g r a n d e u r of a n abstract gazebo c e i l i n g e d

In t h e lobby of S k i d m o r e , O w i n g s a n d Merrill's C e n s u s h e a d q u a r t e r s , Jason Salavon's b a c k l i t a b s t r a c t i o n American Varietal (US Population, by County, 1790-2000) turns survey r e s u l t s into g l o w i n g r i b b o n s of color. O u t s i d e , Glesta's sevenacre Census i n s t a l l a t i o n takes u p t h e m o s t f u n d a m e n t a l tools of c e n s u s work: n u m e r a l s . A w h e e l c h a i r - f r i e n d l y r a m p w i n d s its w a y f r o m 1 to 8, w h i l e s t a i r s p r o v i d e a m o r e d i r e c t route. F r a m i n g t h e 1, tile-faced t r a p e z o i d a l b e r m s r e m i n i s c e n t of I n d i a n m o u n d s pay h o m a g e to c o u n t i n g s y s t e m s a n c i e n t a n d m o d e r n : S u m e r i a n , Native A m e r i c a n , R o m a n , a n d so on. S o m e of t h e large Arabic n u m e r a l s , c o n s t r u c t e d of s t r i p e s of light- a n d dark-gray brick, f u n c t i o n as d i v e r s i o n s f r o m t h e m e a n d e r i n g p a t h ; o t h e r s rise to f o r m b e n c h e s w h e r e w o r k e r s can relax, talk, a n d read. More t i l e - c o v e r e d slabs o c c u p y t h e p a c h y s a n d r a - c o v e r e d r a m p s t h a t slope d o w n t o w a r d a s u n k en w a l k w a y c o n n e c t i n g w i n g s of t h e b u i l d i n g . O n e of t h e s e p a n e l s d e p i c t s t h e f u l l r u n of n u m e r a l s , h i g h l i g h t i n g 9 a n d 0, t h i s last r e p r e s e n t i n g a r a d i c a l c o n c e p t i n d i s p e n s a b l e to t h e h i s t o r y of m a t h e m a t i c s . O v e r l a y i n g t h e digits a r e s h a d o w s of h u m a n figures, r e m i n d e r s of t h e p u b l i c p u r p o s e all t h i s e n u m e r a t i o n is i n t e n d e d to serve. Photo courtesy the artist.

b y t h e s k y . Photo courtesy the author.

A l b e r t Paley, The Beckoning, 2008 • National Harbor, Maryland After J. Seward Johnson's The Awakening, m u c h of the rest of the Harbor art budget w e n t to Albert Paley. Two of his eagle sculptures soar incongruously, wings outstretched, high above the first store in the country devoted to m a r s h m a l l o w Peeps. Where he really earns his keep, however, is at the merge from the Beltway off-ramps, h o m e to the m a m m o t h Beckoning. D o w n t o w n , at the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery, his Portal Gates have been a signature piece for decades. Proving he still k n o w s h o w to make an entrance, Paley has built The Beckoning for speed. Isolated in a triangular m e d i a n liberally fertilized by the Canada goose, the towering assemblage of p a i n t e d steel isn't i n t e n d e d for pedestrian viewing. This is art as highway signage, an 85-foot beacon to passing motorists, the flag of c o m m e r c e planted by the Potomac. National Harbor has learned spectacle and artifice from Las Vegas, but it is t h e m e d as the a n t i - S i n City, a post-Baudrillardian Bizarro World w h e r e lust, greed, and frontier spirit are s u p p l a n t e d by business needs, r e c t i t u d i n o u s c o n s u m p t i o n , and an off-therack patriotism as red-white-and-blue as Old Glory itself. T h e only sure bet? What h a p p e n s in National Harbor shows u p on your e x p e n s e account. Photo courtesy the author.

M O S A I C

A R T

F A B R I C A T O R S

MOSAIKA A R T 8c D E S I G N

www.mosaikadesign.com 514.286.0990 or 1.888.870.7476

Digital Stone Project

Offering a facility with today's most advanced stone-cutting equipment and expert consultation 75-A Sculptor's Way Mercerville, N] 08619 phone 609-587-6699 www.digitalstoneproject.orginFo@digitalstoneprojecf.org

Public Art Master Planning Project Management Program Development

Emily B l u m e n f e l d + M e r i d i t h M c K i n l e y P O B o x 2 3 1 6 7 St. Louis, M O 6 3 1 5 6 tel: 314 664.5902 e: a r t @ v i a p a r t n e r s h i p . c o m

web: www.viapartnership.com

For m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n

a b o u t this a n d o t h e r p u b l i c w o r k s of a r t , visit: www.cabq.gov/publicart/

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D O N A L D LIPSKI S A N ANTONIO F.I.S.H. is p a r t o f a s e r i e s of p u b l i c a r t i n s t a l l a t i o n s s e l e c t e d , a n d c o m m i s s i o n e d by t h e S a n

RIVER

A n t o n i o R i v e r F o u n d a t i o n a n d i n s t a l l e d in c o n j u n c t i o n w i t h t h e 8 s e l e c t e d a r t i s t s . T h e s e w o r k s w e r e c r e a t e d f o r t h e San A n t o n i o River I m p r o v e m e n t s P r o j e c t - M u s e u m R e a c h . T h e San A n t o n i o R i v e r F o u n d a t i o n d o n a t e d t h e a r t w o r k t o t h e C i t y of San A n t o n i o A r t C o l l e c t i o n , San A n t o n i o , T e x a s in S e p t e m b e r of 2 0 0 9 . Photo by Mark Menjivar

FOUNDATION www.sariverfoundation.org

ON LOCATION

RACHEL ROSENFIELD LAFO

At the Crossroads: Cultural and International Art in Vancouver

V a n c o u v e r has a d e s e r v e d r e p u t a t i o n as a w o r l d - c l a s s city w h e n it c o m e s to livability, sustainability, a n d n a t u r a l beauty. S u r r o u n d e d by w a t e r a n d v i e w s of rugged m o u n t a i n s , w i t h C a n a d a ' s m i l d e s t climate, t h e city is a c o s m o p o l i t a n m i x of tall glass r e s i d e n t i a l a n d office towers, v e r d a n t p a r k l a n d , international c u i s i n e , a vibrant p e r f o r m i n g arts scene, the t h i r d largest film p r o d u c t i o n i n d u s t r y in North A m e r i c a , a n d a large a n d diverse immigrant community. Yet t h e v i s u a l arts scene, a l t h o u g h active, is relatively small a n d u n d e r f u n d e d , w i t h artist-run galleries a n d m o d e s t n o n p r o f i t s o u t n u m b e r i n g galleries a n d m u s e u m s w i t h p e r m a n e n t collections. T h e p u b l i c art scene, too, has t a k e n a w h i l e to get off t h e g r o u n d . It w a s not u n t i l 1990 that t h e city's formal P u b l i c Art Program w a s initiated, w i t h t h e m i s s i o n of incorp o r a t i n g " c o n t e m p o r a r y art practices into city p l a n n i n g a n d d e v e l o p m e n t . " Revised a n d i m p r o v e d in 2008, t h e p r o g r a m is n o w m o r e p r o f e s s i o n a l in its practices a n d m o r e i n c l u s i v e of artists in t h e p l a n n i n g process.

A Question of Place

ABOVE: Liz Magor, LightShed, 2004, Harbour Green Park, Vancouver, British Columbia.

Several V a n c o u v e r projects s u c c e s s f u l l y s p e a k to p l a c e â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a n d to Vancouver's history. Liz Magor's LightShed, a private-sector c o m m i s s i o n , is a c a s t - a l u m i n u m half-scale replica of t h e s h e d s that u s e d to be located in the Coal H a r b o u r n e i g h b o r h o o d . Situ a t e d on a p r o m i n e n t section of t h e seawall, this ghostly silver b u i l d i n g , raised u p on pilings, evokes t h e history of the area w h i l e serving as a c o n t e m p o r a r y b e a c o n . Similarly, Ken Lum's recent t e m p o r a r y installation, from shangri-la to shangri-la, part of the Vancouver Art Gallery's Offsite p r o g r a m f u n d e d t h r o u g h the city's p u b l i c art program, recreates s c a l e - m o d e l s h a c k s like those that w e r e o c c u p i e d by s q u a t t e r s on t h e N o r t h Vancouver m u d f l a t s in the first half of the t w e n t i e t h century. Installed in a small plaza o u t s i d e t h e e x c l u s i v e Shangri-La Hotel, Lum's piece is a r e m i n d e r of h o w t h e city's a r c h i t e c t u r a l legacy, in t h i s case i n d i g e n o u s b u i l d ings, a n d certain p o p u l a t i o n s , h a v e b e e n s w a l l o w e d u p a n d d i s p l a c e d by t h e d e v e l o p m e n t of glass towers. A n o t h e r Ken L u m piece, Monument for East Vancouver, c o m m i s s i o n e d t h r o u g h t h e city's O l y m p i c a n d P a r a l y m p i c Program, raises t h e q u e s t i o n of w h e t h e r a w o r k can be too locally specific to h a v e m e a n i n g for a w i d e r a u d i e n c e . On a 65-foottall sign in t h e f o r m of a cross installed in an area of the city u n d e r r e p r e s e n t e d by p u b l i c art, t h e w o r d s "East" a n d "Van" intersect at a s h a r e d letter "a." Lum's a p p r o p r i a t i o n of a street g r a p h i c that h a d long c i r c u l a t e d in East Vancouver s p a r k e d m u c h c o m m e n t in t h e n e i g h b o r h o o d , a n d has b e c o m e a point of p r i d e a n d nostalgia for s o m e a n d an offensive religious or gang s y m b o l for others.

BELOW: Ken Lum, Monument lor tost Vancouver, 2009, Vancouver, British Columbia.

An Active Community In a d d i t i o n to t h e city's p u b l i c art p r o g r a m s , m a n y other agencies h a v e b e c o m e i n v o l v e d , i n c l u d i n g t h e Park Board, the YVR Art F o u n d a t i o n , the V a n c o u v e r S c u l p t u r e Biennale, TransLink, the C a n a d a Line, t h e V a n c o u v e r Art Gallery, t h e University of British C o l u m b i a , t h e Vancouver Organizing C o m m i t t e e (VANOC) for the 2010 Winter O l y m p i c s , a n d t h e Cultural O l y m p i a d . All this c a n be q u i t e c o n f u s i n g for s o m e o n e trying

in Vancouver

BRITISH COLUMBIA n o w in neighboring R i c h m o n d ) and has recently e x p a n d e d its p r o g r a m m i n g to i n c l u d e n e w m e d i a a n d p e r f o r m a n c e art. Because the s c u l p t u r e s sited for t h e Biennale are often quite large a n d installed in p r o m i n e n t locations in parks a n d on waterfronts, they provoke strong reactions. For e x a m p l e , the Gao Brothers' sculpture, Miss Mao Trying to Poise Herself at the Top of Lenin's Head, w i t h its controversial historical and political references, created u p r o a r in R i c h m o n d , a city w i t h the largest Asian p o p u l a t i o n in British Columbia. A l t h o u g h t h e Biennale ruffles lots of feathers (many in the art c o m m u n i t y question the c o m m e r c i a l n a t u r e of the enterprise because the sculptures are for sale at the e n d of the exhibition period), it does i n t r o d u c e Vancouverites a n d visitors to work by an international roster of c o n t e m p o r a r y artists not o t h e r w i s e seen here. A n d w h e n strong work is effectively sitedâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;like Jaume Plensa's We, a large, o p e n - f r a m e d h u m a n form constructed of w o r d s from m a n y alphabets, referencing Vancouver's linguistic a n d cultural diversityâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;it can have a p o w e r f u l p r e s e n c e on the city's visual landscape.

A New Era of Funding

ABOVE: Gao Brothers, Miss Mao Trying to Poise Herself at the Top of Lenin's Heal 2009. BELOW: Gunda Forster, Ice Light, 2010. Vancouver City Hall, Vancouver, British Columbia.

to u n d e r s t a n d w h o is responsible for what, but the average citizen most likely assumes that all artwork seen in public spaces is sponsored and sanctioned by the city. A controversial player on the scene is the Vancouver International Sculpture Biennale, initiated in 1998 by the Buschlen Mowatt Galleries, n o w a nonprofit corporation. T h e Biennale m o u n t s large-scale sculptures at sites throughout the city (and

T h e single event that has focused m o r e m o n e y a n d attention on public art has been w i t h o u t q u e s t i o n t h e Vancouver 2010 O l y m p i c and P a r a l y m p i c Winter Games. T h e city's Public Art Program received $5.9 million over three years to create an O l y m p i c a n d P a r a l y m p i c program of b o t h t e m p o r a r y a n d p e r m a n e n t work. Additionally, the Vancouver 2010 Venues' Aboriginal Art Program c o m m i s s i o n e d artwork for every Olympic v e n u e from more t h a n 90 First Nations, Inuit, a n d Metis artists. T h e Cultural O l y m p i a d , n o w a c o m p u l s o r y part of t h e Olympics, featured an u n p a r a l l e l e d variety of m u s i c , d a n c e , theater, visual arts, film, a n d o u t d o o r events. Debuted for t h e first t i m e w a s Cultural O l y m p i c s Digital Edition (CODE), featuring an impressive n u m b e r of interactive digital artworks by C a n a d i a n a n d international artists in sites t h r o u g h o u t t h e city. T h e s e i n c l u d e d David Rokeby's Seen at t h e Vancouver Public Library, a four-channel real-time v i d e o installation about surveillance in public space, a n d Julie Andreyev's *glisten) HIVE, a project m a p p i n g local a n d global conversations about a n i m a l consciousness, exhibited at Emily Carr University of Art a n d Design. N u m e r o u s light installations a p p e a r e d t h r o u g h o u t t h e city during t h e Olympics, some of t h e m part of the city-sponsored Bright Light program. In a n o t h e r project co-sponsored by t h e city's Public Art Program a n d Cultural O l y m p i a d , Rafael Lozano-Hemmer's Vectorial Elevation lit u p t h e sky over English Bay w i t h 20 robotic light b e a m s that could be p r o g r a m m e d by participants on t h e Internet. Isabelle Hayeur's Fire With Fire projected flickering images of flames i n t h e w i n d o w s of a building on the D o w n t o w n Eastside, calling to m i n d the t u m u l t u ous history of Canada's poorest n e i g h b o r h o o d . T h e city also c o m m i s s i o n e d several p e r m a n e n t light installations, i n c l u d i n g G u n d a Forster's Ice Light on Vancouver's City Hall, a n d street lighting p r o v i d e d by David MacWilliam's KingswavLuminaires a n d Adrian Gollner a n d Pierre Poussin's Boulevard. Ironically, m a n y of the n e w l y c o m m i s s i o n e d artworks were inaccessible during the Olympics d u e to security regula-

ON LOCATION

RACHEL ROSENFIELD LAFO

tions. Inges Idee's Drop, a 65-foot-tall abstracted blue raindrop, c o m m i s s i o n e d by t h e n e w C o n v e n t i o n Centre a n d installed in a p r o m i n e n t location at water's edge, w a s actually t e m p o r a r i l y r e m o v e d b e c a u s e it i m p e d e d t h e view of O l y m p i c broadcasters.

The Destination City R e s i d e n t s a n d visitors w h o arrive at or d e p a r t from Vancouver I n t e r n a t i o n a l A i r p o r t are treated to m o r e t h a n 160 a r t w o r k s c o m m i s s i o n e d t h r o u g h the YVR Art F o u n d a t i o n . F o c u s i n g prim a r i l y o n aboriginal art on the t h e m e s of l a n d , sea, a n d sky, the foundation displays works throughout terminals and public areas. To c o i n c i d e w i t h t h e c o m p l e t i o n of t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l T e r m i n a l in 1996, t h e airport c o m m i s s i o n e d a large b r o n z e casting of t h e p r e e m i n e n t H a i d a artist Bill Reid's The Spirit of Haida Gwaii: The Jade Canoe. O t h e r h i g h l i g h t s at t h e airport i n c l u d e C o n n i e Watts' Hetux, Thunderbird, Keeper of the Sky, a n d S u s a n Point's giant s p i n d l e w h o r l . Flight. T h e art at t h e airport s u c c e s s f u l l y d e m o n s t r a t e s that p u b l i c art c a n p r o v i d e a u n i q u e i d e n t i t y for a place. Vancouver is on t h e r o a d to b e c o m i n g a d e s t i n a t i o n for p u b l i c art. To c o n t i n u e d o w n that p a t h , t h e city n e e d s to foster m o r e c o m m u n i c a t i o n a n d collaboration a m o n g t h e d i f f e r e n t o r g a n i z a t i o n s that s p o n s o r p u b l i c art, i n c r e a s e t h e b u d g e t a n d staffing of its o w n p r o g r a m , s p r e a d its net even m o r e w i d e l y to engage n e w artists, a n d create n e w m e c h a n i s m s for t h e select i o n of p u b l i c art. Let u s h o p e that t h e e x c i t e m e n t e n g e n d e r e d by t h e O l y m p i c s a n d w h a t its f u n d i n g m a d e p o s s i b l e serve as catalysts for f u t u r e f u n d i n g a n d policy d e c i s i o n s that will furt h e r integrate p u b l i c art into Vancouver's u r b a n fabric. RACHEL ROSENFIELD LAFO is a recent arrival in Vancouver, where she works as an independent curator and writer. She was formerly director of curatorial affairs at DeCordova Sculpture Park + Museum in Lincoln, Massachusetts.

ABOVE: Inges Idee, Drop, 2009, painted polystyrene, outside Vancouver Convention Centre. BELOW: Bill Reid, The Spirit at Haiti Gwaii: The late Canoe, 1994, Vancouver Int'l. Airport.

Editorial Note: You can learn more about another Vancouver projectâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Janet Echelman's dramatic Water Sky Garden, two giant red lanterns s u s p e n d e d over a large pond outside Richmond's Olympic Oval (funded through Richmond's Public Art Program)â&#x20AC;&#x201D;in Public Art Review, issue 40, page 34.

ON LOCATION

EMILY

BLUMENFELD

Bob Cassilly's Cementland: A New Spirit of St. Louis

A s of t h i s w r i t i n g , St. Louis h a s n o f o r m a l p u b l i c art f u n d ing m e c h a n i s m , save t h e M e t r o Arts in Transit p r o g r a m . T h a n k s to t h e Regional Arts C o m m i s s i o n a n d t h e M i s s o u r i Arts C o u n cil, o r g a n i z a t i o n s c a n r e c e i v e g r a n t s to p l a n for a n d p u r s u e p r o j e c t s , b u t generally, t h i s is a very fiscally c o n s e r v a t i v e p l a c e w h e n it c o m e s to p u b l i c a r t — a m o n g o t h e r things. T h r o u g h a great deal of h a r d w o r k by i n d i v i d u a l s a n d t h e good will of t h e p h i l a n t h r o p i c c o m m u n i t y , h o w e v e r , St. Louis is h o m e to t h e n e w , k i d - f r i e n d l y C i t y g a r d e n , Albert Paley's Animals Always at t h e St. Louis Zoo, a n d o t h e r gifts. But p e r h a p s t h e m o s t i n t r i g u i n g p u b l i c a r t w o r k s in t h e city are built by h o m e g r o w n artist Bob Cassilly. A classically t r a i n e d s c u l p t o r , Cassily w o r k s on a m o n u m e n t a l scale, o f t e n w i t h t h e h e l p of m a n y artisans. His w o r k s , r e m i n i s c e n t of S i m o n Rodia's Watts Towers in Los Angeles, are p h y s i c a l b o t h in t h e m a k i n g a n d t h e e x p e r i e n c e . Using c e m e n t , s h o t c r e t e , f o u n d objects large a n d s m a l l — i n c l u d i n g b u i l d i n g f a c a d e s , b r i d g e trestles, a i r p l a n e s , a n d bottle c a p s — h e r e p u r p o s e s a r c h i t e c t u r a l a n d i n d u s t r i a l r e m n a n t s into a t m o s p h e r e s t h a t are f u n a n d exciting, a l l o w i n g visitors t h e o p p o r t u n i t y to r e - e n v i s i o n St. Louis's m a t e r i a l h i s t o r y w i t h n e w eyes a n d a s e n s e of w o n d e r . Cassilly's p r i v a t e City M u s e u m ( w w w . c i t y m u s e u m . o r g ) , for e x a m p l e , a n n u a l l y attracts n e a r l y 600,000 visitors to exp l o r e several stories of t h e o l d I n t e r n a t i o n a l S h o e B u i l d i n g , originally built in t h e s e c o n d d e c a d e of t h e last century. Here, old shoe chutes have been converted into slides and a school b u s is c a n t i l e v e r e d f r o m t h e roof. City M u s e u m , w h i c h o p e n e d in 1997, i n v i t e s u s to do t h i n g s that w e d o n ' t t h i n k w e are s u p p o s e d to d o — a n d it's thrilling. We w a t c h in w o n d e r as o u r child r e n c l i m b t h r o u g h c a t w a l k s s u s p e n d e d 60 to 80 feet a b o v e t h e g r o u n d a n d c r a w l t h r o u g h t u n n e l s w i t h u n e v e n flooring a n d s u b t l e lighting to e m e r g e w i t h s c r a p e d k n e e s a n d h u g e s m i l e s on t h e i r faces. T h e City M u s e u m also s u p p o r t s e n t r e p r e n e u r i a l efforts: Beatnik Bob's M u s e u m of M i r t h , M y s t e r y a n d M a y h e m by local artist Bill C h r i s t m a n a n d t h e E v e r y d a y Circus h a v e b o t h f o u n d h o m e s w i t h i n its walls. Cassilly, w h o d e s i g n e d a n d f a b r i c a t e d t h e terra cotta p l a n t e r s that sit in t h e m e d i a n s of m a n y m a j o r b o u l e v a r d s in St. Louis, h a s also c a p t u r e d o u r i m a g i n a t i o n w i t h Turtle Park. T h i s s m a l l slice of Forest Park is filled w i t h c o n c r e t e , largert h a n - l i f e , h a r d - s h e l l e d critters of all varieties that c h i l d r e n can c l i m b o n a n d t h r o u g h . B e c a u s e Turtle Park sits in a leftover s p a c e a c r o s s a h i g h w a y , Cassilly c o n n e c t e d it to Forest Park p r o p e r w i t h a s n a k e bridge. Collectively a n d i n d i v i d u a l l y , Cassilly's w o r k in t h e p u b lic r e a l m m a k e s u s feel good. He h a s s u c c e e d e d in creating p u b l i c p l a c e s that h a v e a h u m a n w a r m t h a n d c o m p e l l i n g quality. So t h e c o m m u n i t y a n t i c i p a t e s t h e o p e n i n g of Cassilly's newest and most ambitious venture, Cementland. Located 10 m i l e s n o r t h of t h e Gateway Arch at t h e form e r l o c a t i o n of t h e P o r t l a n d C e m e n t p l a n t , C e m e n t l a n d w i l l be a w a l k i n g a n d b o a t i n g p a r k w i t h s u r p r i s e s at every t u r n . Cassilly's p l a n s i n c l u d e b e a c h e s a n d l a g o o n s that m e a n d e r t h r o u g h o u t t h e 54-acre c o m p l e x , c a t w a l k s c o n n e c t i n g v a c a n t i n d u s t r i a l b u i l d i n g s , a n d a spiral staircase s u r r o u n d i n g a silo that w i l l offer significant v i e w s of d o w n t o w n St. Louis.

ABOVE: Cassilly's City Museum in St. Louis, an eclectic mixture of children's playground, funhouse, and architectural marvel made out of unique, found objects. BELOW: One of the scuplture's at Cassilly's Turtle Park in St. Louis, Missouri.

W h e n I first visited t h e site, I a s k e d Cassilly if h e h a d d r a w n p l a n s for t h e e n o r m o u s site. He p u l l e d a clay m o d e l out of t h e back of his t r u c k that o n l y h a d half of t h e site r e n d e r e d . " T h e p l a n s are all in m y h e a d a n d I'm a l w a y s i n s p i r e d by n e w m a t e r i a l s that I p i c k u p , " h e said, "so I r e s h a p e t h e w e t clay." T h e dirt u n d e r Cassilly's feet, w h i c h he's u s i n g to s h a p e his u n u s u a l e a r t h w o r k , is cast-off c o n s t r u c t i o n dirt, a n d has b e e n d u m p e d on t h e site for years s i n c e P o r t l a n d C e m e n t s h u t d o w n . W h e n Cassilly b o u g h t t h e property, h e e n c o u r a g e d d u m p e r s to c o n t i n u e to u s e t h e site, a n d charged d u m p i n g fees that are h e l p i n g to f u n d t h e project. T h e b u i l d i n g t h a t h o u s e s t h e City M u s e u m features regular c o l u m n s at 20-foot intervals that create a c a d e n c e a n d o r d e r a m i d s t t h e m a y h e m of activity. T h e P o r t l a n d C e m e n t site h a s n o s u c h i n t r i n s i c order: Cassilly a n d h i s c r e w of a r t i s a n s are free to i m a g i n e a l a n d s c a p e that flows into a n d o u t of c r u m bling b u i l d i n g s filled w i t h old brick p o o l s originally u s e d for c e m e n t settling. T h e s e i n d u s t r i a l r u i n s can b e l i k e n e d in scale to t h e a n c i e n t R o m a n b a t h s , a n d given Cassilly's aggressive ere-

in St. Louis

MISSOURI

ABOVE and BELOW: Bob Cassilly's Cementland in St. Louis, Missouri in 2010.

ativity, one can easily imagine the possibilities. "I'm excited to be working in this space w h e r e I'm not quite sure what will h a p p e n next," says Cassilly. Neighbors are optimistic about the f u t u r e of the project. "Cementland seems like it will be the City M u s e u m w i t h o u t a roof and water p o u r e d in," says Dave Kargell, a nearby resident. "If it all goes well, it will be great. What we can see right n o w from the street is w h i m s i c a l and f u n . " There's a h i g h - m o u n d ed hill with u p e n d e d cement truck mixing barrels p a i n t e d in

bright colors. On the crest of the hill is an e y e b r o w - s h a p e d w i n d o w lending a h u m a n - l i k e character to t h e e a r t h e n m o u n d that separates us f r o m the site. Cassilly takes his c o m m u n i t y i n v e s t m e n t seriously and has m o v e d with his family to t h e area. He often canoes on the Mississippi a n d enjoys exploring nearby M o s e n t h e i n a n d Gabaret Islands. Unlike m a n y St. Louisans, Cassilly is keenly aware that St. Louis is a river t o w n . He has a gift for reconnecting us with our industrial a n d social history. As h e did with the City M u s e u m , Cassilly h o p e s to encourage e n t r e p r e n e u r i a l v e n t u r e s w i t h i n C e m e n t l a n d . W h i l e he loves building places, h e has less interest in r u n n i n g t h e m . So he's open to w h a t others can bring to create sites w i t h i n the C e m e n t l a n d site. C e m e n t l a n d will be open in s o m e form in t h e spring or s u m m e r of 2011. It may not be complete, b u t that w o n ' t matter. Cassilly never seems to stop working on a project. He just a d d e d a roof terrace with an a m u s e m e n t park on top of the City M u s e u m this past summer. EMILY B L U M E N F E L D is a founding

partner

of Via

Partnership,

LLP and a life-long resident of St. Louis. She is currently working on a collaborative environmental art enhancement in North Riverfront Park, which sits across the street from Cementland.

Located approximately 10 miles north of the Gateway Arch at the home of the former Portland Cement Plant, Cementland sits adjacent to the Mississippi River. Bob Cassilly is creating a watery village that visitors can explore by boat or by foot. Bridges spanning the water will connect the old industrial buildings and a cantilevered bridge 180 feet above Riverview Drive will provide views of the confluence of two great rivers, the Missouri and the Mississippi.

ON LOCATION

LINDA LUISE

BROWN

Bus Shelters and the Firebird: Recent Glass Installations in Charlotte

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| ® 64

Two n e w , d i v e r g e n t art p r o j e c t s n o w e n l i v e n t h e p u b l i c r e a l m of Charlotte, N o r t h Carolina. O n e is a series of smartl o o k i n g b u s s h e l t e r s r e n d e r e d in artisanal glass a n d c o n c e i v e d by artist M i c h e l e Tejuola Turner, a C h a r l o t t e e l e m e n t a r y art teacher. T h e s h e l t e r s are b o t h s y m b o l i c a l l y a n d literally p u b lic; t h e y f r e s h e n t h e p u b l i c t r a n s p o r t a t i o n e x p e r i e n c e by energizing o t h e r w i s e b l a n d w a i t i n g areas w i t h e t c h e d glass d e s i g n s a n d p i c t o g r a p h s . T h e o t h e r — a flashy, m i s c h i e v o u s f a n t a s y — i s a singular, g l a m o r o u s s c u l p t u r e . Firebird, by F r e n c h - A m e r i c a n artist Niki d e Saint P h a l l e , is an e m b l e m of privately f u n d e d art in t h e p u b l i c view. T h e f e m a l e artists of t h e s e large-scale i n s t a l l a t i o n s h a v e u s e d t h e m e d i u m of glass w i t h very d i f f e r e n t o u t c o m e s : O n e c e l e b r a t e s t h e p u b l i c at large, t h e o t h e r t h e p r i v a t e s p h e r e of fine-art collecting. Together t h e p i e c e s f o r m a n i n t e r e s t i n g d i c h o t o m y , a n d in an o d d w a y t h e y c o m p l e m e n t e a c h other.

Stories of Neighborhoods T u r n e r ' s e t c h e d glass d e s i g n s — f o r w i n d s c r e e n s on t h e West C o r r i d o r of t h e C h a r l o t t e Area Transit S y s t e m [CATS) b u s s h e l t e r s — c o n t i n u e an a m b i t i o u s p r o g r a m of artistic e m b e l l i s h m e n t of b u s s h e l t e r s in Charlotte. Designs in t h e series vary in subject m a t t e r a c c o r d i n g to i n d i v i d u a l artists' a p p r o a c h e s a n d n e i g h b o r h o o d settings. S o m e shelters, like Turner's, relate simp l y a n d d i r e c t l y to t h e p l a c e or n e i g h b o r h o o d . Turner's w o r k p r i m a r i l y f o c u s e s o n p a r t i c u l a r p e o p l e , places, a n d s y m b o l s of neighborhood histories. T h e West Corridor, w h i c h features t h e n e w e n h a n c e d S p r i n t e r h y b r i d b u s line f r o m t h e c e n t e r city to t h e airport, serves largely A f r i c a n - A m e r i c a n n e i g h b o r h o o d s . Turner, herself

THIS PAGE: Glass windscreens by Micbele Tejuola Turner (above) and Susan Harbage Page (below) for bus shelters in Charlotte, North Carolina, installed in 2009. OPPOSITE PAGE: Niki de Saint Phalle, Smile Oisesu de Feu s u r / W e , 2010, Charlotte.

in Charlotte

NORTH CAROLINA

an African-American artist, attended neighborhood meetings w h e r e she learned about the history of this corridor from comm u n i t y members. These meetings often informed her designs, sometimes directly. For instance, for shelters nearest the site of Camp Greene, a long-gone army base, Turner's designs focus on the history of the c a m p in 1918. As CATS public art a d m i n istrator Pallas Lombardi explains, the artist "took her soldier image directly from a photo taken of a single 'doughboy' soldier from a postcard marked 'Charlotte, N.C. March 8, 1918,"' an image p r o v i d e d by the historic Camp Greene Neighborhood Association. In other shelters, Turner refers to neighborhood icons like the Coffee Cup restaurant and a nearby Dairy Queen, once popular stops for locals that have disappeared or are vanishing from the urban scene. She neatly captures these buildings' imagery in a pair of shelters, one o u t b o u n d from the city center, the other inbound. T h e positive and negative spaces in the etched glass imagery for one shelter are simply reversed for its counterpart. Located in sometimes edgy public places, and opened with little or no fanfare, these shelters are executed in a daring fashion. Moon S h a d o w Etchers of Sandy, Oregon, fabricated them from tough but breakable glass. As examples of public art, they beautify these waiting areas in an innovative way.

A Superstar Finds a Roost Unlike the bus shelter etchings, the shimmery, sexy Firebird was greeted as a sort of glam rock celebrity. T h e work was installed, refurbished, and finally unveiled before a crowd in the forecourt of the Bechtler M u s e u m of Modern Art—a n e w museum dedicated to art of the twentieth century. T h e unveiling h a d a strong art vibe, complete w i t h black cloth magically w h i s k e d away by m u s e u m staff. It took place

after a certain a m o u n t of h u s t l e and bustle on Charlotte's South Tryon Street, with short speeches extolling t h e Firebird, art in general, and the Bechtler family for bestowing t h e m u s e u m — a n d this s c u l p t u r e — u p o n t h e p e o p l e of Charlotte. T h e installation is a t r i u m p h for the Bechtler M u s e u m and for art in t h e city of Charlotte. M u s e u m President John Boyer describes Firebird as "a w o n d e r f u l l y expressive piece by an artist at her full power." De Saint Phalle's daughter, a great a d m i r e r of her mother's work, said that this particular piece, w h i c h has been exhibited in Chicago, Atlanta, a n d elsewhere, has n o w f o u n d a place to "roost." Constructed in 1991, Le Grand Oiseau de Feu sur I'Arche (translated literally as The Large Bird of Fire on an Arch) is c o m m o n l y called Firebird, but quickly earned t h e affectionate local n i c k n a m e of "Disco Chicken." (The profile of t h e arch bears a marked r e s e m b l a n c e to 1970s-style flared trousers!) T h e bird, actually only a fraction of t h e size of the entire piece, is m o u n t e d atop a soaring parabolic archway, a n d looks a bit like a sun god. As a whole, the piece has a c o m m a n d i n g presence, standing m o r e t h a n 17 feet tall. It is 11 feet at its widest, and weighs in at about 1,433 p o u n d s . It has a p p r o x i m a t e l y 7,500 pieces of mirrored glass mosaic that form a skin ( m o u n t e d on polyester) on a steel armature. N e w l y r e f u r b i s h e d a n d restored by Lech Juretko, w h o cleaned it a n d r e p l a c e d d a m a g e d tiles, she's quite b e a u t i f u l now, b e d e c k e d a n e w w i t h fine optics that dazzle the eye. While living briefly in Spain, Niki de Saint Phalle w a s influenced by Barcelona architect A n t o n i o Gaudi, a n d t h e application of glass mosaics reflects that inspiration, along w i t h the parabolic s h a p e of t h e arch. More i m p o r t a n t is de Saint Phalle's c o n n e c t i o n to her former h u s b a n d , Swiss artist Jean Tinguely, most f a m o u s for his delight in m e c h a n i c a l constructions. Their alliance brought about m a n y collaborations. Notably, Tinguely's final installation, entitled Cascade—also made possible by A n d r e a s Bechtler, the p a t r o n of his e p o n y m o u s m u s e u m — i s installed in the lobby of Charlotte's Carillon office tower, just a few blocks north of t h e Firebird's roost. We d o n ' t see a lot of color in Firebird, but the sculpture's glittery, u n d u l a t i n g mosaic of silvery mirrored glass reflects the rich terracotta cladding of the m u s e u m b u i l d i n g (designed by Swiss architect Mario Botta) a n d the colors on t h e c o s t u m e s of passersby. T h e spot beneath and b e t w e e n the "legs" of t h e totemic arch has already b e c o m e a predictably c h a r m i n g site for lovers. Quite possibly, before long, marriage c e r e m o n i e s will take place there as well. Like m a n y c o m m u n i t i e s , Charlotte has an u n e v e n history w i t h public art, veering b e t w e e n ridicule a n d acceptance; an u n e a s y alliance between public and private f u n d i n g for art in the public eye has p e r m e a t e d t h e Charlotte art scene for several years. Maybe this recent c o m b i n a t i o n of low-key b u t b e a u t i f u l e n r i c h m e n t of public transit and the arrival of a s u p e r s t a r public s c u l p t u r e will change this city's ambivalent attitude t o w a r d public art for t h e better. LINDA LUISE BROWN has over 25 years experience as a painter, writer and teacher, with a focus on the visual arts. She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The A r t P r o g r a m of the Community Redevelopment A g e n c y of the City of Los A n g e l e s ( C R A / L A ) d e v e l o p e d these t o u r s t o i n t r o d u c e residents a n d visitors t o t h e i r c o l l e c t i o n of public art created by a b r o a d r a n g e o f artists, in a variety of forms a n d n e i g h b o r h o o d contexts. The tours a v a i l a b l e include: F i n a n c i a l District Historic C o r e B u n k e r Hill Little T o k y o

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T h e A r t P r o g r a m is i n t e g r a l to C R A / L A ' s mission to e l i m i n a t e b l i g h t a n d to r e v i t a l i z e Los A n g e l e s through focused r e d e v e l o p m e n t activities in designated project areas. t

owntown

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to your personal M P 3

player a n d explore the public art of Los Angeles like never before. Printable maps direct y o u

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to each stop as y o u listen to the artists' stories.

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For more information on the artwork shown here and to download the tours please visit c r a l a . o r g / a r t C o r p o r a t e Head by Terry Allen a n d Phillip Levine

MAKE YOUR MARK WITH THE ARTISTS MAKING T H E I R S W O R L D W I D E M a x i m i s e t h e d e s i g n p o t e n t i a l of y o u r p r o j e c t a n d e n j o y t h e p r o c e s s of a c o l l a b o r a t i v e

environment

d e d i c a t e d t o b r i n g i n g y o u r v i s i o n t o life. U A P c u r a t e s a n d c o n s t r u c t s a r t a n d d e s i g n - b a s e d t h r o u g h to installation - w o r k i n g with you to h u m a n i s e t h e public

solutions

realm.

M a k i n g t h e i r m a r k w i t h U A P m o s t r e c e n t l y : W e s t f i e l d C u l v e r City, S h a n g h a i W o r l d E x p o 2 0 1 0 , K i n g A b d u l l a h U n i v e r s i t y of S c i e n c e a n d T e c h n o l o g y , S a u d i A r a b i a , W e s t i n H o t e l . N e w

Delhi.

LOS A N G E L E S Contact: Valorie Born valorie.bornOuapstudio.com 8729 Washington Boulevard Culver City California 90231 Ph. +1 323 899 9260

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HOUSTON Contact: John Dupuy john.dupuyOuapstudio.com 1245 West 18th Street Houston Texas 77008 Ph: +1 832 618 1828

BRISBANE Contact: Carmel Haugh carmel.haughOuap.com.au 41 Holland Street Northgate Queensland 4013 Ph: t i l 7 3 i 3 0 i 3 0 0

SHANGHAI Contact: Steven Shen steven.shenOuapstudio.com Room 2326 No. 100 Yandang Road LuWan District Shanghai 200020 Ph: t 86 21 5382 7092 Left: Jeff Kopp. Punctuation Station for Westfield Culver City. Los Angeles. Image Courtesy of Westlield. Top right: Jennifer Marchant, Landlines for 53 Albert Street Brisbane Australia. Image Courtesy of Aperture Photography. Bottom right: Donna Marcus, Detphinus for King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. Saudi Arabia.

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CONFERENCE REPORT

JENNIFER

MCCR

International Sculpture Center Symposium Hamilton, New Jersey â&#x20AC;˘ October g-io, 2009

W i t h i n a five-week p e r i o d last fall, I w e n t to four rejuvenating, i n s p i r i n g , a n d i n f o r m a t i v e c o n f e r e n c e s . Each p r o v i d e d an occasion for artists a n d arts a d m i n i s t r a t o r s to c o m e together, s h a r e a s e n s e of u r g e n c y a b o u t o p e r a t i n g in t i m e s of u n c e r t a i n ty, a n d reflect on w a y s to be creative in our practices. Each conf e r e n c e u n d e r s c o r e d h o w i m p o r t a n t it is, particularly in t h e s e strained times, to find o p p o r t u n i t i e s to learn from colleagues, in spite of p a r e d - b a c k b u d g e t s for professional d e v e l o p m e n t . O n e of t h e s e c o n f e r e n c e s , t h e International S c u l p t u r e Center's s y m p o s i u m : Strategies for S u c c e s s in Challenging Times, O c t o b e r 9 - 1 0 , 2009, offered a m i x of topical p r e s e n t a t i o n s , inspiration, a n d practical ideas. It w a s h e l d at the s p e c t a c u l a r G r o u n d s for S c u l p t u r e in H a m i l t o n , N e w Jersey, w i t h a m p l e o p p o r t u n i t y to t o u r t h e i m p r e s s i v e collection. O n e h u n d r e d a n d ten p e o p l e a t t e n d e d t h e o n e - a n d - a - h a l f - d a y c o n f e r e n c e w i t h a k e y n o t e a d d r e s s by Ruby Lerner a n d speakers f r o m Phila d e l p h i a , N e w York, a n d e l s e w h e r e . T h e r e w a s a t r e m e n d o u s positivity, a w i l l i n g n e s s to share good ideas a n d m e t h o d s , a n d p l e n t y of n e t w o r k i n g .

Aerial view of Grounds For Sculpture, a 35-acre public sculpture park in Hamilton, N.J.

T h e c o n f e r e n c e o p e n e d w i t h "Reality Jolt: Waking U p in a Darker R o o m , " a p a n e l m o d e r a t e d by Janet Kaplan, professor of art history a n d director of curatorial s t u d i e s at Moore College of Art & Design. W h i l e m u s e u m practice d o m i n a t e d t h i s p r e s e n t a t i o n , the d i s c u s s i o n h a d significant bearing on the survival of p u b l i c art programs. During t h e d i s c u s s i o n , A d r i a n Ellis, e x e c u t i v e director of Jazz at L i n c o l n Center a n d a sought-after m u s e u m m a n a g e m e n t c o n s u l t a n t , a d d r e s s e d the i n h e r e n t p r o b l e m s that t h e thirst for p h y s i c a l e x p a n s i o n h a s s p a w n e d in t h e m u s e u m c o m m u n i t y . He stressed that an i n s t i t u t i o n m u s t h a v e a b s o l u t e clarity about its artistic a n d social identity, w i t h a tight fit b e t w e e n programm a t i c a g e n d a a n d m i s s i o n . His message r e s o n a t e s at a t i m e w h e n m a n y p u b l i c art p r o g r a m s are stretching to d e f e n d a n d d e f i n e their roles a m i d s t severe g o v e r n m e n t f u n d i n g cuts. James S t e w a r d , t h e director of t h e P r i n c e t o n University Art M u s e u m , talked about the i m p o r t a n c e for m u s e u m s to be a u d i e n c e - d r i v e n rather t h a n object-driven. He reiterated t h e

i m p o r t a n c e of core values a n d of resisting t h e t e m p t a t i o n to try to be all things to all people. He n o t e d that p e o p l e s u p p o r t i n s t i t u t i o n s that m e a n a lot to t h e m a n d s h a r e d strategies for h o w an institution c a n e m b e d itself w i t h i n the c o m m u n i t y . His message m a d e s e n s e to those in the p u b l i c art arena: Balancing the f o c u s b e t w e e n object a n d a u d i e n c e can be a m i n e f i e l d when programs become procurement-driven. Artist Tom Otterness s p o k e directly about h o w h e has d e v e l o p e d his b u s i n e s s m o d e l to b a l a n c e private sales a n d p u b l i c c o m m i s s i o n s . Previously, private sales h e l p e d to fuel his p u b l i c work. But in these leaner times, he n o t e d , his p u b l i c contracts h a v e b e c o m e m o r e i m p o r t a n t to h i s studio. His comm e n t s r e m i n d e d m e of earlier recessions w h e n p u b l i c c o m m i s sions b e c a m e m o r e attractive to a w i d e r range of artists. O t h e r n e w d e v e l o p m e n t s significant to t h e p u b l i c art w o r l d w e r e d i s c u s s e d in "Casting a Wider Net: Technology a n d N e w Challenges," a p a n e l m o d e r a t e d by Joseph Becherer, t h e director a n d curator of the s c u l p t u r e p r o g r a m at the Frederik Meijer G a r d e n s a n d S c u l p t u r e Park in G r a n d Rapids, Michigan. T h i s i n c r e d i b l y u s e f u l p a n e l brought together p e o p l e w h o are using n e w technologies effectively. Daniel I n c a n d e l a , director of n e w m e d i a at t h e I n d i a n a p olis M u s e u m of Art (IMA), s h a r e d his e x p e r i e n c e of m o v i n g c o n t e n t b e y o n d t h e w a l l s of t h e m u s e u m t h r o u g h social netw o r k i n g a n d t h e Internet. He o u t l i n e d the IMA's i m p e r a t i v e to c a p t u r e t h e voices of curators, artists, a n d visitors, an initiative that began w i t h m o d e s t postings of videos on YouTube. As the clips grew in p r o f e s s i o n a l i s m a n d n u m b e r , IMA started to host videos on its o w n site until recognizing the n e e d for a b r o a d e r f o r u m . T h a t desire led to the f o r m a t i o n of t h e f a b u l o u s Artbabble.org, w h i c h hosts c o n t e n t from a large n u m b e r of arts i n s t i t u t i o n s . I n c a n d e l a ' s work offers a very effective m o d e l for p u b l i c art p r o g r a m s that w a n t to give voice to p a r t i c i p a n t s a n d to p r e s e n t r i c h e r stories about their projects. Christian Marc S c h m i d t , a designer w i t h P e n t a g r a m Design, Inc., d i s c u s s e d t h e state-of-the-art interactive d i s p l a y h i s firm d e v e l o p e d for the M u s e u m of Art a n d Design in N e w York. T h e system offers an i m p r e s s i v e b e h i n d - t h e - s c e n e s view of t h e a r t w o r k s created for t h e special e x h i b i t i o n s a n d part of the perm a n e n t collection. It i n c l u d e s short i n t e r v i e w s w i t h exhibiting artists on process a n d m o t i v a t i o n . An interactive interface has also b e e n created for t h e visitor to research objects in t h e perm a n e n t collection relating to those actually o n view. W h e n I first visited the m u s e u m , I saw this system as an excellent w a y to m a k e p u b l i c art projects m o r e interactive. T h e ISC e v e n t s s h o u l d definitely be on the radar for public art a d m i n i s t r a t o r s a n d artists. T h e p r o g r a m s are p l a n n e d w i t h d e d i c a t e d advisory c o m m i t t e e s w h o s h a p e t h e format a n d p a n e l s that focus on t h e artist, the art, as well as key issues of i m p o r t a n c e to t h e field. Set in s c u l p t u r e gardens, d i s c u s s i o n s take place in a d y n a m i c art context. JENNIFER McCRECOR is director of arts and senior curator at Wave Hill, a public garden and cultural center in the Bronx, New York. She served on the advisory committee for this symposium and moderated the panel "Cutting Back or Gearing Up " with Amy Lipton, curator, ecoartspace; Brett Littman, executive director of The Drawing Center; and Paul Villinski, artist.

CONFERENCE REPORT The Creative Time Summit: Revolutions in Public Practice New York City, New York . October 23-24, 2009

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T h e Creative Time S u m m i t : Revolutions in Public Practice kicked off with a m a r a t h o n presentation in w h i c h the Yes Men were awarded the inaugural Leonore Annenberg Prize for Art and Social Change. After being toasted by Creative Time's executive director, A n n e Pasternak; S u m m i t curator Nato T h o m p s o n ; and Amy Goodman, host of Democracy Now!, the group [pictured, top right], w h i c h has raised infiltration to an art form, talked about a recent hoax: Posing as public relations s p o k e s m e n for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Yes Men r e n o u n c e d the organization's denials of climate change. T h e group noted that their actions had received significant press while a concurrent general strike in Puerto Rico received none. Then, they encouraged people to join in d e m o n s t r a t i o n s on the following day for 350, an international campaign aimed at creating solutions to climate change. Despite the lure of climate change demonstrations, the Creative Time S u m m i t attendees filled the Celeste Bartos Forum at the New York Public Library to capacity the next morning. T h e event h a d been sold out well ahead of time a n d the $35 ticket was a bargain for the blockbuster l i n e u p of 40 speakers. After w e l c o m e remarks by Nato T h o m p s o n , m o r n i n g prayer was led by Reverend Billy. In her keynote address, artist Sharon Hayes set the stage for the discussing the interrelationship of art and activism by tracing her o w n experience following the AIDS crisis. Retracing her steps felt historic, although it only represented the past two decades. Noted historian Morris Dickstein, an authority on the cultural history of the Great Depression, placed contemporary actions within the context of earlier artists' activism. He shed light on the influential role the U.S. government played by hiring photographers to d o c u m e n t the country through the Works Progress Administration. I f o u n d his remarks of particular interest because there is a parallel between public works of the 1930s and the public art m o v e m e n t that gained speed in the late 1970s, w h i c h has been u n d e r p l a y e d because of the differing i m p e t u s for each m o v e m e n t . S u m m i t speakers were arranged in groups of four a r o u n d a m o r p h o u s topics such as "Activating Public Memory," "Sustainability in the Face of Global M e l t d o w n , " and "Ambiguity Is My Political Weapon." T h e format was u n u s u a l : Each person was allowed to speak for seven m i n u t e s a n d not longer. Musicians were on h a n d to begin warning notes at six minutes, growing to a r e s o u n d i n g chorus to d r o w n out those w h o could not stay w i t h i n the allotted time. A "conversation r o o m " e q u i p p e d with snacks and beverages d i s p e n s e d with the need for tiresome Q&A sessions, w h i c h can weigh d o w n conferences. Following presentations, each group of speakers retired to this cozy room for informal conversations. This system seemed to function well, although it was usually difficult to tear away from the m a i n action. Speakers i n c l u d e d artists, activists, critics, and curators, some of them, such as Rick Lowe Ipictured, bottom right] a n d S u z a n n e Lacy, well k n o w n for their activism. Younger artists and collectives—like the Baltimore Development Cooperative, Eve Mosher, and Not An Alternative (Brooklyn, N.Y.)—also presented. T h e l i n e u p was decidedly international. What, How, and for W h o m , the curatorial collective from Zagreb. Croatia, w h o organized the 2009 Istanbul Biennial, appeared, as did

T h o m a s Hirshorn, w h o p r e s e n t e d t h e Bijlmer S p i n o z a Festival, an event he orchestrated in A m s t e r d a m that w a s ultimately adopted by t h e n e i g h b o r h o o d ' s S u r i n a m e s e residents. T h e S u m m i t u n d e r s c o r e d the elusiveness of "artist" as a job description, particularly w h e r e activism a n d social justice are concerned. T h e r e seemed to be varied ideas about w h e t h e r to adopt the title of artist at all. For instance, the Yes Men, w h o clearly state that they are not artists, set the stage for t h e entire event, w h i l e m a n y speakers could be c o n s i d e r e d card-carrying MFAs w i t h bona fide art world credentials. T h e speed-viewing format reinforced the varied way of speaking about one's process from the highly a c a d e m i c to the fairly pragmatic. S o m e presenters used their time very wisely w i t h clear delivery a n d use of images. Others, p e r h a p s more a c c u s t o m e d to speaking longer, were hard-pressed to c o n d e n s e their messages. All in all, the format w a s an amazing w a y to cover a lot of g r o u n d . Writing from a distance of several m o n t h s , s o m e presentations are more vivid in my m i n d . T h o s e w h o a d d r e s s e d the success or failure of an u n d e r t a k i n g r e m a i n more m e m o r a b l e . In particular, the work that Chicago-based Laurie Jo R e y n o l d s has activated as part of the Tamms Year Ten Poetry Project stood out as a compelling a n d considered a p p r o a c h to intervening in the public realm, a form she coined as "legislative art." All together, the event has caused m e to t h i n k m o r e closely about the difference b e t w e e n social practice a n d p u b l i c art. JENNIFER McGREGOR is director of arts and senior curator at Wave Hill, a public garden and cultural center in the Bronx, New York — www.wavehill.org.

CONFERENCE REPORT

AARON

LEVY,

Moderator

50th Anniversary Event Celebrating Philadelphia's Percent-for-Art Program Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • October 29, 2009 The following excerpt is from a conversation, moderated by Aaron Levy, that took place at the University of the Arts during a celebration of the 50th anniversary of Philadelphia's Percent-for-Art Program. To read the complete transcript, please visit www.forecastpubIicart.org/par-levy.php.

Aaron Levy: Today more than 350 works mark the Philadelphia landscape and testify to the prolific output of the City of Philadelphia's percent-for-art program. This program and similar ones throughout the country have become an incredibly visible if naturalized part of our everyday experience. Yet it is ironic that we are often oblivious to the actual works situated in the communities where we live. I will therefore begin tonight's conversation in celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the program with a simple proposition: Public artworks, despite their physicality and permanence, are oddly fragile, evanescent, fleeting, even forgotten. For this reason, it is important that we talk about memory when we talk about public art. Let me start this conversation by asking: How do you define p u b l i c ? 70 Dennis Oppenheim: T h a t o n e ' s a p r o b l e m q u e s t i o n to m e bec a u s e w h a t w e p e r c e i v e as t h e p u b l i c ' s lack of e x p e r i e n c e w i t h art b e c o m e s o n e of t h e d e f i n i n g p r o b l e m s of p u b l i c art. We are all u n d e r t h e belief t h a t t h e p u b l i c is not t h e p u b l i c that goes to m u s e u m s , that t h e y are n o t e n l i g h t e n e d art e n t h u s i a s t s , a n d that t h e y are in fact i n d i v i d u a l s for w h o m art d o e s n o t e n t e r i n t o t h e i r life at all. F r o m t h e b e g i n n i n g , t h e s e a s s u m p t i o n s h a v e o r c h e s t r a t e d t h e w a y w e w o u l d traverse t h e c o u r s e to an artwork. Things have, I hope, changed considerably now. Adelina Vlas: W h e n I h e a r d t h e q u e s t i o n a n d t h e t e r m public art, it m a d e m e t h i n k of h o w , lately, that t e r m is a v o i d e d by artists; w e h e a r m o r e of socially engaged practices, or community-based practices, w h e r e w e are trying to b r o a d e n t h e d e f i n i t i o n of p u b l i c art in o r d e r to a d d r e s s t h e very i s s u e s that are i n h e r e n t in its n a m e . Levy: How can we think about public art in a way that acknowledges the complexity of the process that gives rise to it but also the public sphere—its messiness, but also the public's impossible expectations? Oppenheim: I ' m a l w a y s t h i n k i n g of fine art as a w a y of disc u s s i n g p u b l i c art, b u t it's d i f f e r e n t in certain w a y s , a n d I also w o n d e r if t h o s e d i f f e r e n c e s h a v e to be so strong. I t h i n k m y w a y of a n s w e r i n g this q u e s t i o n is to stress this a s p e c t of art's g e n e r a l ability to p e n e t r a t e . P u b l i c art is o f t e n s e e n as somet h i n g lighter, a n d as m o r e d e m o c r a t i c t h a n w h a t is s u p p o s e d to be t h e elitist p o s t u r e of fine art. T h e s e a p t i t u d e s , its lightness a n d lack of criticality, m a k e it a lesser art f o r m . If o n e w a n t s to e x p l o r e a d i s p l a c e m e n t here, o n e w o u l d t h i n k of t h e t i m e in w h i c h abstract e x p r e s s i o n i s m w a s overt h r o w n by p o p art. T h e abstract e x p r e s s i o n i s t s d i d n ' t feel, t h e m s e l v e s , as if t h e y w e r e o v e r t u r n e d . T h e y still felt that t h e y w e r e d o i n g legitimate w o r k that h a d a life, a n d p e r h a p s it d i d . But a lot of t h e y o u n g e r p e o p l e felt that p o p art w a s d i s p r o v i n g t h e l e g i t i m a c y of abstract e x p r e s s i o n i s m .

From left to right: Aaron Levy, Andrea Blum, Dennis Oppenheim, Damon Rich, and Adelina Vlas.

F i n e art can be o v e r t h r o w n — j u s t as p u b l i c art c a n b e overthrown—-if p e o p l e begin to see that p u b l i c art is o p e r a t i n g , as p o p art d i d , on a d i f f e r e n t p l a n e , on a m o r e d e v e l o p e d , a m o r e m a t u r e , a m o r e e n l i g h t e n e d p l a n e . At that p o i n t , p u b l i c art, i n s t e a d of b e i n g relegated to t h e b a c k of t h e r o o m , is all of a s u d d e n in f r o n t of fine art w i t h its f u n c t i o n a l i t y , its design elem e n t , a n d w i t h its g e n t l e a t t i t u d e of p o s t u r e a n d n u a n c e . A n d at that p o i n t t h i n g s w i l l c h a n g e drastically. All of a s u d d e n , t h e s e q u e s t i o n s a b o u t c i r c u l a t i o n , p r o x i m i t y to one's p u b l i c , a n d t h e i m p o r t a n c e of d o i n g t h i n g s for a p u b l i c — t h e q u e s t i o n s w e are d i s c u s s i n g c o n c e r n i n g t h e social order a n d even politics—all of this stuff w o u l d c o h e r e i n t o a h i g h e r p l a n e . Getting p e o p l e i n v o l v e d a l w a y s s e e m e d to b e a big labor for t h e ethereal l a n d s c a p e of p u r e art, w h e r e o n e p r a c t i c e s like a scientist in y o u r s t u d i o . Finally getting o u t of that by starting to test a s p e c t s of f u n c t i o n a l i t y a n d d e s i g n , a n d m o v e fine art in a n e w d i r e c t i o n by d i s p l a c i n g it into t h e p u b l i c s e c t o r — w e l l , this k i n d of m e c h a n i s m h a s b r o u g h t u s all i n t o t h e d o m a i n of t h e architect. A n d all of a s u d d e n w e h a v e b e g u n to r e s p e c t this art f o r m , o n e w h i c h h a s a l w a y s b e e n alleged as a " h i g h e r " art f o r m t h a n s c u l p t u r e . Levy: At the end of the day, how do we get the public to buy into the work? How, as artists, curators, and professionals, can we navigate this impossible tension? Damon, you're an urban planner for the city of Newark who has to assess daily how public art can serve quantifiable, measurable outcomes. In your work at the Center for Urban Pedagogy, on the other hand, you seem to be somewhat skeptical of that planning perspective and aspire to respond to its deficiencies. How do you straddle these divergent positions? Damon Rich: Right n o w in N e w a r k t h e r e is an a t t e m p t being m a d e to set u p a p u b l i c art system, s i m i l a r to t h e o n e f u n c t i o n ing h e r e in P h i l a d e l p h i a . I'm really a n o v i c e at this k i n d of w o r k , b u t I t h i n k of it as b u i l d i n g a m a c h i n e . You h a v e a mac h i n e , a n d y o u w a n t to b u i l d it, b u t y o u d o n ' t w a n t it to b e dep e n d e n t on a s i n g u l a r artist, or a s i n g u l a r w a y of d o i n g p u b l i c art, so it h a s to b e a c a p a c i o u s m a c h i n e that can take u p m a n y d i f f e r e n t k i n d s of i n t e n t i o n s . But as s o m e o n e w h o ' s b e e n on t h e artist side, t h e i d e a of a p u b l i c art c o m m i s s i o n w h o s e job is to e n s u r e t h e delivery of good art—well, that's a l w a y s b e e n m i n d - b o g g l i n g a n d difficult for me. Not that it d o e s n ' t s e e m p o s s i b l e , b u t i m a g i n i n g h o w o n e b u i l d s a m a c h i n e to p r o d u c e

CONFERENCE REPORT

successful public art is really challenging.This is w h e r e institutions b e c o m e critically important, a n d this is w h e r e s o m e of the messiness that you're talking about gets swept u n d e r the rug. We act as arts administrators, our heads need to be working differently than w h e n we are artists. T h e question is h o w to be productive and critical at the same time. O n e recent e x a m p l e from my o w n practice is t h e exhibition Red Lines Housing Crisis Learning Center at the Q u e e n s M u s e u m of Art. It's a pretty amazing institution in N e w York City, not least of all because it is the only m u s e u m I've ever worked w i t h that has someone on staff in a position called " c o m m u n i t y organizer"—which is in the context of a m u s e u m , a really n e w concept, a n d one that seems really exciting. T h e installation I m a d e was a sort of playground for adults. I tried to take some of the abstractions that we hear about in the n e w s concerning the economic crash, a n d h o w it relates to actual houses, and I tried to make that physical. That w a s really my focus in the project. But the most amazing thing h a p p e n e d w h e n the m u s e u m c a m e and said, "You know, w e do s o m e educational programs, a n d w e do some other public programs a r o u n d exhibitions. What do you think w e s h o u l d do?" A n d I said, "Let's do s o m e things in the m u s e u m and in the neighborhoods." We had a housing advocate "thank-you party" with free drinks for h o u s i n g advocates and a public discussion w i t h urban historian Kenneth Jackson and h o u s i n g activists Sarah Ludwig and Michelle O'Brien. We also organized off-site programs, insofar as not everyone, a n d especially not every neighborhood, has good access to this m u s e u m . T h e m u s e u m picked two n e i g h b o r h o o d s in Queens that are particularly grappling with the h o u s i n g crash and predatory s u b p r i m e lending. Alexandra Garcia, the comm u n i t y organizer at the Queens M u s e u m , built working relationships with a dozen organizations in each of those neighborhoods. These organizations, the m u s e u m , a n d I collaborated on events in two n e i g h b o r h o o d s w h e r e w e had a public discussion followed by tabling w h e r e people could get i n d i v i d u a l advice a n d services. A n d it w a s the fortitude and diligence of these partners that allowed that work to h a p p e n . Andrea Blum: I think you also bring u p something that's really exciting, w h i c h is that public art doesn't have to manifest itself today in the form of what I've done in the past, or what you've done, or w h a t other people have done. It can sort of seep in between the cracks. A n d these things don't have to be so expensive. A long time ago, I was in a s h o w in Paris a n d the curator had one artist do the message on the p h o n e m a c h i n e , a n o t h e r artist do the filing cabinet, another do something a r o u n d the outside of the gallery, and another person the hangers. It w a s

work that w a s totally invisible—there were 33 artists in a space about the size of this table. But it w a s exhilarating b e c a u s e w e d i d n ' t have to be so m a c h o about it. I t h i n k that sort of s u b l i m i nal sense of art, w h e r e it creates a liaison b e t w e e n p e o p l e w h o are more experienced w i t h art, but also an actual public, in a m a n n e r that is not so mystified or hierarchical, is crucial. We have to develop p u b l i c art in this direction, through programs that do not have s u c h a strong regime of "This is a site, n o w do something on the site." We have to create creative institutions, not just a project of locating aesthetic things in p u b l i c space according to the m a x i m "This m u s t be art, this m u s t be art, this m u s t be art." Levy: How can we value and encourage temporary and forms of engagement in public art, inclusive of tion and education?

gestures participa-

Blum: Public art has to be educational. But this is w h e r e it gets messy because w e ' r e asked to do s o m e t h i n g drastic, and it's like w e ' r e Obama, w h o is expected to fix everything in the w o r l d in six m o n t h s . It ain't gonna h a p p e n , because it takes a while. As public artists, w e ' r e asked to c o m e in a n d m a k e everything okay. But w e can't do it, that's not our job. W h a t is our job? To work with t h e p e o p l e w h o invite us to think w i t h t h e m about their c o m m u n i t y and w i t h their c o m m u n i t y , w i t h p e o p l e w h o ask us to participate so that they have the possibility of e x p a n d ing their offerings. But all this requires an e d u c a t i o n a l system, w h i c h m e a n s giving actual m o n e y to a public school system. A n d it's not our job to m a k e things right—we just can't do it. Rich: A l t h o u g h that is w h e r e it gets interesting. Being pretty ignorant about the history of P h i l a d e l p h i a ' s percent-for-art program, but being s o m e w h a t conversant in the w a y s that art gets u s e d in p u b l i c policy conversations, it is very interesting that the cultural affairs d e p a r t m e n t of the city has been r e n a m e d , partly at least, as the Creative Economy. It's clearly a sign of the times. I w o n d e r s o m e t i m e s if this notion of dispersion, that s o m e h o w the artistic practice in the p u b l i c s p h e r e s h o u l d be p u t into a lot of different f o r m s — n o t on a p o d i u m , or necessarily even in outdoor public spaces—if that actually e n d s u p u n d e r c u t t i n g m o r e w i d e l y s u p p o r t e d n o t i o n s of w h y in the w o r l d our tax m o n e y s h o u l d go to art in the first place. T h e desire to go b e y o n d the traditional notion of p r i s t i n e art and explore these n e w a n d exciting other forms of engagement m u s t be patient to keep pace w i t h t h e d r e a m s a n d desires of the c o m m u n i t i e s it w i s h e s to engage. AARON LEVY is the founding Fo u ndation—www. slo ugh

executive director tfoundation.org.

of the

Slought

VERVE /

DAVID GRIGGS

Public Art for the Diagnostic Medicine Center ( D M C ) Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado Commissioned by the Colorado Council on the Arts

The public art designs for the D M C were inspired by the activities that take place within this new facility. Expressed in four main elements, the artwork takes an environmental approach to representing Veterinary Sciences. These four elements are: the atrium terrazzo floor, the interior "egg" glass curtain wall, the exterior "link" glass, and the atrium trellis planters. These elements emerged from the activities and images associated with the DMC. The lab work that takes place in the facility involves a variety of methodologies focused on veterinary health. The aspect of veterinary health that the artwork concerns itself with, and the unifying theme of the art, is the capacity for growth. One of the more artful techniques used in D M C lab work involves spreading organic material on tissue culture plates. This is called "streaking plates", and it results in the growth of bacteria or viruses, sometimes in exotic formations, in petri dishes. The terrazzo floor design was inspired by these formations. The over-scaling of these images changes the dimensions of the design, suggesting celestial and astronomical phenomena. While vastly different in size, these natural elements share similar patterns of growth. This dramatic change in scale and the universality of growth patterns led to the design of the curtain wall glass of the "egg." Spinning off of this design on yet another scale are images derived from the activity of electrons in cloud chambers. These devices reveal growth on a subatomic scale, and are also known as "bubble c h a m b e r s " because they were inspired by the foaming action in a Nobel-winning scientist's beer. Cloud c h a m b e r designs are also incorporated into the exterior glass of the "link." This west-facing window is a perfect shadow-casting situation, and these subtle monochromatic designs result in everchanging forms in the "link" passageway between buildings.

The aspect of veterinary health that the artwork concerns itself with, and the unifying theme of the art, is the

capacity for growth.

The design for the trellis planters was inspired by the gestural motions used in streaking plates, and then turned into three-dimensional structures to support the growth of plants. Emerging from a large crescent shaped floor planter, the trellises add to the artwork's representations of growth, and they introduce a new vertical element in the tall space of the D M C atrium.

www.artfuipfaces.com www.artfulplaces.com

f for Artists.' Announcing the 2010 Grantees

www.artfulplaces.com

Kelsey B o s c h , M a t t Frank + V a n e s s a

Cambier

Broken Crow

www.artfulplaces.com

Cecilia Schiller Michele

Spaise

Andrea Steudel + Luke A n d e r s o n

www.artfulplaces.com

Karl

East Central Minnesota Regional Arts Council

www.artfulplaces.com www.artfulplaces.com www.artfulplaces.com

Eric Carlisle Keith Raivo

Grantees

Valorie S t a v e m

Central Minnesota Arts Board Grantees

Chris Wilson + G e n e

Arrowsmith Bill C o r c i c a

Southwest Minnesota Arts & Humanities Council Grantees

www.artfulplaces.com

Unnasch

Olson

Barb

Hawes

Andrew

Nordin

Michon

Weeks

Tom Wirt

More at w w w . F o r e c a s t P u b l i c A r t . o r g

Funded in part by Jerome Foundation and the MN Arts and Heritage Fund as appropnated by the MN State Legislature with money from the vote of the people of MN on November 4, 2008.

Celebrating 24 Years of Public Art in Kansas City!

Jun Kaneko Water Plaza

K a n s a s City, M O

Chris Doyle The Moons

Avenue of the Arts 10 th Anniversary

Municipal Art C o m m i s s i o n

W o p o Holup The River

Gordon Huether Red Eye

www.kcmo.org/cimo.nsf/web/art

FROM THE HOME FRONT "Play ball!"

Jons

That's the cry that rang out on April 12, 2010 when the first pitch of the first home game

of the season, against Boston, christened the Minnesota Twins' brand-new downtown Minneapolis ballpark.

T h e s t a d i u m , n a m e d Target Field after the red-bull'seyed retail giant w h o s e deep pockets seem to underlie half the cultural a n d recreational amenities in the Twin Cities, is s o m e t h i n g of an e x p e r i m e n t in urban placemaking, situated as it is in the d e n s e a n d developing North Loop area of the city, a few blocks from the Target Center, w h e r e the hapless Timberwolves play basketball. T h e c o m p l e x includes a brandn e w transit h u b for the city's light-rail line and its North Star c o m m u t e r railway—the h o p e is that Twins fans will ride the rails to games rather than choke an already parking-challenged n e i g h b o r h o o d w i t h vehicles. Another feature is a w h i m s i c a l u r b a n park linking the Target Center and Target Field a n d n a m e d , with w i n n i n g originality. Target Plaza. T h e Plaza, designed by Minneapolis-based l a n d s c a p e architect Tom O s l u n d , is chockablock w i t h baseball iconicity: n i n e bat-shaped topiary frames t w i n e d with quick-growing h o p vines; an overhanging "visor" that provides s h a d e w h i l e suggesting the bill of a baseball cap; a giant, sittable concrete baseball mitt that boosters h o p e will b e c o m e as p o p u l a r a photo-op locale as Oldenburg and Van Bruggen's Spoonbridge and Cherry in the Walker Art Center's Minneapolis Sculpture Garden; and more. But the Plaza's piece de resistance is the " w i n d veil" by California artist Ned Kahn [pictured below], w h i c h masks and transforms a very dull parking r a m p fagade beside the park. T h e $1.8 million installation, d u b b e d " T h e Wave" after the u n d u l a t i o n that fans do in t h e stands, is m a d e u p of t h o u s a n d s

of rectangles (only a little bigger than baseball cards, be it noted) that s h i m m e r in varied patterns u n d e r the w i n d ' s touch. O s l u n d was initially wary of taking on the Plaza commission, largely because so m a n y stakeholders had to "play ball" w i t h one another and with h i m to make it h a p p e n — t h e Twins organization, Target, the state's Ballpark Authority, federal and state d e p a r t m e n t s of transportation (there are major highways nearby), the city. "But it all came together with remarkable ease," he says, "mostly because everybody was quite positive about our basic plan. I think they all liked the fact that we were having f u n with the iconic baseball elements." T h e city's public art office got into the game as well, c o m m i s s i o n i n g a stone mosaic mural on the northeast side of the n e w ballpark by Twin Cities-based Craig David [pictured below left, with detail on right], and a dramatic star-shaped sculpture by Phoenix artist A1 Price for the transit hub. Not to be outdone, Saint Louis Park, one of the Twin Cities' most public-art-savvy suburbs, installed its own whimsical plaza, The Bee Way, by local sculptor Foster Willey, Jr. Situated in the city's n e w Shops at West End retail complex, it's paved with h o n e y c o m b - p a t t e r n e d tile and adorned with two caststone c o l u m n s on top of w h i c h Willey has placed semi-abstract a l u m i n u m swirls that suggest honeybee swarms—one solid, the other o p e n w o r k — a c c o m p a n i e d by a winged-back bench. West End's posh n e w movie house, the Kerasotes ICON S h o w p l a c e Theater, boasts an interactive light sculpture by San Francisco artist Camille Utterback. In the Aurora Organ, six free-hanging

FROM THE HOME FRONT

c o l u m n s of light shine and pulse overhead in the lobby atrium, w h i l e visitors and moviegoers on the second-floor landing control the c o l u m n s ' colors a n d the m o v e m e n t of the light by touching and tapping sensors i m b e d d e d in the railing. Another parking r a m p in Minneapolis has been artistically transformed, this one in one of the city's arts-and-culture hubs, the Loring Park neighborhood near the Walker Art Center. Muralist Joshua Sarantitis turned three sides of the r a m p — p u r c h a s e d from the city by Alatus LLC—into l u m i n o u s evocations of Monet's iconic water lily paintings [pictured top left], and he did it by the n u m b e r s , outlining color areas that were then filled in by a commercial exterior-painting company. T h u s he rescued a structure that was slated to be p a i n t e d beige. As part of the p u r c h a s e agreement, the city required Alatus to beautify the ramp, a n d with the h e l p of consultants at Forecast Public Art, they did just that. Other icons proliferated in our t o w n s last s u m m e r and fall. Richard Barlow completed a black-and-white m u r a l near Powderhorn Park in south Minneapolis that highlights haunting,

grainy details from a l a n d s c a p e image by n i n e t e e n t h - c e n t u r y p h o t o g r a p h i c p i o n e e r William Henry Fox Talbot. Democracy Speaks, a big yellow m e g a p h o n e - s h a p e d s c u l p t u r e c o m m i s sioned by Public Art Saint Paul, w a s installed in Saint Paul's Western S c u l p t u r e Park by artists John Hock a n d A n d r e w MacGuffle [pictured top right]. (A tripod points t h e megap h o n e directly at t h e State Capitol building.) A n d on the east wall of the Food Building on t h e M i n n e s o t a State Fairgrounds, Susan Warner created a sort of icon of icons, Greetings From Minnesota [pictured below], a huge mosaic postcard w i t h the images of three h y p e r f a m o u s natives: Judy Garland, Bob Dylan, a n d Prince, as well as the Frank Gehry-designed W e i s m a n Art M u s e u m a n d — w h a t e l s e ? — S p o o n b r i d g e and Cherry. O n l y time will tell if our fancy n e w ballpark (and/or any of the public art associated w i t h it) will get t h e same treatment on postcards real or m o n u m e n t a l . JON SPAYDE, a contributing in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

editor to Public Art Review, lives

P U B L I C ART ^CULTURE

2.01 0

Public A r t 4Culture c o n t i n u e s t o b u i l d its p r o g r a m m i n g with i n t e g r a t e d a r t w o r k s , t e m p o r a r y p r o j e c t s a n d i n t e r p r e t i v e m e d i a w o r k s

R e c e n t l y c o m p l e t e d : K i n g C o u n t y Jail willowcloudwavescape, by Katy S t o n e , oil o n a l u m i n u m , a n d Reverb, white maple, lacquer and ^ ^ ^ k r u b b e r , by D r e w Daly

Underway: Temporary commissions

O n l i n e : I n t e r a c t i v e m a p of t h e

that include site-specific interventions

collection, Collection Threads

f o r K i n g C o u n t y R e g i o n a l Trails a n d

a n d a u d i o a n d v i d e o libraries

artist-designed s o u n d s c a p e s for

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Metro's new RapidRide services

Photos by Lara Swimmer Photography 2009

MF\re

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Farm

SCUlptUfÂŠ

Congratulations to Phillippe Klinefelter on the completion of

Earth

Fountain

a sculptural fountain hand-carved from a single piece of Texas pink granite

H V i S H

FORT

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PUBLIC

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BOOK REVIEWS

KAREN O L S O N / ADRIANA

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A N D R E W R O G E R S : G e o g l y p h s , R h y t h m s o f Life

SITUATION

Eleanor Heartney M i l a n / N e w York City: Charta, 2009 4 6 4 pages, $225 (hardcover)

Claire Doherty, e d i t o r L o n d o n / C a m b r i d g e : W h i t e C h a p e l G a l l e r y / M I T Press, 2009 238 pages, $24.95 (paperback)

A n d r e w Rogers t h i n k s big. C o v e r i n g 4 3 0 , 0 0 0 s q u a r e feet in 12 c o u n t r i e s , h i s 32 s y m b o l i c g e o g l y p h s — e a c h f o r m e d w i t h t e n s of t h o u s a n d s of t o n s of r o c k — m a k e u p t h e largest c o n t e m p o r a r y l a n d - a r t project in t h e w o r l d . But w h a t ' s m o s t striking a b o u t t h e m o n u m e n t a l s t r u c t u r e s is h o w t h e y w e r e m a d e : by h a n d .

A s t i m e a n d s p a c e s h r i n k in t h e d e v e l o p e d w o r l d — i n c o m m u n i c a t i o n , travel, c o m m e r c e , a n d c u l t u r e — i t b e c o m e s clear that p l a c e is i n h e r e n t l y political. T i m e is c o m p r e s s e d w h e n instant access becomes c o m m o n : Think downloadable m o v i e s , i n s t a n t m e s s a g i n g , d i n n e r d e l i v e r e d to y o u r d o o r in 30 m i n u t e s or less. S p a c e s h r i n k s as t r a n s p o r t s p e e d s u p . Here is n o longer so far f r o m there. T h r o u g h travel a n d trade, languages a n d c u l t u r e s m e r g e a n d locales lose t h e i r local-ness. E x p l o r i n g o u r time- a n d p l a c e - b a s e d c u l t u r e w i t h i n c o n s t r u c t e d s i t u a t i o n s , artists m a n i p u l a t e or e x p o s e t h e s e c o n s t r u c t s of e v e r y d a y life. Situation e x p l o r e s s u c h site-specific, t i m e - b a s e d art, in a c o l l e c t i o n of essays e d i t e d by Claire Doherty, s e n i o r r e s e a r c h f e l l o w in fine art at t h e U n i v e r s i t y of West E n g l a n d , Bristol, f o u n d e r of S i t u a t i o n s (a r e s e a r c h a n d c o m m i s s i o n i n g program), a n d curatorial d i r e c t o r of t h e O n e Day S c u l p t u r e Series, N e w Z e a l a n d . D o h e r t y b r i n g s together artists, theorists, a n d critics w i t h w r i t t e n w o r k s s p a n n i n g 50 years of s c h o l a r s h i p a n d artm a k i n g , f r o m 1958 to 2007. In m a n y cases, t h e essays e m b o d y their subjects: S o m e are artist's s t a t e m e n t s d e l i n e a t i n g t h e i n t e n t i o n s of p e r f o r m a n c e pieces; o t h e r s are w o r d - b a s e d w o r k s t h e m s e l v e s . A list of exp e n s e s , C a r o l i n e G o o d d e n a n d G o r d o n Matta-Clark's Food's Family of Fiscal Facts illustrates their artist-run, f r e e restaurant, w h i l e t h e b o o k ' s c o v e r d e p i c t s Javier Tellez's One Flew Over the Void (Bala Perdida), a p e r f o r m a n c e p i e c e sited at t h e U . S . - M e x i c o border. T h e s e w o r k s h i g h l i g h t t h e s c r i p t e d perf o r m a n c e s w e engage in as part of a c o n s u m e r society a n d t h e political fact of o n e ' s b i r t h p l a c e . " W h a t I w a n t to bring together for m y m o d e l of ' p r e s e n t n e s s , ' " w r i t e s s c u l p t o r / c o n c e p t u a l artist Robert Morris in his essay, " T h e Present Tense of S p a c e , " "is t h e i n t i m a t e i n s e p arability of t h e e x p e r i e n c e of p h y s i c a l s p a c e a n d that of t h e o n g o i n g i m m e d i a t e p r e s e n t . " In this b o o k w h o s e essays range t h r o u g h t o p i c s of c u r a t i o n , locality, a n d fieldwork, Morris's m e d i t a t i v e assertion might be a p p l i e d to all t i m e - b a s e d art: O n e can o n l y ever e x p e r i e n c e real s p a c e in real t i m e .

U n l i k e Robert S m i t h s o n a n d M i c h a e l Heizer, w h o u s e d b u l l d o z e r s to m o v e dirt a n d s t o n e for their m a j o r e a r t h w o r k p r o j e c t s , Rogers—an A u s t r a l i a n w h o t r a i n e d as a n e c o n o m i s t a n d w o r k e d in t h e b u s i n e s s w o r l d b e f o r e t u r n i n g to art—inv o l v e d m o r e t h a n 5,000 p e o p l e in t h e creation of h i s Rhythms of Life g e o g l y p h s . A n d h e p a i d t h e m for t h e i r labor. So over t h e c o u r s e of 10 years, t h i s m a s s i v e p a r t i c i p a t o r y art p r o j e c t w a s also s o m e t h i n g of a p u b l i c w o r k s project in a r i d a n d rocky r e g i o n s a r o u n d t h e globe. At e a c h l o c a t i o n , Rogers w o r k e d w i t h local p o p u l a t i o n s to i d e n t i f y c u l t u r a l l y specific a n c e s t r a l s y m b o l s f r o m petrog l y p h s , s h a m a n i c a n d religious s o u r c e s , n a t u r a l f o r m s , a n d a n i m a l imagery. T h e n , local m a n a g e r s a n d w o r k e r s , i n c l u d ing t h e C h i n e s e A r m y in t h e Gobi Desert a n d R o m a n y G y p s i e s in Slovakia, w e r e h i r e d to c o n s t r u c t f r o m s t o n e t h e r e s u l t i n g d e s i g n s — a s w e l l as Rogers' s i g n a t u r e design b a s e d on o n e of his o w n s c u l p t u r e s , called Rhythms of Life. In s o m e locations, h u n d r e d s of h a n d s t o u c h e d e a c h s t o n e b e f o r e it w a s c a r e f u l l y p l a c e d . At t h e e n d of c o n s t r u c t i o n , local t r a d i t i o n s i n f o r m e d c e r e m o n i e s in f u r t h e r c e l e b r a t i o n s of life. Andrew Rogers: Geoglyphs, Rhythms of Life d o c u m e n t s t h i s utterly global a n d p r o f o u n d l y local u n d e r t a k i n g . In h e r i n t r o d u c t o r y essay, E l e a n o r H e a r t n e y c o n t e x t u a l i z e s Rogers' project w i t h i n t h e h i s t o r y of l a n d art. O t h e r c o n t r i b u t o r s tell stories of t h e w o r k in specific c o u n t r i e s . T h e rest of t h e book c o m p r i s e s a m u l t i t u d e of m o s t l y u n c a p t i o n e d p h o t o g r a p h s . W h i l e m o s t are gorgeous, o t h e r s are little m o r e t h a n s n a p s h o t s . U n f o r t u n a t e l y , t h e r e s u l t i n g w e i g h t a n d cost of t h e book will m a k e its c o n t e n t s i n a c c e s s i b l e to m a n y — j u s t as t h e g e o g l y p h s axe too r e m o t e for most p e o p l e to visit. T h u s t h e real m a g i c of t h e Rhythms of Life g e o g l y p h s is r e s e r v e d for t h o s e w h o live n e a r t h e m , fly over t h e m , or s t u m b l e across t h e m c e n t u r i e s from now. KAREN OLSON is an associate

editor for P u b l i c Art Review.

ADRIANA GRANT is a freelance art writer. Her work has appeared in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and Seattle Weekly, as well as in A r c a d e , art ltd., City Arts, and S u n s e t magazines.

JON SPAYDE / LAINE B E R C E S O N

BOOK REVIEWS

RITES O F WAY: T h e P o l i t i c s a n d P o e t i c s o f P u b l i c S p a c e

4 0 YEARS: K a l d o r P u b l i c Art P r o j e c t s

Mark Kingwell a n d Patrick T u r m e l , e d i t o r s Waterloo, Ont.: Wilfrid Laurier U n i v e r s i t y Press, 2009 190 pages, $24.95 (paperback)

S o p h i e Forbat, e d i t o r S y d n e y : K a l d o r P u b l i c Art Projects, 2009 304 pages, A U $ 5 9 . 9 5 ( p a p e r b a c k )

To m o s t f a m i l i a r i s s u e s of p u b l i c s p a c e a n d its fate, this collection brings i n s i g h t s that s h o u l d be fatal to n a i v e a s s u m p tions: that t h e m e r e m a k i n g of p a r k s a n d s q u a r e s is e n o u g h to create p u b l i c space, for e x a m p l e ; or that a clear l i n e can b e d r a w n b e t w e e n p u b l i c a n d p r i v a t e realms; or that s u r v e i l l a n c e c a m e r a s are p u r e evils. (Architect George Baird's s u g g e s t i o n that c l o s e d - c i r c u i t TV m a y be a f o r m of Jane Jacobs' h a l l o w e d "eyes on t h e street" is o n e of t h e m o r e o u t r a g e o u s l y s u g g e s t i v e i n s i g h t s herein.) Co-editor M a r k Kingwell c l a i m s that t h e p u b l i c r e a l m is not s o m e t h i n g w e e n t e r but s o m e t h i n g w e are, c o n s t i t u t i n g o u r h u m a n identity, a n d that w h a t h e calls " t h e p r e s u p p o s i t i o n s of t h e p r o p e r t y m o d e l " h a v e t u r n e d m o s t p u b l i c s p a c e s i n t o p u b l i c / p r i v a t e h y b r i d s . Political scientist John P a r k i n s o n is n o t as d i s t u r b e d by h y b r i d i z a t i o n ; h e n o t e s that m a n y p u b l i c s p a c e s , like legislatures, a d m i t t h e p u b l i c o n l y c o n d i t i o n a l l y , a n d that a p r i v a t e s p h e r e like a political d i s s i d e n t ' s c r o w d e d living r o o m can t u r n i n t o a v i b r a n t " p u b l i c " s p a c e of o p p o s i t i o n a l energy. T h e s e a r g u m e n t a t i v e essays are t h e m e a t of this b o o k , w h i c h is e d i t e d by t w o p h i l o s o p h e r s a n d i n c l u d e s w o r k s of fiction, a play e x c e r p t , a n d p r o s e poetry as well. (One essay, by art critic N i c k M o u n t on t h e creation of overtly b e a u t i f u l images by a f e w street artists—a p u n k i s h revolt against antiretinal gallery a r t — m a y strike p u b l i c art m a k e r s as i n c o m p l e t e . Surely beauty, as a c o m p o n e n t of p u b l i c p l e a s u r e a n d a p o p u lar e x p e c t a t i o n , is a live i s s u e in n e a r l y all p u b l i c work.) T h e b o o k ' s g e n r e - h e t e r o g e n e i t y m i m e s t h e diversity of t h e u r b a n fabric, but e x c e p t for g r a p h i c novelist Joe Alterio's striking visual d i s s e c t i o n of a scary u r b a n e n c o u n t e r , t h e i m a g i n a tive w r i t i n g h e r e d i s a p p o i n t s . A n o v e l e x c e r p t a b o u t T o r o n t o c l u b k i d s is g a r d e n - v a r i e t y u r b a n a n o m i e ; a p a r o d y of a crit session in a r c h i t e c t u r e s c h o o l feels like an in-joke; a n d Lisa R o b e r t s o n ' s p o e t i c p r o s e on u r b a n w a n d e r i n g is i n t e r m i t t e n t l y d e l i g h t f u l b u t s u f f e r s f r o m too m u c h figured l a n g u a g e going in too m a n y d i r e c t i o n s , u l t i m a t e l y i n d u c i n g a fatigue that w e expect after a d a y of e n c o u n t e r s in p u b l i c s p a c e b u t are p r o b a b l y less w i l l i n g to p u t u p w i t h in o u r r e a d i n g . JON SPAYDE. a contributing editor to P u b l i c Art Review, frequently on the arts, spirituality, and modern culture.

writes

W h a t C h a r l e s S a a t c h i is to t h e Young British Artists, J o h n K a l d o r is to t h e p a s t 40 y e a r s of c o n t e m p o r a r y A u s t r a l i a n art. For a l m o s t half a c e n t u r y , h e h a s b e e n p a t r o n , p r o m o t e r , a n d c u r a t o r for large-scale i n s t a l l a t i o n s by a c c l a i m e d i n t e r n a t i o n a l artists. It is d i f f i c u l t to i m a g i n e t h e state of c o n t e m p o r a r y p u b lic art in A u s t r a l i a — o r t h e w o r l d — w i t h o u t h i s i n f l u e n c e . 40 Years: Kaldor Public Art Projects, e d i t e d by S o p h i e Forbat, is a n a n t h o l o g y that is b o t h d e l i b e r a t e a n d d e l e c t a b l e , c e l e b r a t i n g Kaldor's pivotal r o l e in A u s t r a l i a n c o n t e m p o r a r y art a n d h i g h l i g h t i n g all t h e m a j o r i n s t a l l a t i o n s h e h a s c u r a t e d . T h e book o p e n s w i t h several essays t h a t reflect o n K a l d o r ' s s c o p e a n d i n f l u e n c e , f o l l o w e d by a n i n t e r v i e w w i t h K a l d o r h i m s e l f . T h e H u n g a r i a n textile m o g u l w i t h a lifelong p a s s i o n for art d i s c u s s e s h i s m o t i v a t i o n s , a n d h e s p e a k s p a s s i o n a t e l y a b o u t his belief that art s h o u l d b e s h a r e d w i t h t h e c o m m u n i t y . T h e m o s t e n t e r t a i n i n g a n d i l l u m i n a t i n g p a r t s of t h e i n t e r v i e w c o m e w h e n Kaldor tells b e h i n d - t h e - s c e n e s s t o r i e s — f o r exa m p l e w h e n h e talks a b o u t b e i n g l a u g h e d o u t of a l m o s t every n a v a l office in A u s t r a l i a for trying to " b o r r o w " a s e c t i o n of c o a s t l i n e for Christo a n d J e a n n e - C l a u d e to w r a p in c a n v a s . A detailed chapter on Christo and Jeanne-Claude's comp l e t e d project, Wrapped Coast, One Million Square Feet, Little Bay, Sydney, o p e n s t h e m a i n s e c t i o n of t h e b o o k , w h i c h c h r o n i c l e s , in text a n d i m a g e s , every m a j o r K a l d o r - s p o n s o r e d project over t h e p a s t 40 years. T h i s s e c t i o n is i m p e c c a b l y d o n e , w i t h gorgeous p h o t o s that s h o w b o t h w o r k s in p r o g r e s s a n d c o m p l e t e d i n s t a l l a t i o n s by m a j o r c o n t e m p o r a r y artists r a n g i n g from Jeff K o o n s to Sol LeWitt. W o n d e r f u l l y d e t a i l e d (but n o t l a b o r i o u s l y so) text a c c o m p a n i e s e a c h p h o t o s p r e a d . H a n d w r i t t e n n o t e s from artists a n d p r e l i m i n a r y s k e t c h e s for install a t i o n s are i n t e r m i n g l e d w i t h t h e e s s a y s a n d p h o t o s . T h i s is t h e rare b o o k that m a k e s f o l l o w i n g o n e ' s p a s s i o n (in t h i s case Kaldor's p a s s i o n for art) s e e m n o t just p o s s i b l e , b u t i m p o r t a n t — f o r b o t h s e l f - a c t u a l i z a t i o n a n d s o c i e t y as a w h o l e . It also b r i n g s r e a d e r s face-to-face w i t h t h e t r a n s f o r m a t i v e p o w e r of p u b l i c art. All c o n t e m p o r a r y art a f i c i o n a d o s , w h e t h e r f a m i l i a r w i t h A u s t r a l i a n art or n o t , w i l l find v a l u e in t h i s i m p r e s s i v e book. LAINE BERCESON is a writer, editor, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

and public

art

enthusiast

BOOK REVIEWS

JOSEPH HART / CHRIS

DODGE

A R T IN A CITY * REVISITED «

' EditeiJ by Bryan Wi\m> and Julie Sheldon

GABRIEL O R O Z C O

ART IN A CITY R E V I S I T E D

A n n Temkin, editor N e w York: M u s e u m of M o d e r n Art, 2009 256 pages, $55 (hardcover)

Bryan Biggs a n d Julie S h e l d o n , e d i t o r s Liverpool: L i v e r p o o l U n i v e r s i t y Press a n d t h e Bluecoat, 2009 255 pages, $34.95 (paperback)

M e x i c a n - b o r n Gabriel O r o z c o p o s s e s s e s an i c o n o c l a s t i c sensibility. His restless a n d c u r i o u s eye d i s c o v e r s art in e v e r y d a y life ( m a n y of his w o r k s are e p h e m e r a l s c u l p t u r e s a s s e m b l e d o n t h e street f r o m f o u n d materials). A s a result, O r o z c o f r e q u e n t l y e s c h e w s t h e t r a p p i n g s of t h e art w o r l d . As o f t e n as not, h e u s e s gallery s p a c e s to c o m m e n t o n " t h e gallery" as a c o n s t r u c t : H e o n c e t r a n s f o r m e d an e x h i b i t s p a c e into a free p a r k i n g garage; a n o t h e r s h o w f e a t u r e d n o t h i n g m o r e t h a n a n o r d i n a r y e m p t y s h o e box. Given these probing, antiestablishmentarian, and often w i t t y i n c l i n a t i o n s , it's a bit d i s o r i e n t i n g to e n c o u n t e r Orozco's w o r k in t h i s l u s h , l u s t r o u s quarto. P r o d u c e d by M O M A in a s s o c i a t i o n w i t h a m a j o r o n e - m a n e x h i b i t i o n , t h e v o l u m e d o c u m e n t s t h e artist's e v o l u t i o n in 500 p h o t o g r a p h s , m a n y full-page. A n intelligent, c o m p r e h e n s i v e w r i t t e n c h r o n o l o g y a c c o m p a n i e s t h e illustrations, p r o v i d i n g insight into Orozco's philosophy and process and highlighting major works from h i s early, s u b t l e street i n t e r v e n t i o n s of t h e 1990s to h i s m o r e r e c e n t a n d s u r p r i s i n g abstract p a i n t i n g s . W h i l e n o t a " p u b l i c artist" in t h e c o m m o n s e n s e of t h e t e r m , O r o z c o ' s a p p r o a c h c o n s i s t e n t l y erases t h e b o u n d a r y b e t w e e n p u b l i c art a n d "gallery" art. M a n y of his w o r k s i n v i t e t h e v i e w e r to p h y s i c a l l y interact w i t h t h e art, u p e n d i n g t h e d o - n o t - t o u c h r u l e of m o s t m u s e u m pieces. In o t h e r exhibits, h e actively seeks to r e c r e a t e t h e s e r e n d i p i t y of his early street s c u l p t u r e s by c h o o s i n g l o c a t i o n s o u t s i d e t h e gallery: In Home Run (1993), for i n s t a n c e , h e e n l i s t e d r e s i d e n t s in apartm e n t b u i l d i n g s n e i g h b o r i n g M O M A to p l a c e oranges in their windows. T h e b o o k n e a r l y s i n k s f r o m t h e w e i g h t of a h a n d f u l of l e a d e n essays p r o b i n g O r o z c o ' s w o r k f r o m t h e a c a d e m i c pers p e c t i v e . (An a t t e m p t to a n a l y z e t h e artist's d e l i g h t f u l , i n q u i s i tive n o t e b o o k s d r a i n s t h e m of all joy, a n d a p o n d e r o u s essay on h i s p l a c e in t h e s c u l p t u r a l t r a d i t i o n is v i r t u a l l y u n r e a d a b l e . ) F o r t u n a t e l y , t h e b u l k of t h e book m o r e t h a n c o m p e n s a t e s for t h e s e d i s a p p o i n t m e n t s . T h a n k s to its c r i s p design a n d p r o d u c t i o n v a l u e s , a n d t h e c o m p r e h e n s i v e n e s s of its coverage, t h e v o l u m e m o s t l y s t e p s a s i d e to let O r o z c o ' s intelligent investigation of t h e w o r l d a r o u n d h i m s h i n e t h r o u g h a n d i n s p i r e . JOSEPH HART is a freelance P u b l i c Art R e v i e w .

writer and an associate

editor

Liverpool, h o m e city of t h e Beatles, n o w a m o n g t h e topr a n k e d British c o m m u n i t i e s in " i n c o m e d e p r i v a t i o n " a n d " e m p l o y m e n t d e p r i v a t i o n , " boasts "a visual arts i n f r a s t r u c t u r e u n r i v a l l e d in t h e UK o u t s i d e L o n d o n . " So assert e d i t o r s Bryan Biggs a n d Julie S h e l d o n in this book i n s p i r e d by Brecht s c h o l a r John Willett's 1967 Art in a City ( r e p u b l i s h e d in 2007). W h i l e Willett's b o o k laid out a p r e s c r i p t i o n for Liverpool's arts d e v e l o p m e n t a n d r e n e w a l , this m u l t i - a u t h o r e d text investigates t h e city's art on t h e h e e l s of its 2008 p o s i t i o n as o n e of t h e E u r o p e a n U n i o n ' s "Capitals of C u l t u r e . " T h e c o n t r i b u t o r s , m o s t l y a c a d e m i c s a n d arts a d m i n i s t r a t o r s , e x a m i n e L i v e r p o o l ' s art i n s t i t u t i o n s ( s o m e t i m e s at s u c h close f o c u s it's like r e a d ing a c o r p o r a t e a n n u a l report) a n d d e s c r i b e t h e city's "glocal" art c u l t u r e ( s i m u l t a n e o u s l y global a n d local), i n c l u d i n g its art e d u c a t i o n , its "live art," a n d t h e p u b l i c a s p e c t s of its art, s u c h as w o r k s c r e a t e d by t h e general p u b l i c , c h i l d r e n ' s art p r o g r a m s , a n d h i g h l y p o p u l a r art. If t h e book's p o t e n t i a l is u n m e t — i t d o e s n ' t really c o n v e y t h e u n i q u e flavor of Liverpool, its arts, a n d its b r o a d e r c u l t u r e ( i n c l u d i n g its dialect, S c o u s e ) — t h i s m a y b e partly d u e to i n s u f f i c i e n t p h o t o d o c u m e n t a t i o n , but also b e c a u s e its voices r e p r e s e n t i n s t i t u t i o n s as m u c h as t h e y d o artists (the book is c o - p u b l i s h e d by t h e Bluecoat, a L i v e r p o o l arts center) a n d b e c a u s e so m u c h of t h e art it d e s c r i b e s is p u b l i c l y f u n d e d . T h a t said, Art in a City Revisited is s t u d d e d h e r e a n d t h e r e w i t h e v i d e n c e of n o t o n l y "live a r t " b u t lively, living art. Case in p o i n t : f o u r p h o t o s of t h e Visible Virals project w h i c h p a i n t e d statistical data a n d q u e s t i o n s s u c h as "DO YOU WORRY A B O U T GLOBAL CLIMATE C H A N G E " on b u i l d i n g s , a n d a p h o t o of a strikingly d e t o u r n e d b u i l d i n g exterior. Art in a City Revisited m a y be e s p e c i a l l y u s e f u l to a d m i n i s t r a t o r s a n d u r b a n c u r a t o r s w h o w i s h for art to be m o r e t h a n a "gloss that a m e l i o r a t e s " a c o r p o r a t e l a n d s c a p e — w h o w o r k for p u b l i c art that, as John Willett p u t it, c o n v e y s " h o p e r a t h e r t h a n an implied reproach." CHRIS DODGE, a former columnist for A r t p a p e r and U t n e Reader and frequent reviewer for P u b l i c Art Review, is a freelance editor and indexer living in rural Montana.

of S e n d B O O K a n n o u n c e m e n t s to:

info@ForecastPublicArt.org

ART+ARCHITECTURE strategies

in collaboration

Christian Bjone

Public art catalogue

Christian Bjone

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:rategies i n c o l l a b o r a t i o n

Avant-garde riff Hidden polemic All of the above

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www.birkhauser-architecture.com

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LIVE THE ART. L O V E T H E PLACE.

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Art as a surprising, everyday, wow-f-love-it-here Scottsdale experience ScottsdalePublicArt.org

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Transfix by Vessel, directed by Rachel Bowditcli. January 2010. Commissioned by Scottsdale Public Art on the occasion of Fish Roundup at Scottsdale Waterfront. the art of maintenance as a new community tradition, in association with utility company Salt River Project. Arizona. Photo by Chris Loomis.

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SITE DANCE: C h o r e o g r a p h e r s a n d t h e Lure of Alternative S p a c e s M e l a n i e Kloetzel, Carolyn Pavlik, e d i t o r s Gainesville: University P r e s s of Florida, 2 0 0 9 344 p a g e s , $ 3 4 . 9 5 ( h a r d c o v e r ) T h e first a n t h o l o g y t o specifically e x a m i n e d a n c e in n o n t r a d i t i o n a l p e r f o r m a n c e s p a c e s , this title explores t h e work t h a t c h o r e o g r a p h e r s c r e a t e for alternative s i t e s a n d e x a m i n e s t h e b a s i s for t h e i r creative c h o i c e s . It o f f e r s a c o m b i n a t i o n of interviews with a n d e s s a y s by

•

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ART IN PUBLIC SPACE STYRIA:

Kate M o n d l o c h

Projects 2 0 0 7 - 2 0 0 8

M i n n e a p o l i s : University of M N Press, 2 0 1 0

C o n t e x t of U r b a n D e v e l o p m e n t

W e r n e r Fenz, Evelyn Kraus, Birgit Kulterer, e d s .

208 p a g e s , $25 ( p a p e r b a c k )

Anke H a a r m a n n , Harald Lemke, e d i t o r s

Vienna: Springer, 2 0 1 0

This title o f f e r s an historical a n d theoretical

Berlin: Jovis, 2 0 0 9

344 p a g e s , $49.95 ( p a p e r b a c k )

f r a m e w o r k for u n d e r s t a n d i n g s c r e e n - r e l i a n t

392 p a g e s , $ 2 8 ( p a p e r b a c k )

D o c u m e n t i n g 37 art p r o j e c t s c o m p l e t e d in

installation art a n d t h e s p e c t a t o r s h i p it e v o k e s .

C o m p r i s e d o f t w o v o l u m e s , t h i s title

Styria, Austria, f r o m m i d - 2 0 0 6 t h r o u g h 2008,

It e x a m i n e s a r a n g e of i n s t a l l a t i o n s c r e a t e d

d o c u m e n t s a series of e v e n t s t h a t t o o k

this c o m p r e h e n s i v e v o l u m e is t h e first in a

over t h e p a s t 50 y e a r s — w o r k s by a r t i s t s

place in t h e s u m m e r of 2 0 0 8 as part of t h e

series of p u b l i c a t i o n s s h o w c a s i n g t h e artworks

s u c h as Eija-Liisa Ahtila, D o u g Aitken, Peter

W i l h e l m s b u r g , A u s t r i a ' s Elbinsel festival,

and i n t e r v e n t i o n s t h a t d e m o n s t r a t e public art

C a m p u s , Dan G r a h a m , VALIE EXPORT, Bruce

which b o a s t e d a d i v e r s e g r o u p of i n t e r n a t i o n a l

as a m o n g t h e m o s t i m p o r t a n t c o n t r i b u t i o n s

N a u m a n , a n d Michael S n o w — t h a t i n v e s t i g a t e

artists w h o questioned the c o n t e m p o r a r y

t o t h e p r o v i n c e ' s vivid cultural life a n d identity.

t h e rich terrain b e t w e e n t h e s c u l p t u r a l a n d t h e

g r a s p of t h e c u l t u r e / n a t u r e d i c h o t o m y . T h e

T h e book i n c l u d e s e s s a y s on t h e p r o j e c t s a n d

c i n e m a t i c . M o n d l o c h identifies a m o m e n t o u s

book p r e s e n t s their i d e a s for c o o p e r a t i v e

i s s u e s a r o u n d public s p a c e , t h e p r e c o n d i t i o n s

shift in c o n t e m p o r a r y art t h a t c h a l l e n g e s key

p l a n n i n g p r o c e s s e s , artistic i n t e r v e n t i o n s , a n d

of art beyond t h e "White C u b e " of m u s e u m s

p r e m i s e s of s p e c t a t o r s h i p b r o u g h t a b o u t

philosophical reflections as alternatives to

a n d galleries, a n d t h e s e n s e of t e m p o r a r y

by t e c h n o l o g i c a l o b j e c t s t h a t literally a n d

traditional m a s t e r p l a n n i n g . T h e p a r t i c i p a n t s

a n d / o r p e r m a n e n t o b j e c t s and i n t e r v e n t i o n s .

metaphorically filter t h e s u b j e c t ' s field of vision.

in this timely p r o j e c t aim t o u s e s u s t a i n a b l e artistic m e t h o d s t o reflect an u r b a n r e s p o n s e

CREATION A N D RESTORATION:

LEARNING M I N D : Experience into Art

John Singer S a r g e n t ' s Triumph of Religion

Mary Jane Jacob, Jacquelynn Baas, e d i t o r s

to climate change.

at t h e Boston Public Library

Berkeley: University of CA Press; C h i c a g o :

N a r a y a n Khandekar, C i a n f r a n c o P o c o b e n e ,

School of t h e Art Institute of C h i c a g o , 2 0 0 9

ART A N D FREEDOM O F SPEECH Randall B e z a n s o n

Kate Smith, e d i t o r s

2 9 6 p a g e s , $45 (hardcover)

C h a m p a i g n : University of Illinois Press, 2 0 0 9

C a m b r i d g e : Harvard Art M u s e u m , 2 0 0 9

D o c u m e n t i n g t h e c h a n g i n g p r a c t i c e s in

328 p a g e s , $35 ( h a r d c o v e r )

296 p a g e s , $65 (hardcover)

t h e m a k i n g , t e a c h i n g , a n d exhibition of art,

This b o o k a n a l y z e s t h e b r o a d r a n g e of U.S.

C o m p r e h e n s i v e l y illustrated, this title

this v o l u m e explores t h e c o n t e m p o r a r y art

S u p r e m e Court cases that concern the

e x a m i n e s t h e r e s t o r a t i o n of Triumph of Religion

e x p e r i e n c e a n d its e x p a n d i n g p r e s e n c e in

p r o t e c t i o n of art a n d f r e e s p e e c h u n d e r t h e

( c o n s t r u c t e d b e t w e e n 1890 and 1919, a n d

society. T h r o u g h e s s a y s , interviews, a n d

First A m e n d m e n t . Finding t h a t d e b a t e s a b o u t

r e s t o r e d m o s t recently in 2003). T h e mural,

provocative c o n v e r s a t i o n s with s o m e of t h e

f r e e e x p r e s s i o n ( w h e t h e r in s p e e c h or art) swirl

considered Sargent's masterpiece, features

m o s t influential a r t i s t s a n d e d u c a t o r s of o u r

a r o u n d sex a n d cultural b l a s p h e m y , t h e a u t h o r

s u r f a c e e n h a n c e m e n t s s u c h as plaster, papier-

t i m e , t h e b o o k e x a m i n e s h o w t h e act of view-

tracks and interprets the Court's decisions

mSch£, m e t a l w o r k , stencils, g l a s s "jewels," a n d

ing m a k e s a viewer part of t h e work. It a l s o

o n film, n u d e d a n c i n g , m u s i c , p a i n t i n g , a n d

a type of e m b o s s e d Victorian wallpaper. This

offers s t u d e n t s , t e a c h e r s , a n d r e a d e r s n e w

o t h e r visual e x p r e s s i o n s , c o n c l u d i n g with t h e

book s h o w s h o w t h e r e s t o r a t i o n u n e a r t h e d

a n d vital theoretical texts as well as practical

a r g u m e n t t h a t , for legal p u r p o s e s , art s h o u l d

new e v i d e n c e of t h e a r t i s t ' s e x p e r i m e n t a t i o n .

s t r a t e g i e s for i n t e g r a t i n g art into o u r daily lives.

be a b s o l u t e l y f r e e u n d e r t h e First A m e n d m e n t .

S e n d RECENT PUBLICATIONS a n n o u n c e m e n t s to:

info@ForecastPublicArt.org

ARTS & SCIENCE Tiidiasregee Twelve" - Topher Oelaney/lautel Holtopple "Was. Am. Wil Be" - Jackie Chaitq "Wals Alive"-Cork Marcheschi

"Aquifer" • Masayiki Nagase

"Growtti" • Ouy Huynh

COUNCIL

Photo credits: (l-fi): Holtiapple, Sieburg-Baker, Marcheschi. Cravotla, Ramsey

704.333.2272

www.ArtsAndScience.org

> SHAPING A VIBRANT CULTURAL LIFE FOR ALL

Sonic Wall. 2010 Caryl M. Christian Levy Bensalem, PA This m o n u m e n t a l bas-relief is c o m p o s e d of four s e p e r a t e exterior walls b e h i n d a continuous glass f a c a d e . Sonic Wall is a n abstraction of a sound w a v e a n i m a t e d b y a lighting p e r f o r m a n c e interpreting the artist's original musical score.

•A

Public Art Network

A Program of Americans for the Arts

I Join with Americans for the Arts in celebrating the J last half century of arts in America. Together, we | have witnessed monumental changes in the arts in I America at the federal, state, and local levels. The < Americans for the Arts Public Art Network (PAN) is marking its 10th anniversary and extends special thanks to all the individuals who helped initiate PAN, | creating a national network of thousands of * I professionals advancing the field of public art in | communities across the country. f f

E S O F NATURE M I C H E L E OKA D O N E R

Americans for the Arts members have full access to PAN benefits, including the public art listserv with links to project opportunities, a Q& A forum, the PAN blog, and discounts on events and in the Online Store.

AMERICANS

A n Ib I960

- aoio

Check out PAN's resources online a n d become a m e m b e r today: www.AmericansfortheArts.org /Membership.

'1 °" " "

Images © Dan Forer

P u b l i c Art & D e s i g n www.broward.org/arfs

Forces of Nature: Trade Winds a n d O c e a n Currents, Michele Oka Doner, Bronze e m b e d d e d in terrazzo 200+ bronze elements, 3,000 sq. ft., Port Everglades, Cruise Terminal 18, 2009

PUBLIC ART IN SEATTLE

calls for artists v.seattle.gov/a

Seattle Office of

CULTURAL AFFAIRS S u t t o n B e r e s C u l l e r , Sequence/Consequence, 2009, at t h e Seattle S t r e e t c a r ' s W e s t l a k e H u b station. P h o t o by S u t t o n B e r e s C u l l e r .

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IN MEMORY AT G R O U N D Z E R O After years of trying t o find t h e b e s t way t o m e m o r i a l i z e t h e lives lost in N e w York on

R O C H E S T E R ' S ART WALK

S e p t e m b e r 11, 2001, work o n t h e N a t i o n a l

T h e City of Rochester, N.Y., received m o r e

S e p t e m b e r 11 M e m o r i a l & M u s e u m is u n d e r

t h a n $3.84 million t h r o u g h t h e A m e r i c a n

way. From s t r e e t level, visitors will look d o w n

Recovery a n d R e i n v e s t m e n t A c t — t h e largest

o n an e i g h t - a c r e m e m o r i a l plaza covering half

federal s t i m u l u s f u n d i n g p a c k a g e for t h e arts

of t h e f o r m e r World Trade C e n t e r site. T h e

in t h e n a t i o n — t o c r e a t e an o u t d o o r u r b a n art

p l a z a ' s c e n t e r p i e c e will be architect Michael

trail called ARTWalk 2. T h e project a i m s t o

A r a d ' s Reflecting

build on t h e s u c c e s s of R o c h e s t e r ' s ARTWalk,

Absence.

In this m e m o r i a l , 30-foot waterfalls will

a p e r m a n e n t u r b a n art trail c o n c e i v e d by

c a s c a d e d o w n t h e inside of t h e f o r m e r foot-

R o c h e s t e r r e s i d e n t s t h a t c o n n e c t s arts c e n t e r s

p r i n t s of t h e t o w e r s . T h e n t h e w a t e r will d r o p

a n d public s p a c e s in t h e N e i g h b o r h o o d O f

a n o t h e r 16 f e e t into a c e n t e r void. " O n e of t h e

T h e Arts. With ARTWalk 2, R o c h e s t e r a i m s t o

things I wanted the water and the design to do

e x p a n d its o u t d o o r m u s e u m .

is t o m a r k this c o n t i n u o u s s e n s e of a b s e n c e , "

M o r e t h a n a d o z e n cultural, e d u c a t i o n a l ,

Arad told t h e A s s o c i a t e d P r e s s . " T h e s e voids,

a n d b u s i n e s s o r g a n i z a t i o n s have p a r t n e r e d

even t h o u g h w a t e r falls into t h e m . . . t h e y never

t o d e v e l o p this project, which will include

fill up, they always r e m a i n empty, a n d t h a t

innovative a n d interactive artworks a n d

w a s very i m p o r t a n t t o m e . " T h e w a t e r will

sidewalks. A central " W e l c o m e Plaza" a n d

a l s o spill into t w o h u g e reflecting p o o l s

s c u l p t u r e g a r d e n is p l a n n e d for t h e University

s u r r o u n d e d by a low wall on which t h e n a m e s

of R o c h e s t e r M e m o r i a l Art Gallery g r o u n d s .

of t h e 2,982 v i c t i m s will be inscribed o n

From t h e r e , e x t e n s i o n s of this central h u b —

b r o n z e p a n e l s . S u r r o u n d i n g t h e wall will be

with public art i n t e g r a t e d t h r o u g h o u t — w i l l

h u n d r e d s of s w e e t g u m a n d white oak t r e e s .

c o n n e c t t o cultural c e n t e r s s u c h as t h e Arts

C o n s t r u c t i o n is p r o c e e d i n g a c c o r d i n g t o s c h e d u l e . "The m e m o r i a l p o o l s are n o w

a n d Cultural Council for G r e a t e r Rochester, t h e R o c h e s t e r M u s e u m a n d S c i e n c e Center, t h e

clearly d e f i n e d in steel, m a r k i n g an exciting a n d

School for t h e Arts, t h e Creative W o r k s h o p , t h e

visible m i l e s t o n e , " Joe Daniels, p r e s i d e n t a n d

Visual S t u d i e s W o r k s h o p , Writers a n d Books,

CEO of t h e N a t i o n a l S e p t e m b e r 11 M e m o r i a l &

a n d t h e International M u s e u m of P h o t o g r a p h y

M u s e u m , recently told t h e New York Daily News.

at t h e G e o r g e E a s t m a n H o u s e .

Builders expect Reflecting Absence t o be

c o m m i s s i o n e d w o r k s by Cliff G a r t e n and A d a m

a n n i v e r s a r y of t h e a t t a c k s . An u n d e r g r o u n d

Frank. M o r e t h a n a d o z e n additional artists

m e m o r i a l m u s e u m will o p e n a b o u t a year later.

will be c o m m i s s i o n e d in t h e c o m i n g year. T h e

Rendering

d e s i g n d e v e l o p m e n t s t a g e b e g i n s this s u m m e r .

National

September

Design Lab, 11 Memorial

courtesy t?

Museum.

N e w York City h a s s e e n a r e c e n t s u r g e in public art p r o j e c t s . Significantly, March s a w t h e inauguration of Antony G o r m l e y ' s Event Horizon, in which 31 life-size figures of t h e artist c a s t in iron a n d fiberglass inhabit t h e p a t h w a y s a n d sidewalks of M a d i s o n S q u a r e Park and t h e s t r e e t s a n d r o o f t o p s of t h e Flatiron District. This s u m m e r , FIGMENT will invite attendees to participate and collaborate to c r e a t e artwork a n d build c o m m u n i t y . This

So far, local.artist selection p a n e l s have

o p e r a t i n g by S e p t e m b e r 11, 2011, t h e t e n t h

by Squared

PUBLIC ART IN NYC

Learn m o r e at www.rochesterartwalk.org.

t h r e e - d a y event, n o w in its f o u r t h year, r e t u r n s t o G o v e r n o r s Island J u n e 1 1 - 1 3 . Last year, m o r e t h a n 13,000 p a r t i c i p a n t s c a m e t o interact and e n g a g e with over 4 0 0 arts projects. FIGMENT will also p r e s e n t a s c u l p t u r e g a r d e n a n d mini-golf c o u r s e on G o v e r n o r s Island; b o t h will run t h r o u g h O c t o b e r . This year FIGMENT also l a u n c h e d FIGMENT Boston,

S e n d your latest public art NEWS + RECENT PROJECTS to: o f f i c e @ F o r e c a s t P u b l i c A r t . o r g

which w a s held o n J u n e 5. Learn m o r e at www. figmentproject.org.

Photo

by James

Ewing.

NEWS

A NEW SETTING FOR AN ICONIC ARCH T h e G a t e w a y Arch in St. Louis w a s d e s i g n e d by a r c h i t e c t Eero S a a r i n e n in 1947 a f t e r a n a t i o n w i d e c o m p e t i t i o n to d e s i g n a m o n u m e n t honoring America's western pioneers. C o n s t r u c t i o n w a s c o m p l e t e d in 1965. N o w

A BANKSY PREMIERE AT S U N D A N C E

t h e Arch, which a t t r a c t s m o r e t h a n four million visitors e a c h year, h a s inspired a n o t h e r

Banksy, a British s t r e e t artist a n d i n t e r n a t i o n PUBLIC ART IN ACADEMIA

ally r e n o w n e d art-world icon, m a d e a film, s t a r r e d in it, a n d t o o k it t o t h e S u n d a n c e Film

c o m p e t i t i o n , this t i m e an international o n e .

Public Art D i a l o g u e (PAD) h a s o p e n e d u p t h e

T h e goal of " F r a m i n g a M o d e r n M a s t e r p i e c e :

c o n v e r s a t i o n a b o u t public art in a c a d e m i a . A

Festival. T h e film d i d n ' t a p p e a r o n t h e festival

T h e City + T h e Arch + T h e River 2 0 1 5 " is t o

p r o g r a m of t h e College Art A s s o c i a t i o n (CAA),

c a t a l o g u e , yet it m a n a g e d t o b e c o m e Park

c r e a t e an iconic s e t t i n g for t h e iconic Arch.

PAD carved o u t a small piece of t h e a g e n d a

City's h o t t e s t ticket. And still n o o n e , o u t s i d e of

T h e new d e s i g n , called for in t h e National Park

at CAA's a n n u a l c o n f e r e n c e in C h i c a g o in

a small g r o u p of c o n f i d a n t e s , k n o w s Banksy's

Service's G e n e r a l M a n a g e m e n t Plan, will w e a v e

February 2010, t o m a k e a c a s e for i n c r e a s e d

real identity.

c o n n e c t i o n s a n d t r a n s i t i o n s f r o m t h e city a n d

a t t e n t i o n t o t h e public art field by t h e larger

t h e Arch g r o u n d s t o t h e M i s s i s s i p p i River,

a c a d e m i c world.

including t h e e a s t b a n k in Illinois.

A c c o r d i n g t o Public Art Review's jack

T u r n s o u t Exit Through

the Gift Shop

In a review of t h e film, t h e Los Angeles Times

Becker, w h o a t t e n d e d t h e e v e n t a n d s a t in on

calls it "a

D e c e m b e r , e n t r i e s w e r e received f r o m 49 t e a m s

several PAD s e s s i o n s a n d p r e s e n t a t i o n s , t h e

a c h r o n i c l e o f guerrilla art a n d its m o s t

f r o m a r o u n d t h e world t h a t included d e s i g n e r s

e m e r g i n g o r g a n i z a t i o n is well o n its way t o

p r o m i n e n t c r e a t o r s b u t m o r p h s into a sly

like D o u g Aitken, Rafael L o z a n o - H e m m e r , Ann

m e e t i n g its o b j e c t i v e s . "The ideal way t o t e a c h

satire of celebrity, c o n s u m e r i s m , t h e art

H a m i l t o n , J a m e s Carpenter, Ned Kahn, Diller

public art s e e m s t o still be u n d e c i d e d , " he

world, a n d

Scofidio + Renfro, J a u m e Plensa, a n d Mark

says. " T h e r e are several d i f f e r e n t c o u r s e offer-

After t h e c o m p e t i t i o n l a u n c h e d in

a s i m p o s s i b l e t o pin d o w n as Banksy h i m s e l f . film-within-a-film

filmmaking

that begins as

itself."

In a s t a t e m e n t t o t h e Times e m a i l e d

Dion. T h e field w a s n a r r o w e d in t h e s p r i n g

ings a r o u n d t h e United S t a t e s , b u t n o b o d y is

t o t h e following t e a m s : t h e Behnisch Team

talking a b o u t s e t t i n g u p n e w public art d e g r e e

"Trying t o m a k e a m o v i e which truly c o n v e y s

led by Behnisch Architekten f r o m Stuttgart,

programs."

t h e raw thrill a n d e x p r e s s i v e p o w e r of art is

G e r m a n y a n d Los Angeles; t h e MVVA Team led

At t h e c o n f e r e n c e , Mary J a n e Jacob,

f r o m his publicist, Jo Brooks, Banksy said,

very difficult. So I h a v e n ' t b o t h e r e d . I n s t e a d

by Michael Van Valkenburgh A s s o c i a t e s of N e w

an internationally r e c o g n i z e d critic, curator,

this is a s i m p l e everyday tale of life, longing,

York; t h e t e a m of PWP L a n d s c a p e Architecture,

a n d e d u c a t o r w h o is chair a n d p r o f e s s o r of

and mindless vandalism."

Foster and P a r t n e r s , a n d Civitas f r o m Berkeley,

s c u l p t u r e at t h e School of t h e Art I n s t i t u t e of

California; t h e t e a m of S O M , H a r g r e a v e s , a n d

C h i c a g o (SAIC), received t h e s e c o n d a n n u a l

i n g Gift Shop i s " a s t u d y o f h o w w e s e e a n d

T h e Times says t h e r e ' s m o r e t o it, claim-

BIG f r o m Chicago; a n d t h e W e i s s / M a n f r e d i ,

PAD a w a r d for a c h i e v e m e n t in t h e field of

appraise artâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;either through s o m e subjective

Architecture/Site Design/Urbanism team

public art. T h e award is given annually t o an

a e s t h e t i c t e s t or e c o n o m i c valuation....

f r o m New York. In a 90-day d e s i g n c o n c e p t

individual w h o s e c o n t r i b u t i o n s h a v e greatly

Ultimately, t h e film o f f e r s a guerilla a r t i s t ' s

c o m p e t i t i o n this s u m m e r , t h e finalists' d e s i g n

i n f l u e n c e d public art practice. "Mary J a n e ' s

(if n o t d o c u m e n t a r y

a p p r o a c h e s and working m e t h o d o l o g i e s will

a p p r o a c h at SAIC is t o m a k e public art prac-

be explored a n d t e s t e d . T h e final jury

the Heisenberg uncertainty principleâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;by

tices a c c e s s i b l e t o all of t h e disciplines, all t h e

pick will be a n n o u n c e d in S e p t e m b e r a n d

o b s e r v i n g an a c t i o n , you a f f e c t its o u t c o m e .

s t u d e n t s a n d every area of study," says Becker.

And t h a t , in a way, s e e m s in k e e p i n g with t h e

c o n s t r u c t i o n will be c o m p l e t e d in 2015. Learn m o r e a b o u t t h e c o m p e t i t i o n at www.CityArchRiverCompetition.org.

According t o several s o u r c e s , public art

filmmaker's)

a e s t h e t i c s of s t r e e t art: It's all a b o u t discovery

will get even m o r e a t t e n t i o n at t h e 2011 CAA

a n d s e e i n g . " Video still from

c o n f e r e n c e in N e w York City.

u/u/w.BanksYfilm.com.

PliblicArtReview

v e r s i o n of

the film courtesy

www.ForecastPublicArt.org

COMING FALL 2010: Realism, Representation

NEWS

SAVES PUBLIC ART INDIANAPOLIS ART G O E S WIKI

RESTORING THE WALL Shortly after t h e fall of t h e Berlin Wall in 1989, 118 artists f r o m 21 c o u n t r i e s were invited to paint m u r a l s on a section of t h e Cold War b e h e m o t h . A m o n g t h e 105 c o n t r i b u t i o n s were p e a c e signs, doves, a n d t h e f a m o u s picture of a Trabant car c r a s h i n g t h r o u g h t h e wall. Over t h e p a s t two d e c a d e s , however, t h e paintings faded and t h e wall kept c r u m b l i n g . In r e s p o n s e , t h e city of Berlin dedicated m o r e than $3 million to r e s t o r e t h e longest remaining stretch of t h e wall, h o m e to t h e world's longest o p e n air art gallery. In 2009, nearly 90 of t h e original artists returned to Berlin to repaint their creations. Russian artist Dmitri Vrubel re-created his

mural of f o r m e r Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev kissing East G e r m a n c o u n t e r p a r t Erich Honecker (the words "God, help m e survive this deadly love" are written in Russian script a b o v e t h e m ) . French artist Thierry Noir returned t o restore his bright figures that were later featured in Wim W e n d e r s ' film Wings of Desire. The inauguration of t h e restored East Side Gallery, as this section of t h e wall is known, w a s held in N o v e m b e r 2009. Kani Alavi, w h o h e a d s t h e East Side Gallery Artists' Association, told t h e Associated Press, "Twenty years after t h e fall of t h e wall, t h e East Side Gallery still s t a n d s for d e m o c r a c y and h u m a n r i g h t s . " Photo by Ramsey

Meigs.

PHILLY'S M U S E U M W I T H O U T WALLS Philadelphia is h o m e to m o r e o u t d o o r sculpt u r e t h a n any o t h e r American city. And now you can learn t h e untold histories of 35 of t h e m for free on t h e s t r e e t — t h r o u g h your cell p h o n e , a u d i o d o w n l o a d , or s t r e a m i n g audio. In June, Philadelphia's Fairmount Park Art Association (FPAA) will launch M u s e u m Witho u t Walls: AUDIO, a multiplatform, interactive a u d i o experience. Each narrative t h e p r o g r a m offers is as u n i q u e as t h e artwork it describes, f e a t u r i n g different voices, t h e m e s , a n d production styles, p r o d u c e d by award-winning public radio p r o d u c e r s a n d journalists. P r o g r a m s explore personal and cultural c o n n e c t i o n s to t h e art, while offering insight into t h e artists and their p r o c e s s e s , w h a t t h e s c u l p t u r e s r e p r e s e n t , t h e history s u r r o u n d i n g t h e works, a n d why t h e pieces were c o m m i s s i o n e d a n d installed at specific sites in Philadelphia. "The p r o g r a m is a gateway to a larger cultural experience," says Penny Balkin Bach,

S t u d e n t s and faculty f r o m Indiana UniversityP u r d u e University Indianapolis (IUPUI) have developed and launched t h e n a t i o n ' s first organized effort to d o c u m e n t public art in Wikipedia. So far, they have researched, catalogued, p h o t o g r a p h e d , and written articles on d o z e n s of Indianapolis public sculptures, many f r o m t h e IUPUI c a m p u s , for Wikipedia Saves Public Art (WSPA), a growing collection of information prepared for t h e online o p e n a c c e s s encyclopedia. Each article also includes global positioning system (GPS) c o o r d i n a t e s of public artworks, allowing users to easily find t h e m t h r o u g h location-based c o m p u t e r applications such as Google Maps. "Public art is o n e of t h e m o s t accessible art f o r m s , and Wikipedia is o n e of the m o s t accessible f o r u m s for information, so they m a k e a perfect m a t c h , " says Jennifer Geigel Mikulay, Ph.D., a s s i s t a n t p r o f e s s o r and public scholar of visual culture at IUPUI, w h o coconceived WSPA with Richard McCoy of t h e Indianapolis M u s e u m of Art. They h o p e this model for preserving public art will expand exponentially a c r o s s t h e n a t i o n — a n d t h e w o r l d . Logo design by Michael

executive director of t h e FPAA. S o m e o n e might walk by a s c u l p t u r e h u n d r e d s of times, without ever s t o p p i n g to think m u c h a b o u t it. There is a distinctive story, civic effort, and creative expression behind every public s c u l p t u r e in Philadelphia. We've worked with an o u t s t a n d i n g t e a m of professionals to develop a unique p r o g r a m to tell t h e s e s t o r i e s — o n e that we h o p e will be a model for public art in other cities a c r o s s t h e country." A free guide of selected artworks—like Mark di Suvero's Iroquois, Henry M o o r e ' s Three-Way

Piece No. 1: Points, a n d W a l t e r

E r l e b a c h e r ' s Jesus Breaking

Bread—will

available at t h e Fairmount Park Welcome Center in LOVE Park and local visitor c e n t e r s a n d cultural institutions. P e r m a n e n t o u t d o o r s i g n a g e will give dialing instructions for a c c e s s i n g t h e p r o g r a m by cell p h o n e — m a k i n g stories available to anyone with t h e t o u c h of a few b u t t o n s .

Mikulay.

UK'S PUBLIC ART S O U T H W E S T CLOSES Public Art South West (PASW) h a s been a leading public art d e v e l o p m e n t agency in t h e United Kingdom for m o r e than 12 years. But d u e to an Arts Council England (ACE) reorganization, PASW recently lost its funding, as did other public art organizations t h r o u g h o u t England. Many view t h e PASW closing as t h e end of an era. Founded and led by director Maggie Bolt, PASW was responsible for creating www. publicartonline.org.uk and many innovative projects and events, including "PROJECT: e n g a g i n g artists in t h e built e n v i r o n m e n t . " Public p r o t e s t followed the closing a n n o u n c e m e n t , which resulted in ACE agreeing to fund t h e website for o n e m o r e year, but there will be no u p d a t e s t o t h e site in t h e foreseeable future.

NEWS Roosevelt M e m o r i a l in W a s h i n g t o n , D.C.,

T W O N E W PUBLICATIONS SET T O L A U N C H

which H a p r i n called " t h e a p o t h e o s i s of all

Public Art D i a l o g u e (PAD) recently a n n o u n c e d

t h a t I have d o n e . "

t h a t R o u t l e d g e will p u b l i s h its newly f o u n d e d

Halprin w a s b o r n in 1916 in Brooklyn, N.Y. H e g r a d u a t e d f r o m Cornell University a n d

journal, called Public Art Dialogue, twice a year b e g i n n i n g in 2011. T h e t h e m e - b a s e d j o u r n a l ,

e a r n e d a m a s t e r ' s d e g r e e f r o m t h e University

p u b l i s h e d in b o t h print a n d e l e c t r o n i c f o r m a t s ,

of W i s c o n s i n . After a visit t o Frank Lloyd

will f o c u s o n critical t h e o r y a n d will e n c o u r a g e

W r i g h t ' s W i s c o n s i n h o m e , Taliesin, he d e v o t e d

a h i g h e r level of critical e n g a g e m e n t with public

his life t o l a n d s c a p e a r c h i t e c t u r e . Following

art i s s u e s a n d practice. It will serve as a f o r u m

World War II, H a p r i n s e t t l e d in San Francisco

for critical d i s c o u r s e a n d c o m m e n t a r y a b o u t

w h e r e h e f o u n d e d his o w n firm in 1949. His

t h e p r a c t i c e of public art, i n c l u d i n g m e m o r i a l s ,

m a n y a w a r d s include t h e 2 0 0 2 N a t i o n a l Medal

o b j e c t art, m u r a l s , u r b a n a n d l a n d s c a p e d e s i g n

of t h e Arts, a Presidential Design Award, a

p r o j e c t s , social i n t e r v e n t i o n s , p e r f o r m a n c e art,

gold m e d a l f r o m t h e A m e r i c a n Society of

a n d w e b - b a s e d work. T h e c u r r e n t c o - c h a i r s of

L a n d s c a p e Architects, a n d t h e University of

PAD, H a r r i e t F. Senie a n d C h e r Krause Knight,

Virginia's T h o m a s Jefferson F o u n d a t i o n Medal

will serve as t h e j o u r n a l ' s c o - e d i t o r s . They

in Architecture. " H e believed t h a t t h e m o s t

w e l c o m e s u g g e s t i o n s for t h e m e s at

LAWRENCE HALPRIN DIES AT 93

i m p o r t a n t t h i n g a b o u t d e s i g n i n g is t o g e n e r a t e

www.publicartdialogue.org.

Legendary l a n d s c a p e architect Lawrence

creativity in o t h e r s a n d t o be i n c l u s i v e — t o

Halprin died o n O c t o b e r 25, 2009, at his

include t h e n e e d s a n d e x p e r i e n c e s of p e o p l e

IntellectBooks h a v e a n n o u n c e d t h e l a u n c h

h o m e in Kentfield, Calif. Called " o n e of t h e

interacting with t h e e n v i r o n m e n t a n d t o let

of Art <? the Public Sphere, which will e x a m i n e

p r e e m i n e n t p l a c e - m a k e r s of t h e t w e n t i e t h

t h e m be part of its c r e a t i o n , " his wife A n n a

c o n t e m p o r a r y a r t ' s relation t o t h e public

century" by Smithsonian m a g a z i n e , H a l p r i n ' s

H a l p r i n t o l d t h e Marin

d e s i g n s include San F r a n c i s c o ' s Ghirardelli

Independent

Journal.

Ixia, a public art think tank, a n d

r e a l m . T h e peer-reviewed, UK-based j o u r n a l will be a i m e d at a c a d e m i c s , artists, c u r a t o r s ,

C h a r l e s B i r n b a u m of t h e Cultural

Square, S o n o m a C o u n t y ' s Sea Ranch, S e a t t l e ' s

L a n d s c a p e F o u n d a t i o n in W a s h i n g t o n called

art h i s t o r i a n s , a n d t h e o r i s t s . Editor Mel J o r d a n

Freeway Park, M i n n e a p o l i s ' s Nicollet Mall,

Halprin o n e of t h e m o s t i m p o r t a n t l a n d s c a p e

is looking for s u b m i s s i o n s by July 16 for t h e

a n d Fort W o r t h ' s H e r i t a g e Park. H e also

a r c h i t e c t s of t h e m o d e r n era. H e told t h e

N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 0 i n a u g u r a l i s s u e , which will

r e d e s i g n e d places, like t h e p e d e s t r i a n a p p r o a c h

Washington Post t h a t Halprin had p l a n n e d t o

f o c u s o n t h e " I n t e r s e c t i o n of Politics, Art a n d

t o Yosemite Falls a n d San Francisco's Stern

c l o s e his firm in late N o v e m b e r , its sixtieth

U r b a n i s m . " T h e j o u r n a l will be l a u n c h e d at t h e

Grove, an o u t d o o r a u d i t o r i u m . But his m o s t

a n n i v e r s a r y . Photo

significant c o n t r i b u t i o n is t h e Franklin D.

University

The Architectural

Pennsylvania.

Archives,

Liverpool Biennale. For m o r e details, s e e www. ixia-info.com/art-the-public-sphere-journal.

STUDIO WILLIAM

COCHRAN

Public Art • Public Participation • Planning William and Teresa Cochran work with a wide range of government, private, community-based and non-profit organizations to develop and implement public art projects and cultural planning. They serve as artists on design teams and create community & public participation processes.

www.WilliamCochran.com The Dreaming,

by William

Cochran,

Theater

District, Frederick,

MD; 52'HX18'W;

glass, masonry,

steel, copper, silicate paint. Fabricated

with Derix

Glasstudios.

U.S. RECENT PROJECTS

The global state of water is a pressing issue, o n e that affects all life on t h e planet. Artistic director Mary Mattingly and a t e a m of artists wrestled with this issue by creating a unique artwork called WATERPOD. Waterpod w a s a "floating, sculptural structure d e s i g n e d as a futuristic habitat and an experimental platform for a s s e s s i n g t h e design and efficacy of living s y s t e m s fashioned to create an a u t o n o m o u s , fully functional m a r i n e shelter." Waterpod took a five-month tour of t h e b o r o u g h s of New York this past s u m m e r . An exhibition at Exit Art in New York c a l l e d Waterpod:

Autonomy

and

Ecology

chronicled t h e artwork's voyage. It included videos, p h o t o g r a p h s , relics, artworks, journal entries, and other e p h e m e r a , and revisited all t h e i s s u e s — f r o m desertification to rising sea levels—that Waterpod highlighted on its tour. The s h o w ran t h r o u g h April 10, 2010. Photo

by Mary

Mattingly.

H O W MANY BILLBOARDS? ART IN STEAD

Artist Cliff G a r t e n ' s 2009 public installation, SENTIENT BEINGS, m a r k s t h e final p h a s e of t h e North Hollywood ( N o H o ) C o m m o n s redev e l o p m e n t project s p o n s o r e d by t h e City of Los Angeles. The artwork is installed in t h e public plaza of redeveloped N o H o Arts District and c o n s i s t s of eight slender, stainless-steel f o r m s a r r a n g e d in a circle. The highest f o r m reaches 19 feet tall. Each f o r m h a s a gently curving profile that alludes to both t h e h u m a n body and an old-fashioned lantern. Despite being m a d e of steel, t h e f o r m s a p p e a r delicate a n d nearly t r a n s p a r e n t , a n d each o n e h a s been electro-polished to give it a high s h e e n . The piece is illuminated with a full s p e c t r u m of energy-efficient colored lights and is s u r r o u n d e d by d r o u g h t - r e s i s t a n t plants t h a t help m i n i m i z e m a i n t e n a n c e . Sentient Beings is a p e r m a n e n t a n d striking addition to t h e N o H o A r t s s t r e e t s c a p e . Photo

Sudio.

WgM

was a recent installation on billboards a r o u n d Los Angeles, California that featured t h e work of 21 c o n t e m p o r a r y artists. The artists were asked to "critically r e s p o n d to t h e m e d i u m of t h e billboard and interpret its role in t h e urban l a n d s c a p e . " The results highlighted Los Angeles architecture, the roles played by p o p and conceptual art in t h e d e v e l o p m e n t of t h e city, and e n v i r o n m e n t a l c o n c e r n s associated with billboards. The juxtaposition of c o m m e r cial speech and artistic s p e e c h in t h e urban e n v i r o n m e n t was m e a n t t o shift the perspective of viewers and trigger t h o u g h t f u l reflection a b o u t t h e cityscape. The project, which ran t h r o u g h March, also b r o u g h t c o n t e m p o r a r y art to a broad and u n s u s p e c t i n g public with t h e h o p e of spurring viewers to c o n t e m p l a t e their e n v i r o n m e n t and o p e n dialogues for cultural exchange. It was p r e s e n t e d by t h e MAK Center, an arts organization that develops projects that explore t h e intersection of c o n t e m p o r a r y a r t a n d a r c h i t e c t u r e . Photo by Gerard

Smulevich.

U.S. RECENT PROJECTS

San Francisco, California o v e r f l o w s with p o s h galleries a n d m u s e u m s , b u t t h e city's m o s t t a l k e d - a b o u t art exhibit in 2 0 0 9 t o o k place in t h e Tenderloin, a hard-hit, t r a n s i t i o n a l n e i g h b o r h o o d . T h e W O N D E R L A N D exhibit, which ran t h r o u g h N o v e m b e r , w a s c o m p o s e d of 15 large-scale i n s t a l l a t i o n s by 12 a r t i s t s . All t h e p i e c e s w e r e a c c e s s i b l e f r e e t o t h e public. C u r a t o r Lance Fung c a m e u p with t h e idea f o r Wonderland while t e a c h i n g a c o u r s e at t h e San Francisco Art I n s t i t u t e . S o m e of t h e p i e c e s T h e Tufts c a m p u s in B o s t o n , M a s s a c h u s e t t s

t h e t w o d e s i g n e d t h e r o o f t o p s p a c e t o serve as

i n c l u d e Fear Head by R o m a n C e s a r i o & Mitsu

h a s a new m u l t i p u r p o s e courtyard called

a s e r i e s of o u t d o o r " r o o m s " t h a t flow, o n e t o

O v e r s t r e e t , a m u r a l of a terrified girl b e t w e e n

ALEX'S PLACE on t h e roof of t h e Tisch Library.

t h e next, allowing a g r o u p of s t u d e n t s t o s t u d y

t h e f a c e s of t w o m o n s t e r s (this piece b e c a m e

T h e r o o f t o p courtyard is a blend of fine art a n d

in o n e r o o m , while in a n o t h e r r o o m a single

s o p o p u l a r t h a t it will r e m a i n u p indefinitely);

l a n d s c a p e d e s i g n and it offers a mixture of

s t u d e n t c o u l d rest or a g r o u p of faculty

Down

a e s t h e t i c a n d f u n c t i o n a l a m e n i t i e s , including

m e m b e r s could h a v e a lunch m e e t i n g . T h e

p r o s t i t u t e ' s b e d r o o m ; a n d a s t r e t c h of H y d e

c o p i o u s daffodils, h o s t a s , a n d birch t r e e s ; a

w h o l e plaza c o v e r s 11,000 s q u a r e feet.

Street sidewalk p a i n t e d in gold. M o s t of t h e

small a m p h i t h e a t e r for c o n c e r t s or poetry

Alex's Place w a s a gift f r o m A n d r e a a n d

the Rabbit

Hole,

a re-creation of a

a r t i s t s w o r k e d for free. Fung a n d o t h e r s h o p e t h e installation

r e a d i n g s ; and several g a t h e r i n g a r e a s for

Tom Mendell, w h o s e s o n Alex, a Tufts s t u d e n t ,

sitting, studying, a n d socializing. T h e r o o f t o p

died in 2003. Unveiled in April of 2009, t h e

i m p a c t e d t h e lives of Tenderloin r e s i d e n t s ,

also h a s s w e e p i n g views of t h e B o s t o n skyline.

r o o f t o p courtyard is a b o o n n o t just for Tufts

a n d h e l p e d visitors a n d r e s i d e n t s f r o m o t h e r

b u t for t h e g r e a t e r Boston area, which h a s h a d

a r e a s s e e t h i s h a r d - s c r a b b l e n e i g h b o r h o o d in a

Created by Jackie Ferrara, a N e w Y o r k - b a s e d artist, a n d M. Paul Friedberg, an

very few r e c e n t public art installations.

n e w — a n d a r t i s t i c — l i g h t . Photo

internationally r e c o g n i z e d l a n d s c a p e architect,

Photo by Ron Green.

of Bay Area Event

by Doug

Cody

Photgraphy.

At 2 0 0 9 ' s Late S h o w G a r d e n exhibition at t h e C o r n e r s t o n e G a r d e n s in S o n o m a County, California, s c u l p t o r S t e p h e n G l a s s m a n installed BELOW, ABOVE. G l a s s m a n c r e a t e d t h e t e m porary kinetic s c u l p t u r e in just t h r e e d a y s o u t of g a b i o n s , s t o n e , a n d b a m b o o . G l a s s m a n ' s

Lawrence W e i n e r ' s AT T H E SAME M O M E N T

N e w York's G o v e r n o r s Island, a historically

original idea w a s t o c o n s t r u c t a m o s t l y hori-

w a s p a r t o f Plot/09:

significant site. W e i n e r ' s text piece is installed

zontal s c u l p t u r e , b u t o r g a n i z e r s of t h e exhibit

a new public art q u a d r e n n i a l f e a t u r i n g site-

w h e r e all w h o t a k e t h e ferry will s e e it. Today,

p r e s e n t e d him with a bale of local, 40-foot-long

responsive artworks from an international

G o v e r n o r s Island is a location in t r a n s i t i o n — a

b a m b o o b r a n c h e s t h a t called o u t for vertical

c a d r e of artists, including Edgar Arceneaux,

s o r t of n o - m a n ' s - l a n d t h a t n o c u r r e n t g r o u p

placement.

Jill Magid, Teresa Margolles, Tris Vonna-

h a s c l a i m e d — w h i c h m a k e s it ripe for artistic

Michell, a n d Krzysztof W o d i c z k o . Creative

exploration. Visitors c a n e n j o y self-guided

G l a s s m a n ' s sculptural intent with t h e

This World <sj Nearer

Ones,

T i m e , an o r g a n i z a t i o n t h a t c o m m i s s i o n s a n d

walks or bike rides a r o u n d t h e exhibition, or

s t r u c t u r e " while a d h e r i n g to t h e sustainability

c u r a t e s public art, s p e a r h e a d e d Plot09, a s k i n g

join a d o c e n t - l e d tour. Creative T i m e ' s artistic

t h e m e of t h e Late S h o w G a r d e n exhibition.

artists t o c r e a t e work t h a t r e s p o n d s t o t h e site

director, A n n e P a s t e r n a k , says t h a t Creative

Below, Above w a s s i t u a t e d in t h e lowest part of

r a t h e r t h a n work t h a t tries t o beautify it.

T i m e is "thrilled" t o p r o v i d e visitors a

piece w a s t o explore "scale, velocity, m a s s , a n d

a m e a d o w , a n d its vertical e l e m e n t s catch t h e

T h e final c o m m i s s i o n e d w o r k s include

" t i m e l e s s investigation of i d e a s a n d site on

eye of t h e viewer a n d direct t h e m u p t o w a r d

v i d e o p r o d u c t i o n s , architectural s c u l p t u r e s ,

a g r a n d scale." M o r e at w w w . c r e a t i v e t i m e .

p a n o r a m i c views of S o n o m a County.

a n d p e r f o r m a n c e art, a n d all t h e pieces,

org/programs/archive/2009/plotog.

Photo

by virtue of their location, d r a w visitors t o

Photo

by Ben Prey.

by Charlie

Samuels.

U.S. RECENT PROJECTS

T h e Lever H o u s e on Park A v e n u e in M a n h a t t a n is a classic of mid-century m o d e r n a r c h i t e c t u r e . T h e t e m p o r a r y m u l t i m e d i a exhibit/installation

C o m p l e t e d in 1952 as t h e h e a d q u a r t e r s for

MEMORY H O U S E / D E S I R E H O U S E w a s

t h e Lever Brothers C o m p a n y , t h e building

originally c o n c e i v e d by H a r o l d B u r g e s s , t h e

f e a t u r e s a vertical slab of s k y s c r a p e r t h a t

d i r e c t o r of art s c h o l a r s at t h e University of

s e e m s t o float a b o v e a h o r i z o n t a l b a s e . W h e n

Maryland, with artist a n d a r c h i t e c t Ronit

t h e building w a s sold to a real e s t a t e c o m p a n y

E i s e n b a c h , b u t it g r e w t o include m a n y

a n d r e n o v a t e d in 1998, t h e o p e n courtyard in

p a r t i c i p a n t s a n d a w i d e r a n g e of disciplines.

t h e h o r i z o n t a l s e c t i o n b e c a m e a public gallery

Installed in t h e G r a n d Pavilion of t h e

s p a c e for rotating, site-specific installations.

University's p e r f o r m i n g arts c e n t e r o n February 1 2 - 1 9 , 2010, t h e installation c o n s i s t e d of a large, site-specific b a m b o o s t r u c t u r e t h a t h a d b e e n c o n c e i v e d of a n d d e s i g n e d by s t u d e n t s (visually, t h e s t r u c t u r e is akin t o s c a f f o l d i n g ) . A processional performance, choreographed by S h a r o n M a n s u r a n d p e r f o r m e d by s t u d e n t s , took place in, under, a n d a r o u n d t h e s t r u c t u r e . Memory

House/Desire

House w a s

inspired

The m o s t recent installationâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;PORT S U N L I G H T by Richard W o o d s â&#x20AC;&#x201D; f e a t u r e d n i n e high-intensity, c o l o r - s a t u r a t e d p a t t e r n s t h a t a d o r n e d different s t r u c t u r a l e l e m e n t s of t h e o p e n courtyard a n d public a r e a s . T h e p a t t e r n s all h a d a m o c k - T u d o r feel t h a t f u s e d t h e m o d e r n i s t building with a Victorian sensibility. This visual d i s s o n a n c e also c o n n e c t e d t o W o o d s ' c h i l d h o o d a n d t h e a e s t h e t i c t a s t e s of

by a n c i e n t C h i n e s e t r a d i t i o n s a n d building

t h e original Lever family. W o o d s grew u p in

t e c h n i q u e s , a n d w a s i n t e n d e d t o b r o a d e n visi-

C h e s h i r e , England, n e a r Port Sunlight, a m o d e l

tors' philosophical and aesthetical understand-

village built in t h e late n i n e t e e n t h century by

ing of w h a t h o m e a n d place m e a n . T h e instal-

t h e Lever Brothers. Port Sunlight w a s h o m e

lation w a s part of t h e larger p r o j e c t A Chinese

to mock-Tudor h o m e s and an art gallery t h a t

Home, f e a t u r i n g t h e Kronos Q u a r t e t a n d t h e

f e a t u r e d a wealth of p a t t e r n e d textiles. "Both

Wu M a n E n g a g e m e n t Project, a n d c r e a t e d by

g e n e r a t i o n s collected t h e d e s i g n of their t i m e , "

t h e D a n c e a n d A r c h i t e c t u r e d e p a r t m e n t s of t h e

says W o o d s . "I liked t h e idea of c o m p r e s s i n g

U n i v e r s i t y o f M a r y l a n d . Photos by Stan

t h e g e n e r a t i o n s . " Photo by Jesse David

Barouh.

Harris.

T h e c o m m u t e for t h o u s a n d s of New Yorkers g o t a little m o r e m a j e s t i c this January. Artists Allan a n d Ellen Wexler c o l l a b o r a t e d with di D o m e n i c o + P a r t n e r s t o build OVERLOOK, a s c u l p t e d g r a n i t e balcony t h a t overlooks t h e m a i n c o n c o u r s e at t h e new Long Island Rail Road Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn. T h e balcony s i m u l t a n e o u s l y feels architectural a n d organic, evoking t h e s c e n i c overlooks f o u n d in m a n y national parks b u t having t h e rigid lines of a pixilated i m a g e . T h e balcony is

flanked

on either s i d e by t w o g l a s s a n d s t a i n l e s s steel staircases. T h e Wexlers, w h o have c r e a t e d public a r t w o r k s n a t i o n w i d e , w a n t e d Overlook t o be a t r u e d e s t i n a t i o n . Says Ellen Wexler, "We w a n t e d t o c r e a t e a s p a c e w h e r e o n e can s t o p a n d take in t h e d y n a m i c energy, which is as exciting as s t o p p i n g t o take in t h e G r a n d Canyon or o t h e r m a j o r vista." T h e balcony p r o m i s e s to b e c o m e a new Brooklyn l a n d m a r k . Photo by Rob Wilson.

U.S. RECENT PROJECTS

The David Nassif Building in Washington D.C., which h o u s e d the U.S. D e p a r t m e n t o f T r a n s portation for 40 years, h a s been dramatically renovated and r e n a m e d : Constitution Center is looking for new t e n a n t s this year. The m o s t d y n a m i c addition to t h e reinvented building is TRANSFORMATION, a complex light-painting by the internationally renowned mixed-media artist S t e p h e n Knapp. The piece, which begins at t h e D Street e n t r a n c e and flows toward the interior of t h e building, is a g e o m e t r i c tangle of intensely colored light b e a m s that splash along t h e walls and ceilings. The piece, c o m p l e t e d in 2009, celebrates t h e building's rebirth and t h e future. At t h e s a m e time, t h e linear flow of t h e piece quietly evokes t h e building's historic connection to roads, bridges, and t r a n s p o r t a t i o n .

The city of El Paso, Texas h a s t u r n e d materials

Constitution Center w a s renovated with an eye toward sustainability. Over 75 percent of t h e demolition w a s t e w a s recycled and t h e finished structure has LEED Gold certification. Transformation contributed to the " g r e e n n e s s " of t h e building: The energy-efficient lights used in t h e s c u l p t u r e eliminated t h e need for t h e m o r e inefficient public lighting that used to

w a s c h o s e n for t h e project o u t of a g r o u p of

a d o r n t h e e n t r y w a y . Photo courtesy the

o u r e n v i r o n m e n t . Photos

artist.

The new exhibition Double Take, located at Brooklyn's MetroTech Center, is t h e latest in an o n g o i n g program organized by t h e nonprofit arts organization Public Art Fund, t h e MetroTech C o m m o n s Associates, and t h e MetroTech c o m p a n i e s . Curated by Jesse H a m e r m a n and Liz Linden, t h e installation f e a t u r e s six e m e r g i n g artists w h o drew inspiration f r o m an existing e l e m e n t of architecture in and a r o u n d t h e MetroTech building and a d d e d an e l e m e n t of fantasy to it. The goal w a s to create a mirage and force a shift in perception for viewers. Artist Michael DeLucia, for instance, used 13 panels of s t a n d a r d - g a u g e chain-link fence s p a c e d nine inches apart to create fences, a minimalist c u b e that c o m e s to life in many layers w h e n viewed f r o m different angles. Matt Irie and Dominick Talvacchio created Lamppost, which c o n s i s t s of o n e LAMPPOST, in an otherwise u n r e m a r k a b l e row of l a m p p o s t s , that a p p e a r s to have collapsed u n d e r its own weight. A wide crater s u r r o u n d s t h e d r o o p i n g light, s u g g e s t i n g t h a t t h e light had an a l m o s t asteroid-like girth. T h e s e s t r o n g yet seemingly e p h e m e r a l pieces will be up t h r o u g h S e p t e m b e r 10, 2010, bewitching visitors with their wry architectural playfulness. Learn m o r e at www.publicartfund. o r g . Photo by James

Ewing.

f r o m its recycling p r o g r a m into public art. W h e n t h e city drafted plans to build a new Municipal Service Center, it allotted f u n d s

for t h e design, fabrication, a n d installation of p e r m a n e n t public art t h a t provided an "environmentally symbolic image." The result is T W O MOUNTAINS, a s c u l p t u r e built o u t of striations of p i g m e n t e d earth, c r u s h e d a l u m i n u m c a n s and s h r e d d e d r u b b e r tires. The abstract pyramid s h a p e of t h e s c u l p t u r e w a s inspired by t h e Franklin M o u n t a i n range. M i n n e s o t a - b a s e d artist Janet Lofquist prequalified artists. Lofquist h a s installed n u m e r o u s public artworks nationwide. She d r a w s inspiration f r o m geographical a n d geological history. Two Mountains graces t h e

j® " —1

e n t r a n c e t o t h e new Municipal building in El Paso, e n c o u r a g i n g visitors to reflect on t h e

materials t h a t have a significant i m p a c t on

by Christ

Chavez.

INTERNATIONAL RECENT PROJECTS

In March 2009, Alight, a long-term project d e d i c a t e d to exploring, revealing, a n d a n i m a t i n g t h e m u c h - m a l i g n e d Archway area of L o n d o n , invited artist Jane Watt to install the temporary photograph and performance piece TRIP THE LIGHT FANTASTIC on a n d a r o u n d t h e Archway. T h e piece, which w a s u p January 21 t o March 18, 2010, f e a t u r e d 4 0 h u g e t r a n s l u c e n t Public art is playing a large role in t h e redevel-

p h o t o g r a p h s of n e i g h b o r h o o d r e s i d e n t s

o p m e n t of t h e w a t e r f r o n t in Darwin, Australia.

d a n c i n g in f r o n t of t h e Archway. T h e p h o t o s

U r b a n Art Projects (UAP) c o m m i s s i o n e d a n d

w e r e h u n g in office a n d s h o p w i n d o w s a r o u n d

c u r a t e d six m a j o r installations for DARWIN

t h e Archway mall. At night t h e i m a g e s glowed

WATERFRONT STAGE I of t h e r e d e v e l o p m e n t .

f r o m t h e light e m a n a t i n g f r o m t h e buildings.

T h e s e artworks, c o m p l e t e d in 2009, are

A d j a c e n t t o t h e p h o t o s , t h r e e pink b e a m s

s c a t t e r e d a r o u n d a n d n e a r t h e w a t e r f r o n t area.

of light s h o n e d o w n on t h e Archway mall,

Artist M a n d y Ridley d e s i g n e d a t u r q u o i s e a n d - w h i t e o c e a n - t h e m e d s c r e e n of laser-cut

giving p a s s e r s b y a spotlight t o s p o n t a n e o u s l y j u m p into a n d d a n c e . In addition t o t h e

steel t o c o v e r a parking r a m p [pictured above].

i m p r o m p t u d a n c e s this inspired, six public

Screen a n d g l a s s artwork by Matt H u t t l e s t o n e

d a n c e p e r f o r m a n c e s with local d a n c e r s w e r e

a n d W u k u n W a n a m b i h a u n t a wall of w i n d o w s

s c h e d u l e d in t h e pink b e a m s , a n d t a n g o

a n d line an interior hallway at t h e nearby

lessons were offered.

M e d i n a G r a n d Hotel; and a f r a g m e n t e d s p h e r e

Part of Alight's h o p e is t h a t s u c h install-

by Katrina Tyler sits at t h e e n t r a n c e t o t h e

a t i o n s enliven t h e area d u r i n g t h e long, dreary

C o n v e n t i o n C e n t r e [pictured left). T h e collection

slog of winter a n d give Archway r e s i d e n t s

d r a w s on c o a s t a l t h e m e s and r e f e r e n c e s t h e

brief m o m e n t s of e s c a p e a n d delight. Learn

cultural h e r i t a g e of t h e city of Darwin. UAP is

m o r e at w w w . j a n e w a t t p r o j e c t s . c o m a n d www.

a d e s i g n c o n s u l t a n c y t h a t c r e a t e s site-specific

archwayinvestigationsandresponses.org

c o m m i s s i o n s for architectural a n d l a n d s c a p e e n v i r o n m e n t s . Photos by Roger

D'Souza.

Photo courtesy Archway and

Investigations

Responses.

This p a s t S e p t e m b e r , Brazilian artist Nele A z e v e d o carved 1,000 m i n i a t u r e (12-inch) m e n o u t of ice a n d s e t t h e m in Berlin's G e n d a r m e n m a r k t s q u a r e t o melt in t h e s u n . A z e v e d o h a s b e e n installing MELTING MEN in cities w o r l d w i d e s i n c e 2005 as a way t o critique t h e role of m o n u m e n t s in cities, but t h e Berlin installation w a s m e a n t t o s p o t l i g h t t h e World Wildlife F u n d ' s w a r n i n g t h a t sea levels could rise m o r e t h a n t h r e e feet by t h e year 2100. Melting Men is intricate a n d e p h e m e r a l , all t h e while delivering a powerful e n v i r o n m e n tal m e s s a g e . T h e piece also h a s a s t r a n g e , m e s m e r i z i n g beauty as it m e l t s . Within m i n u t e s , t h e installation d r e w a crowd of enchanted onlookers, watching the men d i s a p p e a r . A z e v e d o d o e s n o t c o n s i d e r herself a c l i m a t e activist, b u t s h e is p l e a s e d t h e piece h a s several layers of m e a n i n g . Says Azevedo, "The r e a d i n g a n d i n t e r p r e t a t i o n of an art piece is o p e n ; I'm glad it can a l s o s p e a k of u r g e n t m a t t e r s t h a t t h r e a t e n o u r e x i s t e n c e on t h e p l a n e t . " Photo

by Rosa Merk / WWF

Germany.

INTERNATIONAL RECENT PROJECTS

T h e C o l u m b i a n C o n g r e s s building in Bogota,

T h e large s c u l p t u r a l installation MIMETIC

C o l u m b i a , recently h o u s e d a public art instal-

B R O T H E R H O O D by Peter Trevelyan is t h e

lation t h a t gave p a u s e t o s q u e a m i s h viewers.

s e c o n d work in T h e Four Plinths S c u l p t u r e

C o l u m b i a n artist Rafael G o m e z Barros c r e a t e d

Project, Wellington S c u l p t u r e T r u s t ' s

CASATOMADA, covered t h e f a c a d e , c o l u m n s ,

biennial, t e m p o r a r y installation s h o w c a s i n g

a n d w i n d o w s of t h e building with 1,300 three-

N e w Z e a l a n d ' s s c u l p t u r a l p r a c t i c e s . Located

foot-long, black-and-brown

b e t w e e n Te P a p a a n d t h e Circa T h e a t e r in

fiberglass

replicas

of a n t s . Barros said t h a t t h e work r e p r e s e n t s

Wellington, t h e f o u r p l i n t h s are t w o - m e t e r -

" i m m i g r a t i o n , globalization, a n d d i s p l a c e m e n t .

s q u a r e c o n c r e t e c u b e s c o v e r e d in b l u e s t o n e ;

I'm trying t o f o r c e a reflection on w h a t we

every t w o years a n e w s e r i e s of s c u l p t u r e s

e x p e r i e n c e and s e e on a daily b a s i s , a n d also

a r e p u t o n t h e p l i n t h s . Mimetic

t o raise a w a r e n e s s a b o u t o u r m o n u m e n t s . "

c o m p r i s e s f o u r b u l b o u s , a l m o s t alien-looking

Barros h a s said t h a t Casatomada, which

Brotherhood

s c u l p t u r a l f o r m s , e a c h c o v e r e d in m i r r o r e d

t r a n s l a t e s as " h o u s e o c c u p i e d , " is n o t political;

equilateral t r i a n g l e s . T h e m i r r o r e d t r i a n g l e s

it " d o e s n o t g o beyond artistic e x p r e s s i o n ,

reflect t h e c o n s t a n t l y s h i f t i n g s u r r o u n d i n g s

a n d in a s e n s e is m o r e social t h a n political

in t h e plaza a n d on t h e w a t e r f r o n t .

b e c a u s e it s e e k s to call a t t e n t i o n t o m o n u m e n t s . " T h e work r e m a i n e d on t h e C o n g r e s s -

T h e work, installed in January, will be s e e n by Wellington r e s i d e n t s a n d t h e

ional building t h r o u g h March 26 and w a s

millions of p e o p l e w h o visit its w a t e r f r o n t

t h e n t r a n s f e r r e d to Los H e r o e s m o n u m e n t ,

e a c h year. Mimetic Brotherhood will r e m a i n

located on a m a j o r intersection in Bogota.

u p until t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l Festival of t h e Arts

In J u n e 2010, Casatomada b e g i n s a t o u r of

in 2012, w h e n it will be r e m o v e d t o m a k e

Argentina, Mexico, Chile, t h e United States,

way for t h e next series of s c u l p t u r e s . Learn

C a n a d a , Spain, a n d G e r m a n y .

m o r e at w w w . s c u l p t u r e . o r g . n z .

Photos by Juan

Photo

Carlos

Herrera.

D u r i n g t h e 2 0 0 9 C l i m a t e S u m m i t in C o p e n h a gen, D e n m a r k , t h e G e r m a n art a n d architect u r e g r o u p M a d e r Stublic W i e r m a n n c r e a t e d EXPANDED SPACE, a large-scale light a n d video installation t h a t illuminated t h e f a c a d e of t h e D O N G Energy Power Station each night of the Summit. T h e 145-meter-tall Energy Station h a s a distinct architectural profile visible f r o m t h e air and s u r r o u n d i n g roadways. T h e light p r o j e c t i o n s m o v e d in t i m e with t h e m o v e m e n t of t h e wind. In a d d i t i o n , c u s t o m i z e d v a n s d r o v e a r o u n d t h e area with m o b i l e p r o j e c t o r s t h a t played video in synch with t h e p r o j e c t i o n s on t h e D O N G s t a t i o n . Expanded Space d r e w a t t e n t i o n to i s s u e s of energy a n d e n v i r o n m e n t , a n d it a d d e d a new visible layer t o t h e u r b a n sky. See m o r e p h o t o s at www.webblick.de. Photo by the artists.

by Amy

Schulz.

INTERNATIONAL RECENT PROJECTS

Last s u m m e r , t h e White Street Project, an organization that facilitates innovative projects in c o n t e m p o r a r y art and crossdisciplinary practices in Frankston, Australia, c o m m i s s i o n e d artist and writer Richard Tipping to create a t e m p o r a r y public artwork in t h e Frankston Botanical G a r d e n . The result w a s HEARTH LAWN, a 15-meter by 15-meter (about 49 feet by 49 feet) s q u a r e in t h e grass of t h e Botanical G a r d e n in which Tipping used thick builder's plastic as stencils to kill back g r a s s in t h e s h a p e of letters. The letters spell t h e word " h e a r t h " over and over

again in different iterations s o that the word simultaneously a p p e a r s to be "earth," "heart," "ear," "hear," and "the art." Over six weeks, t h e G a r d e n ' s staff kept t h e grass between t h e letters fertilized and watered while t h e plastic blocked t h e sun. W h e n t h e plastic was removed and t h e g r a s s m o w e d , the yellowed sections of dead g r a s s spelled out Tipping's simple yet multilayered "earth p o e m . " Over t h e next four m o n t h s , t h e g r a s s grew back and Hearth Lawn gradually d i s a p p e a r e d . D o c u m e n t a t i o n of t h e p r o c e s s is available at www.richardtipping.net/

the municipal g o v e r n m e n t of t h e City of Seoul.

Chen Z h e n ' s DANSER LA MUSIQUE was

Photos

c o m m i s s i o n e d by the Swiss organization

bells h a n g i n g on its corners, and h u n d r e d s of smaller bells hanging u n d e r n e a t h t h e t r a m p o l i n e . Four m e n play the Buddhist bells while children d a n c e on t h e t r a m p o l i n e , which rattles t h e smaller bells and m a k e s a happy, joyous music. The interactive piece is a delight to watch and hear. Zhen was born in Shanghai but moved to France to study art. He died in 2000, yet his works c o n t i n u e to reach new audiences, t h a n k s to a friends g r o u p . More at

a r t / h e a r t h - g e t - l a w n e d . Photo by Mark

Themann.

The design firm The Living, f o u n d e d by David Benjamin and Soo-in Yang, specializes in creating forward-thinking, interactive architecture. Their latest project LIVING LIGHT, a public pavilion in Seoul, South Korea that c o m b i n e s architectural e l e m e n t s and t h e graphic representation of data related to t h e air quality in Seoul, w a s c o m p l e t e d in 2009. The dome-like pavilion is m a d e with t r a n s p a r e n t panels etched with a street m a p of t h e city. W h e n air pollution in o n e area of t h e city g o e s d o w n , t h e section of t h e pavilion t h a t c o r r e s p o n d s to that n e i g h b o r h o o d lights up. In this way, p a s s e r s b y are able to " s e e " air quality, s o m e t h i n g that is usually invisible, a n d a whole new a s p e c t of t h e city is illuminated before their eyes. The s a m e system t h a t reads air quality and triggers t h e LED lights on t h e panel is c o n n e c t e d to a hotline that p e o p l e can call to get u p d a t e s on air quality. Living Light is a p e r m a n e n t installation and was c o m m i s s i o n e d by City Gallery and by The

Living.

Art for the World as a "gift" for suffering and impoverished children a r o u n d t h e world. The organization asked 30 artists to create artwork Send your latest public art NEWS and RECENT PROJECTS information to: office@ForecastPublicArt.org

on t h e t h e m e "Gifts for the Suffering Children of the World." Each artwork w a s then judged by a panel that included both adults and children. Danser la Musique w a s voted t h e favorite "gift." Installed in China, t h e piece c o n t a i n s a s q u a r e t r a m p o l i n e with four large Buddhist

w w w . c h e n z h e n . o r g . Photo by Sun

Xiao-xi.

PHOENIX OFFICE OF ARTS AND CULTURE P U B L I C I ™

ART

P R O G R A M

Completed projects, current events, opportunities, publication requests and : ' more information at www.phoenix.gov/arts

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PHOENIX CONVENTION CENTER PUBLIC ART PROJECTS Art has been a critical component of the Phoenix Convention Center since its opening in 1972. This year, the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture Public Art Program celebrates the Center's recent expansion into one of the nation's leading convention venues with the installation of eleven major new works of public art.

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Public Art Program:

Since its inception in 1986, the City of Phoenix's award-winning Public Art Program has produced more than 145 major projects, ranging from the site-specific commissions recently completed at the Convention Center to freeway overpasses, pedestrian bridges, recycling centers, parks, streets, trails, canals and other major urban infrastructure. For additional information on this project contact:

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Raphael Ngotie, Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture Public Art Program: Phone (602)534-8334, Email: raphael.ngotie@phoenix.gov. Or Through City of Phoenix TTY Relay at (602) 534-5500.

Arizona

Handshake,"Stephen

"The Earth Dreaming,"

Farley

"A Moment

Isaiah Zagar

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1 iW:

at the Narrows,

'Troy Moody

-n—IT--

— '

Exposure,

"Halo,"

J a m e x & Einar de la T o r r e

Tm "Arizona

"Art is a Guaranty of Sanity," Louise B o u r g e o i s

. j

Southern

M E

Beach,"

Hirotsune Tashima

f v ;

Wmi

"Social

"Habitat,"Ten

W i l l i a m B e n n i e a n d Kim Cridler

j f

Invertebrates",

T o m Otterness

Eyck L a n d s c a p e A r c h i t e c t s

" i i J*

"Million

Colors,"

Tony Oursler

"Night Blooming

Garden,

Belii Brother

LAST PAG t

DEBORAH

KELLY

e d d e d t o n a t i o n a l i s t a s p i r a t i o n , c o m p e l l e d by will to power, hungry for order a n d for c h a o s , religious

z e a l o t s a r e i n c r e a s i n g l y a c t i v e in p u b l i c life a n d p o l i t i c s . Beware

of the

Cod

is a n a r t w o r k in r e s p o n s e t o t h i s

phenomenon.

T h e p r o j e c t is a f r e e , c r o s s - m e d i a r e s o u r c e r e g a r d i n g t h e i m p a c t s a n d a s p i r a t i o n s o f r e l i g i o u s l i t e r a l i s t s in t h e p u b l i c s p h e r e . It i n c o r p o r a t e s i d e a s a n d r e p o r t a g e f r o m A u s t r a l i a a n d e l s e w h e r e , b e c a u s e a l t h o u g h c o n t e x t is e v e r y t h i n g , a g l o b a l p h e n o m e n o n is a l s o s o m e t h i n g . Beware

of the Cod

i n t e r r o g a t e s t h e rise of politicized

m o n o t h e i s m a n d a i m s t o b r i n g it i n t o t h e v i e w o f c u l t u r e , a n d t o d o c u m e n t s o m e o f its s c o p e , b r e a d t h , and depth.

Initially c o m m i s s i o n e d by t h e M u s e u m o f C o n t e m p o r a r y A r t in S y d n e y , t h e w o r k c o n s i s t s o f m u l t i p l e e p h e m e r a l projections o n t o clouds over Singapore and Sydney H a r b o u r . It h a s b e e n f e a t u r e d in n e w s p a p e r s , b o o k s , online reportage, and magazines around the world— t h o u g h n o t in I r a n , n o r , u n t i l n o w , t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s . An e x t e n s i v e o n l i n e r e s o u r c e a n d a r c h i v e (www. b e w a r e o f t h e g o d . c o m ) — w i t h essays, news, stories, d o s s i e r s , p o s t e r s , links, i m a g e s , free a r t w o r k s t o d o w n load and distribute (including 4 0 , 0 0 0 free p o s t c a r d stickers), a n d invitations to p a r t i c i p a t e — h a s received over 15,000 unique visitors per m o n t h . Just recently, I m e t s o m e o n e w h o h a d s e e n o n e of t h e cloud projections while walking a r o u n d Circular Q u a y in S y d n e y . H e s a i d h e h a d w a n t e d t o fall t o h i s k n e e s . T h i s is exactly

w h a t I h o p e d for. I d i d n ' t w a n t t o m a k e

an artwork that you see and think, " O h yeah, art." I w a n t e d it t o b e m o r e like, Is it...o

DEBORAH

miracle?"

K E L L Y is a Sydney-based

artist whose works have been

shown in the streets, skies, and galleries around Australia, in the

Singapore

and Venice Biennales, and elsewhere. She is represented by Gallery Barry Keldoulis. More at www.forget2forget.net and

www.bewareofihegod.com.

Pam Beyette Nature's Filter Environmental Services Facility,Charlotte, NC rogram â&#x20AC;˘ Arts & Science Council, Charlotte, NC â&#x20AC;˘ Sarah Gay, Project Manager

Mixed Sources

v ...

City of Richmond Public Art Program congratulates Janet Echelman on her public art

contribution to the Richmond Olympic Oval, British Columbia, Canada

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Water Sky Garden, 2010 Cedar, rock, water, air-bubble fountains, steel, Tenara® architectural fiber, 8t lighting.

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