Public Art Review issue 27 - 2002 (fall/winter)

PublicArtReview HISTORY LESSON

A

38K1P VOLUME

14

NUMBER

ISSUE

I -

I

27

7.50

FALL . W T R 02 ?

I

*

FOREWORD Laura Weber

YEAR AGO IN THIS SPACE (NUTS

*

AND

BOLTS,

PAR # 2 5 ) , T H E E D I T O R S W E R E STRUCK HY HOW EAC'.H

j — \ a u t h o r r e f e r r e d t o t h e "early years o f p u b l i c art's o r i g i n s as ail 'official' field in t h e -L-

- A - U n i t e d S t a t e s " — o c c u r r i n g all o f t w e n t y - f i v e o r t h i r t y years ago. In PAR # 2 7 ,

History

Lesson, t h e a u t h o r s d r a w o n sources s e v e n t y - f i v e t o a l m o s t 150 years old, f r o m

m u s i c c r e a t e d in C h i c a g o ' s e t h n i c n e i g h b o r h o o d s o f t h e i n d u s t r i a l era t o t h e l o n g s h a d o w still cast by N e w Deal p u b l i c art p r o g r a m s .

P e n n y Balkin B a c h was m o v e d to t h i n k even m o r e broadly. S h e c o n d u c t e d an i n f o r m a l survey o f colleagues, asking t h e m t o list t h e t w e l v e m o s t significant p u b l i c art w o r k s o f all time. T h e resulting list b e g i n s w i t h t h e cave paintings o f Lascaux a n d S t o n e h e n g e a n d is f o l l o w e d by t h e P y r a m i d s a n d G r e a t S p h i n x o f E g y p t .

As this glimpse o f h e r " t o p t h r e e " hints at, if w e l o o k back far e n o u g h , b o u n d a r i e s b l u r b e t w e e n p u b l i c a r t — a s w e have c o m e t o k n o w it in t h e last t h r e e d e c a d e s — a n d religious shrines, a r c h i t e c t u r e , a n d traditional f i n e art. R a t h e r t h a n d e v e l o p i n g a l o n g an orderly a n d u n c o n t e n t i o u s trajectory, p u b l i c art's h i s t o r y in t h e U n i t e d States has b e e n a n d c o n t i n u e s t o b e d e f i n e d by a series of debates a n d o p p o s i t i o n s , as e a c h o f t h e a u t h o r s in History Lesson p o i n t s o u t .

Bach goes o n to use R o d i n ' s " d a r i n g " in e n v i s i o n i n g p u b l i c m o n u m e n t as "expressive i n t e r p r e t a t i o n r a t h e r t h a n an idealized n a r r a t i v e " as a p e g o n w h i c h to h a n g w h a t she feels is p u b l i c art's central issue today: " h o w to p r o m o t e a u t h e n t i c c o m m u n i t y e n g a g e m e n t a n d at t h e same t i m e create a m e a n i n g f u l f r a m e w o r k f o r t h e m o s t creative o u t c o m e . " C a r y l C h r i s t i a n - L e v y sketches t h e b i r t h o f m o d e r n p u b l i c art in t h e early t w e n t i e t h c e n t u r y as it e m e r g e d o u t o f schisms t a k i n g place in t h e larger art w o r l d b e t w e e n realists a n d abstractionists, a d i a l o g u e that has c o n t i n u e d to this day. C o n t r a s t i n g m o d e r n i s m ' s a c c e p t a n c e in p u b l i c a r c h i t e c t u r e by m i d - c e n t u r y w i t h c o m m u n i t y based (and visually literal) N e w D e a l - n u r t u r e d p u b l i c art, C h r i s t i a n - L e v y asks us t o r e e x a m i n e t h e s o m e t i m e s d e r i d e d p h e n o m e n o n of " p l o p a r t " as a possible response t o t h e m o n u m e n t a l scale o f t h e b u i l d i n g s they c o m p l e m e n t e d .

M a u r e e n Sherlock's e x a m i n a t i o n o f C h i c a g o ' s p o p u l i s t p u b l i c art since 1 9 6 7 n o t e s that tensions b e t w e e n " g l o b a l " a n d " l o c a l " o u t l o o k s have resulted in t w o types o f p u b l i c art. T h e f o r m e r claims, t h r o u g h its use o f "universal f o r m a l i s m , " t h a t p u b l i c art c o u l d o c c u r a n y w h e r e ; t h e latter is "site specific." H a f t h o r Y n g v a s o n ' s l o o k at c o n s e r v a t i o n issues in a m e d i u m that is o f t e n transient e x a m i n e s h o w , since t h e 1960s, " a u t o n o m o u s a r t w o r k " has b e e n d e v a l u e d in t h e face o f a n e w emphasis o n process over p r o d u c t . H e c a u t i o n s against easy dualisms that e q u a t e c o m m u n i t y - b a s e d , processo r i e n t e d art as t e m p o r a r y (and s o m e h o w m o r a l l y s u p e r i o r ) a n d t h e negative m o d e r n r e a c t i o n against t h e lasting materials used in t r a d i t i o n a l s c u l p t u r e . B r i a n M c M a h o n ' s p h o t o essay, h o w e v e r , s h o w s that even t h e age o f civic b o o s t e r i s m at t h e e n d o f t h e n i n e t e e n t h c e n t u r y , associated in o u r m i n d s w i t h b r o n z e generals on horses, p r o d u c e d its o w n c o m m u n i t y - b a s e d , t e m p o r a r y p u b l i c art: t r i u m p h a l arches a n d t h e parades that marched beneath them.

E n j o y — n o t a single date n e e d b e m e m o r i z e d to pass this History

Lesson!

Laura W e b e r is a Minneapolis w r i t e r and historian. She w a s c o a u t h o r of F O R E C A S T ' S 1994 b o o k l e t Public Art in Minnesota and s e r v e d o n F O R E C A S T ' S B o a r d f r o m 1 9 9 5 - 2 0 0 1 .

PublicArtReview HISTORY LESSON

features LESSONS LEARNED

P U B L I C ART P A R A D O X

THE PAST INFORMS THE FUTURE

Caryl Christian-Levy

TEMPORALITY AND LONGEVITY

MARCHES AND ARCHES

H a f t h o r Y n g v a s o n 22

Brian M c M a h o n

12

27

Penny Balkin Bach 4 OF B O V I N E S , B U S K E R S , A N D

BEAUTIES

C H I C A G O ' S P O P U L I S T P U B L I C ART

Maureen Sherlock

16

reports ath exhibition

reviews

N E W D E A L ART R E V I S I T E D

THE BIG PICTURE

E V O K I N G HISTORY:

FORECAST UPDATE

Dianne Cripe 31

Susan T o d d - R a q u e 34

T H E M E M O R Y OF L A N D ;

F O R E C A S T Staff

40

T H E M E M O R Y OF W A T E R

Neill Bogan 37

book reviews O N E PLACE AFTER A N O T H E R :

TAKING THE TRAIN:

S I T E - S P E C I F I C ART A N D

H O W GRAFFITI ART B E C A M E

LOCATIONAL IDENTITY

A N U R B A N C R I S I S IN N E W

Deborah Karasov 41

Y O R K CITY

listings 43

Moira F. Harris 41

PUBLIC ART REVIEW

© 2 0 0 2 Public Art Review

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acknowledgments

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LESSONS LEARNED T H E PAST I N F O R M S T H E F U T U R E

Penny Balkin Bach

-w-

-mr

\

\ V

-J-

H E T H E R H I S T O R I C O R C O N T E M P O R A R Y , FIGURATIVE O R ABSTRACT, M O N U M E N T A L

OR

/ h u m a n - s c a l e , p e r m a n e n t o r t e m p o r a r y , u r b a n o r r u r a l , u s e f u l o r useless, V p u b l i c art is a m e t a p h o r f o r o u r t i m e a n d place. H o w have critical m o m e n t s ,

w o r k s , a n d t r e n d s in p u b l i c art c o n t r i b u t e d t o w h a t w e k n o w a n d w h a t w e c a n l e a r n ?

W h a t m a k e s o u r pulse race o r o u r b l o o d boil? In p u r s u i t o f a t r a j e c t o r y of p u b l i c art, I c o n d u c t e d a v e r y u n s c i e n t i f i c , i n f o r m a l survey a m o n g c o l l e a g u e s a n d artists. I w a n t e d t o l o o k at a g r o u p o f " i m p o r t a n t " w o r k s o f p u b l i c art a n d m a k e s o m e o b s e r v a t i o n s a b o u t t h e m . A f t e r I m a d e m y o w n list, I asked a s a m p l e o f artists a n d p u b l i c art p r o fessionals to list t w e l v e significant w o r k s o f p u b l i c art o f all t i m e . F a m e o r scale, I s u g gested, w e r e n o t necessarily c r i t e r i a f o r i n c l u s i o n . T h e overall results w e r e r e m a r k a b l y close t o m y o r i g i n a l list. 1 As t h e responses a r r i v e d , I f o u n d myself t h i n k i n g o f T s e n g K w o n g C h i , w e a r i n g a M a o suit, reflective black sunglasses, a n d a b a d g e a t t a c h e d t o his u p p e r breast p o c k e t that read " V i s i t o r : S l u t F o r A r t " — w i t h a cable release t h a t t r i g g e r e d his c a m e r a ' s s h u t t e r . O v e r a t e n - y e a r p e r i o d , until his d e a t h in 1 9 9 0 , T s e n g p h o t o g r a p h e d himself in By row, f r o m left to r i g h t

f r o n t o f m o r e t h a n 150 m o n u m e n t s , cultural landscapes, a n d t o u r i s t a t t r a c t i o n s a r o u n d

( 1 s t r o w l e f t ) A v e b u r y , England,

t h e w o r l d t o create his East M e e t s West Series. A m o n g his sites o f call w e r e t h e S t a t u e o f

U.K. ( r i g h t ) Petroglyphs, Albuquerque,

Liberty, M o u n t R u s h m o r e , a n d t h e L i n c o l n M e m o r i a l . P l a y i n g o n w e s t e r n s t e r e o t y p e s

N.M.

o f A s i a n s — p a r t i c u l a r l y t h e Asian t o u r i s t w i t h c a m e r a — h e saw h i m s e l f as " a n inquisitive

P h o t o s by Penny Balkin B a c h ©

traveler, a witness o f m y t i m e , a n d an a m b i g u o u s a m b a s s a d o r . " 2 T s e n g was o n a j o u r n e y

1998 and 2002.

that e x p l o r e d cultural s y m b o l s , societal a s s u m p t i o n s , i d e n t i t y politics, t o u r i s t i c o n s , a n d

Fairmount Park A r t Association

(2nd r o w left) Angkor Wat, Cambodia.

P h o t o by Jackson F o r d e r e r 2 0 0 2 ( r i g h t ) Ryoan-ji Rock Garden, n e a r

rituals o f m e m o r y . " T u t , t u t , child," said t h e D u c h e s s in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures

in

Wonderland. " E v e r y t h i n g ' s g o t a m o r a l if o n l y y o u c a n f i n d it." C u l t u r a l s y m b o l s i n t e r pret and reconcile the p h e n o m e n a of o u r world with the uncertainty of the h u m a n

Kyoto, Japan.

f u t u r e . W e d e p e n d o n m o n u m e n t s a n d a r t w o r k s t o establish ideas in t i m e in o r d e r t o

P h o t o by Clifton Olds, Bowdoin

p r e s e r v e t h e m in m e m o r y , a n d w e e x p e c t t h e m t o b e e n d u r i n g . B u t l e a d e r s f r o m

College

a r o u n d t h e w o r l d c o u l d n o t save t h e t w o a n c i e n t B u d d h a s c a r v e d i n t o t h e cliffs of

( 3 r d r o w left) G u t z o n Borglum,

B a m i y a n , A f g h a n i s t a n , a key link a l o n g t h e Silk R o a d t r a d e r o u t e . A t 175 feet a n d 120

Mount Rushmore, South

feet, t h e statues w e r e t h e tallest s t a n d i n g B u d d h a s in t h e w o r l d . Taliban leader M u l l a h

Dakota.

M u h a m m a d O m a r was p r o u d l y r e s p o n s i b l e f o r t h e d e s t r u c t i o n o f t h e B u d d h a s h e

P h o t o by Ken Justich 2 0 0 2

d e e m e d so offensive t o Islam. T h i s t r a g e d y e p i t o m i z e s t h e e x t r e m e s o f t h e w o r l d ' s c u l -

( r i g h t ) E e r o Saarinen, Gateway Arch, Saint Louis, Mo. P h o t o b y a r t o n f i l e . c o m © 1998

05

tural a n d aesthetic conflicts.

T h e r e are c e r t a i n h i s t o r i c a l t r a j e c t o r i e s in p u b l i c art, as t h e s u r v e y results r e i n f o r c e d . T h e artist's p r o f o u n d l y difficult task, t h e n , is t o a c k n o w l e d g e t h o s e

( 4 t h r o w l e f t ) Richard S e r r a , Tilted Arc ( r e m o v e d 1989), N e w

p a t h s w h i l e also c r e a t i n g o r i g i n a l w o r k . T h i s c h a l l e n g e is a d d r e s s e d b y artist J o y c e

York City, N.Y.

K o z l o f f , w h o l a m e n t s t h e m y r i a d derivative w o r k s t h a t f o l l o w in t h e p a t h o f g e n u i n e

P h o t o by a r t o n f i l e . c o m ©

i n n o v a t i o n . 3 C u l t u r a l t h e o r i s t J o h n C l a u s e r explains this cycle by p o i n t i n g t o t h e s c i e n -

( r i g h t ) Maya Lin, Vietnam Veterans Memor/a/, W a s h i n g t o n , D . C .

P h o t o c o u r t e s y University of S o u t h e r n California 1982

tific w o r l d , w h e r e e v o l u t i o n is t h e survival r e s p o n s e o f t h e earth's o r g a n i s m s d u r i n g p e r i o d s o f stressful c h a n g e . " I n h u m a n s , t h e survival r e s p o n s e is creativity, a n a t u r a l p r o c e s s t h a t r e s e m b l e s b i r t h , g r o w t h , a n d d e c a y in t h e b i o l o g i c a l w o r l d . In society.

P u b l i c A r t R e v i e w . FALL. WTR.02

scale that can o n l y b e a p p r e c i a t e d f r o m t h e sky. In t h e U n i t e d States, t h e S e r p e n t M o u n d s in c e n t r a l

Ohio

w e n d t h e i r way i n t o t h e v o c a b u l a r y o f p u b l i c art. T h e astonishing landscape we have i n h e r i t e d continues to inspire artists w h o seek t o reveal o r r e c o n c i l e t h e natural w o r l d — f o r e x a m p l e , R o b e r t S m i t h s o n ' s Spiral Jetty 6

G r e a t Salt Lake, U t a h ; Walter D e Maria's Lightning

in

Field

n e a r Q u i m a d o , N e w M e x i c o ; M i c h a e l Heizer's City

in

c e n t r a l N e v a d a ; a n d A n d y G o l d s w o r t h y ' s The wall that went for a walk in C u m b r i a , E n g l a n d . R i c h a r d L o n g ' s walks at v a r i o u s times a n d places also f o l l o w this t r a d i tion o f p a c i n g a n d m e a s u r i n g t h e e a r t h .

T H E L A N G U A G E OF L A N D S C A P E

T h e landscape is n o t o n l y a m e d i u m f o r a r t - m a k i n g b u t a m o d e l a n d i n s p i r a t i o n as w e l l . T h e T s e n g K w o n g Chi, New York, NY,

s t r i k i n g similarities o f desert l a n d f o r m s a n d t h e a r c h i t e c -

f r o m East M e e t s W e s t Series.

t u r e o f a n c i e n t E g y p t have b e e n e x p l o r e d by p h o t o g r a -

P h o t o c o u r t e s y M u n a T s e n g D a n c e P r o j e c t s © 1979

pher

Thomas

Miller. " W h a t

is s u r p r i s i n g

is

that

creative responses t o t h e w o r l d c o m e i n t o b e i n g , reach a

h i s t o r i a n s s e l d o m m e n t i o n t h e d e s e r t as a s o u r c e o f

p e a k o f usefulness, a n d t h e n g o i n t o d e c l i n e , as c o n s t a n t

i n s p i r a t i o n . . . . | H ] i s t o r y tells us that t h e art a n d a r c h i t e c -

cultural t r a n s f o r m a t i o n sets u p a p e r p e t u a l d e m a n d f o r

t u r e o f a n c i e n t E g y p t are creations o f t h e m i n d o f m a n ;

new

innovation

t h e desert tells us that they are translations f r o m t h e l a n -

resembles t h e biological i m p e r a t i v e f o r ceaseless r e p r o -

guage of landscape."7 An evocative expression of the

d u c t i o n . " A c c o r d i n g t o C l a u s e r , " C r e a t i v i t y a n d vision

p o e t i c s o f l a n d s c a p e is f o u n d in t h e Z e n g a r d e n s o f

always b e g i n at t h e i n t e r s e c t i o n o f n e e d a n d desire." 4 In

Japan, typified by R y o a n - j i outside of Kyoto. Isamu

thinking. T h e

endless d e m a n d

for

p u b l i c art, these i n t e r s e c t i o n s a n d p r o j e c t i o n s are w h e r e t h e past i n f o r m s t h e f u t u r e . 5

Bamiyan B u d d h a ( b e f o r e d e s t r u c t i o n ) , A f g h a n i s t a n .

Bamiyan B u d d h a s w e r e o n t h e W o r l d M o n u m e n t s W a t c h List of 100 Most

M A K I N G OUR

Endangered

MARK

T h e p o w e r f u l , instinctive desire to give m e a n i n g a n d i d e n t i t y t o a place c o n n e c t s t h e spiritual a n d natural w o r l d s t h r o u g h art. O u r Paleolithic ancestors incised, carved, a n d p a i n t e d vivid i m a g e s o n rocks a n d in t h e dark recesses o f caves in Spain, France, Z i m b a b w e , a n d S o u t h A f r i c a — o u r earliest e x a m p l e o f a p u b l i c art.

W h i l e w e can o n l y s p e c u l a t e a b o u t t h e

motivations

b e h i n d t h e cave p a i n t i n g s , t h e y e v o k e a sense o f t h e s u b l i m e in t h e i r e n v e l o p i n g a n d magical t a k e o v e r o f i n t e r i o r space. W e are similarly e m b r a c e d by G i o t t o ' s frescoes in the

Capella

degli Scrovegni

in P a d u a , Italy;

neck-

s t r e t c h e d by M i c h e l a n g e l o ' s Sistine C h a p e l in t h e Vati06

Sites, a p r o g r a m of t h e W o r l d M o n u m e n t s Fund.

P h o t o by B. Kassal, W o r l d M o n u m e n t s F u n d ©

can; unsettled by the murals of D i e g o Rivera; and s u s p e n d e d by t h e p a i n t i n g s i n t h e R o t h k o C h a p e l in Houston,Texas.

OF T H E E A R T H

A n o t h e r o v e r t u r e t o s u b l i m i t y has b e e n to t r a n s f o r m t h e earth's surface. T h e N a z c a Lines in t h e P e r u v i a n d e s e r t have left a p o w e r f u l i m p r e s s i o n , q u i t e literally, as strange a n d i n e x p l i c a b l e s y m b o l s a n d pictures o f birds a n d beasts e t c h e d i n t o t h e g r o u n d o n a h u g e P u b l i c A r t R e v i e w . FALL. WTR.02

>t

N o g u c h i visited such sites, a n d h e r e g a r d e d his s c u l p t u r e ,

R o b e r t S m i t h s o n , Spiral Jetty. April 1970, G r e a t Salt Lake, U t a h ,

p a r t i c u l a r l y his p u b l i c p r o j e c t s , as p a r t o f this h i s t o r i c

black r o c k , salt c r y s t a l s , e a r t h , r e d w a t e r (algae).

c o n t i n u u m . His g a r d e n f o r t h e

UNESCO

h e a d q u a r t e r s in

Paris is a c o n s u m m a t e e x a m p l e o f his e n c o u n t e r s w i t h

E s t a t e of R o b e r t S m i t h s o n .

P h o t o by G i a n f r a n c o G o r g o n i , c o u r t e s y J a m e s C o h a n Gallery, N e w York, collection of DIA C e n t e r f o r t h e A r t s , N e w Y o r k

t h e natural a n d t h e f a b r i c a t e d . E v e n g r e a t e r c o n t r a s t is a f f o r d e d by Alan Sonfist's Time Landscape in N e w York City, w h e r e h e r e c r e a t e d a p r e c o l o n i a l forest in t h e m i d s t

( b e l o w ) Isamu N o g u c h i , Gardens For UNESCO, Paris, F r a n c e .

P h o t o c o u r t e s y T h e Isamu N o g u c h i Foundation, Inc.

of S o H o ' s g e n t r i f i c a t i o n . A m o r e overtly activist o r e c o -

t h e G r e a t S p h i n x in E g y p t , t h e B u d d h i s t t e m p l e s o f

logical a p p r o a c h t o w a r d t h e e n v i r o n m e n t is e x e m p l i f i e d

B o r o b u d u r in I n d o n e s i a , a n d t h e E a s t e r Island ( M o a i )

by M e l C h i n ' s Revival

Field in Pig's E y e Landfill, Saint

statues o f f t h e coast o f C h i l e , f o r e x a m p l e , leave v i e w e r s

Paul, M i n n e s o t a , a n d H e l e n M a y e r H a r r i s o n a n d N e w -

agape in t h e f a c e o f t h e i r scale a n d mystery. G u t z o n B o r -

t o n H a r r i s o n ' s Peninsula

g l u m s o u g h t t h e s a m e massive scale at M o u n t R u s h m o r e

Europe.

in S o u t h D a k o t a , a n d E e r o Saarinen's Gateway Arch m a r r i e d s o a r i n g scale t o t e c h n o l o g y .

CELESTIAL W O N D E R

T h e r e are m a n y s t r u c t u r e s w h o s e o r i -

Attitudes about monumentality

were

gins are r o o t e d in sacred a n d c e r e m o n i a l use a n d t r a d i -

forever altered by Claes O l d e n b u r g and C o o s j e van

tions

B r u g g e n . " T h e p r o d u c t . . . i s an i c o n w h i c h

but

that

persist

as

aesthetic

monuments.

collects

S t o n e h e n g e a n d A v e b u r y i n Wiltshire, E n g l a n d ; t h e vast

m e a n i n g instead o f p r o j e c t i n g it," o b s e r v e d R . H . F u c h s . 8

A n g k o r Wat t e m p l e , t o m b , a n d o b s e r v a t o r y c o m p l e x in

T h i s holds t r u e especially f o r O l d e n b u r g ' s Clothespin

C a m b o d i a ; a n d t h e t e m p l e s at C h i c h e n Itza in M e x -

P h i l a d e l p h i a , his Batcolumn

i c o — a l l are aligned w i t h t h e solstice a n d o f f e r a s p e c t a -

a n d van B r u g g e n ' s Spoonbridge

cle of light that hints at t h e i r o r i g i n a l uses a n d spiritual

lis. S u r v e y r e s p o n d e n t E d L e v i n e w r o t e o f t h e

m e a n i n g s . J a m e s T u r r e l l c o n t i n u e s this r e v e l a t i o n a s t r o n o m i c a l a l i g n m e n t s w i t h his Roden

of

Crater p r o j e c t

n e a r Flagstaff, A r i z o n a , w h e r e h e is t r a n s f o r m i n g a b o w l s h a p e d v o l c a n i c c r a t e r t o f o c u s a t t e n t i o n 011 t h e p h e n o m e n o n o f ' c e l e s t i a l vaulting."

MONUMENTALITY

T h e i m m e n s e scale o f so m a n y m o n u m e n t s o f t h e a n c i e n t w o r l d is all t h e m o r e impressive a n d c o m p e l l i n g today b e c a u s e w e realize w h a t feats o f technical innovation they represent. T h e Pyramids and

in

in C h i c a g o , a n d O l d e n b u r g and Cherry in M i n n e a p o Batcolumn,

( a b o v e ) C o n s t a n t i n Brancusi, Endless Column.Targu-Jiu,

Romania.

Endless Column is a p r o j e c t of t h e W o r l d M o n u m e n t s Fund.

P h o t o by K . A I f o r d , W o r l d M o n u m e n t s F u n d © ( l e f t ) C l a e s O l d e n b u r g , Clothespin, Philadelphia, Pa. P h o t o by H o w a r d B r u n n e r © 1983

" I t captures a city's h e a r t w i t h o u t t h e bluster o f statues."

u e d w i t h H e n r y M o o r e ' s Reclining

Figure at L i n c o l n

J e f f K o o n s ' f o r t y - f o o t Puppy, first s h o w n in Arolsen, G e r -

C e n t e r ; Pablo Picasso's Untitled in C h i c a g o ; a n d A l e x a n -

many, and fashioned of 2 0 , 0 0 0 planted flowers, broke

d e r Calder's La Grand Vitesse in G r a n d R a p i d s , M i c h i -

every m o n u m e n t a l r u l e as it s h o w e d u p in u n e x p e c t e d

g a n . C o n s t a n t i n Brancusi's t h r e e - p a r t Endless

places a r o u n d t h e w o r l d .

Column,

Gate of the Kiss, Table of Silence in T a r g u - J i u , R o m a n i a is an e x a m p l e o f p l a c e m a k i n g t h a t c o m b i n e s f o r m a n d

URBAN

f u n c t i o n . Brancusi i n f l u e n c e d Isamu N o g u c h i , Scott

PLACEMAKING

Monuments

illustrate

how

artworks

B u r t o n , a n d an e n t i r e p u b l i c art mission to e x p l o r e , in

s i m u l t a n e o u s l y arise f r o m a n d c o m e t o d e f i n e a p a r t i c -

B u r t o n ' s w o r d s , t h e "social e c o l o g y of t h e site" by c r e -

ular place. P l a c e m a k i n g , as t h e p r e v i o u s e x a m p l e s illus-

a t i n g an " o u t d o o r living r o o m . " 1 0

trate, can h a p p e n a n y w h e r e , b u t t h a t f u n c t i o n of p u b l i c art is p a r t i c u l a r l y p o w e r f u l in cities. A r t , a r c h i t e c t u r e ,

M E A N I N G , CONTENT, AND

a n d p l a c e m a k i n g c a m e t o g e t h e r in t h e A c r o p o l i s , t h e

IDENTITY

Besides r e f l e c t i n g a n d eventually i n f l u -

P a r t h e n o n , and the P a r t h e n o n Frieze (which inspired

e n c i n g t h e e t h o s o f a p a r t i c u l a r place, p u b l i c art can

e n d l e s s n a r r a t i v e r e l i e f s c u l p t u r e ) in A t h e n s , G r e e c e .

e m b o d y social c o n v i c t i o n s a n d p e r s o n a l v a l u e s . T h e

Likewise, t h e f o r m a n d m e a n i n g o f t h e Trevi F o u n t a i n

artist w h o c h a l l e n g e d c o n v e n t i o n a n d t r a n s f o r m e d t h e

i n R o m e , Italy are i n e x t r i c a b l y l i n k e d t o t h e h i s t o r y

possibilities f o r p u b l i c m o n u m e n t s f r o m idealized n a r r a -

a n d f a b r i c o f t h e city itself. 9 N o w p r i m a r i l y a t o u r i s t

tives t o expressive i n t e r p r e t a t i o n was A u g u s t e R o d i n . In

a t t r a c t i o n , t h e f o u n t a i n o r i g i n a t e d i n t h e social a n d

The Burghers of Calais h e c e l e b r a t e d n o t an i n d i v i d u a l b u t

political

center,

t h e actions of a g r o u p a n d b r o u g h t t h e s c u l p t u r e o f f its

aqueduct.

pedestal by p l a c i n g t h e figures at g r o u n d level o n t h e

conditions

of a developing

urban

b e g i n n i n g w i t h its w a t e r s o u r c e — A g r i p p a ' s Likewise, Michelangelo's Rivers Fountain

David

and

Bernini's

Four

also reflect t h e m e t a p h o r s a n d m y t h s of

t h e Italian R e n a i s s a n c e .

08

C o m m e m o r a t i n g the centenary of the F r e n c h R e v o l u t i o n , G u s t a v e Eiffel's p i o n e e r i n g design was built f o r t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l E x h i b i t i o n o f Paris o f 1 8 8 9 , a n d t h e Eiffel T o w e r r e m a i n s t h e w o r l d ' s m o s t i d e n t i f i a b l e u r b a n l a n d m a r k . T h e idea t h a t p u b l i c art w o u l d call a t t e n t i o n to itself a n d e n r i c h an increasingly b l e a k p u b l i c e n v i r o n m e n t i n s p i r e d t h e first " p e r c e n t f o r - a r t " p r o g r a m s in t h e U n i t e d States in P h i l a d e l p h i a in 1 9 5 9 . T h e m o d e r n i s t s t r a t e g y o f p l a c e m a k i n g by m e a n s o f a u t o n o m o u s a r t w o r k s in p u b l i c plazas c o n t i n -

P u b l i c A r t R e v i e w . FALL. WTR.02

specific site w h e r e t h e six b u r g h e r s v o l u n t e e r e d t o die. ( b e l o w a n d r i g h t ) N i c o l a Salvi, Trevi Fountain and e n v i r o n s , R o m e , Italy.

P h o t o s by Penny Balkin B a c h © 2 0 0 2 , F a i r m o u n t Park A r t Association

R o d i n ' s TheThinker

was n o t a m o n u m e n t t o D a n t e , as

originally c o n c e i v e d , n o r was it a m e m o r i a l t o a p a r t i c u lar d e a d h e r o o r a revered civic leader, b u t r a t h e r a c e l e b r a t i o n o f all artists, intellectuals, a n d w o r k e r s . R o d i n ' s d a r i n g vision is a g u i d e p o s t f o r w h a t I t h i n k is t h e c e n tral issue in today's p u b l i c a r t — n a m e l y , h o w t o p r o m o t e a u t h e n t i c c o m m u n i t y e n g a g e m e n t a n d at t h e s a m e t i m e create a m e a n i n g f u l f r a m e w o r k for the most creative artistic o u t c o m e . T h i s q u e s t c o n t i n u e s w i t h

programs

such as Spoleto's Places w i t h a Past (1991) a n d t h e Fairm o u n t Park Art Association's N e w ' L a n d ' M a r k s (1998).

INDIVIDUAL EXPRESSION AND PUBLIC

ENGAGEMENT

W h i l e in r e c e n t years i n d i v i d u a l e x p r e s sion in p u b l i c art has b e e n criticized as e g o c e n t r i c a n d l a c k i n g in p u b l i c responsiveness, t h e fact is that t h e f o r c e of individual artists—themselves sometimes

isolated

f r o m t h e p u b l i c a n d t h e art w o r l d — h a s left u n f o r g e t t a b l e a n d s i n g u l a r c o n t r i b u t i o n s t o p u b l i c art. t h i n k s o f A n t o n i o G a u d i ' s Guell

Park in

One

Barcelona,

A u g u s t e R o d i n , The Thinker, Paris, F r a n c e .

P h o t o f r o m historic p o s t c a r d , 1923

S i m o n R o d i a ' s Watts Towers in Los A n g e l e s , a n d N e k C h a n d ' s Rock Garden in C h a n d i g a r h , India.

r a t h e r t h a n alphabetical o r d e r , M a y a Lin's m o v i n g

B u t t h e h i s t o r y o f p u b l i c art is also a

nam Veterans Memorial

Viet-

in W a s h i n g t o n , D . C . has m a d e t h e

r e m i n d e r o f h o w art has h e l p e d give societies s h a p e a n d

act o f visiting a n d l o c a t i n g a n a m e a shared p u b l i c e x p e -

e x p r e s s i o n by f o s t e r i n g p a r t i c i p a t i o n a n d c o m m u n i t y

r i e n c e — a w o r k always in process.

e n g a g e m e n t . M a r c e l D u c h a m p ' s idea t h a t t h e v i e w e r AESTHETIC AND UTILITARIAN

c o m p l e t e s t h e w o r k o f art holds especially t r u e f o r p u b lic art. C h r i s t o a n d J e a n n e - C l a u d e ' s Wrapped Berlin,

1971-1995,

was a c o m p l e x

OSMOSIS

Reichstag,

A r t i s t s e n g a g e e x i s t i n g s t r u c t u r e s , as

[see PAR # 1 0 a n d # 1 8 ] f o r e x a m p l e ,

C h r i s t o a n d J e a n n e - C l a u d e have f a m o u s l y d o n e ; t h e y

and

forge creations o u t of the u r b a n and rural landscape

i n v o l v i n g t h e art w o r l d , t h e political arena, a n d t h e p u b -

drama spanning three decades

a n d place o b j e c t s in t h e e n v i r o n m e n t . O t h e r artists c o l -

lic. W o r k o n this t r u l y b r e a t h - t a k i n g p r o j e c t e n c o m -

l a b o r a t e w i t h designers in p l a n n i n g o r c r e a t i n g utilitar-

passed almost every aspect o f p u b l i c p a r t i c i p a t i o n .

ian f o r m s that f u n c t i o n as p u b l i c art. R o b e r t M o r r i s ' s

J o s e p h B e u y s ' c o n c e p t o f art t h r o u g h

Untitled

e a r t h w o r k in K i n g C o u n t y , W a s h i n g t o n

was

"social s c u l p t u r e " lives o n in t h e p o s t h u m o u s c o m p l e -

o n e o f t h e first p r o j e c t s w h e r e an artist was asked t o

t i o n o f p l a n t i n g his 7,000

take o n a " p r o b l e m - s o l v i n g " role. T h i s a p p r o a c h c o n t i n -

Oaks

i n Kassel, G e r m a n y .

M i e r l e U k e l e s e x t e n d s this t r a d i t i o n t h r o u g h h e r o n g o -

ued with Andrew

Keating, Sherry Markowitz,

and

Residency, a c o m m i t -

Lewis " B u s t e r " S i m p s o n ' s V i e w l a n d s - H o f l i n a n electrical

m e n t t o t h e p e o p l e a n d l a n d s c a p e s t h a t s o c i e t y has

substation in Seattle, w h i c h was t h e first c o n t e m p o r a r y

traditionally i g n o r e d . R i c k Lowe's Project Row Houses in

artist-designer collaboration. T h e N O A A

H o u s t o n , Texas a p p r o a c h e s p u b l i c art as a process t h a t

W a s h i n g t o n state i n v i t e d artists M a r t i n P u r y e a r , S c o t t

builds rituals t h a t d e f i n e c o m m u n i t y . W i t h its reflective

B u r t o n , Siah A r m a j a n i , G e o r g e T r a k a s , a n d

i n g New York Sanitation

Department

surface and n a m e s of the war dead in c h r o n o l o g i c a l

p r o j e c t in Douglas

Hollis to c r e a t e a series o f site-responsive w o r k s a l o n g

09

Lake W a s h i n g t o n , | o d y P i n t o ' s Fingerspan, w h i c h b r i d g e s a p r e c i p i t o u s g o r g e a l o n g t h e W i s s a h i c k o n C r e e k in P h i l a d e l p h i a , was an o u t g r o w t h o f t h e F a i r m o u n t P a r k Art

Association's

Form

and

Function

project.

A

groundbreaking example of a m a j o r infrastructure project led by artists in c o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h o t h e r p r o f e s s i o n als is M i c h a e l S i n g e r a n d L i n n e a Glatt's T w e n t y - s e v e n t h A v e n u e P h o e n i x Solid W i s t e M a n a g e m e n t Facility in Phoenix, Arizona.

P u b l i c A r t R e v i e w . FALL. WTR.02

C h r i s t o a n d J e a n n e - C l a u d e , Running Fence, Sonoma and Marin California, / 9 7 2 - / 9 7 6 , C h r i s t o

Counties,

present. F r o m t h e r i d i c u l o u s — c o w s , fish, seahorses, a n d

1976©.

o t h e r t o u r i s m ploys o n p a r a d e — t o t h e s u b l i m e — t h e

P h o t o by W o l f g a n g Volz

ethereal a n d p o i g n a n t Tribute in Light at G r o u n d Z e r o — G O N E BUT NOT F O R G O T T E N

" b e s t p r a c t i c e s " a n d g o o d processes are n o t e n o u g h . It's

T h e ability o f an a r t w o r k t o m a k e a m a r k , create or e n h a n c e a sense of place, e m b o d y a b e l i e f o r value, o r e n g a g e p u b l i c p a r t i c i p a t i o n

o u r responsibility t o ask n o t o n l y how b u t why, b e c a u s e as o u r w o r l d is c h a n g i n g , so will p u b l i c art.

would

s e e m t o b e tied t o its e n d u r a n c e . Yet as survey r e s p o n -

Penny Balkin Bach is a w r i t e r , c u r a t o r , and t h e e x e c u t i v e d i r e c t o r of t h e

d e n t J a m e s D i c k i n s o n n o t e d , m a n y of t h e m o s t m e m o -

F a i r m o u n t Park A r t A s s o c i a t i o n . She is t h e a u t h o r of Public Art in

rable w o r k s of p u b l i c art are n o w absent " i n t h e sense

Philadelphia, e d i t o r of NewLand'Marks:

o f e p h e m e r a l , t e m p o r a r y , r e m o v e d o r r e m o t e — b u t still

of Place, and has w r i t t e n n u m e r o u s essays o n public a r t .

Public Art, Community, and the Meaning

have a p o w e r f u l p r e s e n c e in culture, i.e., are p r e s e n t as trace, m e m o r y , p o t e n t i a l . " P e r h a p s t h e m o s t impressive

Notes:

e x a m p l e s of this p o t e n t i a l are t h e p r o f o u n d l y egalitarian

1. Perhaps b e c a u s e o f h o w I p h r a s e d

6. C r e a t e d in 1970, this e a r t h w o r k

projects of Christo and J e a n n e - C l a u d e . T h e i r spectacu-

m y q u e s t i o n o r w h o received t h e e -

has b e e n s u b m e r g e d in t h e G r e a t

mail, t h e results w e r e heavily c o n -

Salt Lake f o r m o r e t h a n a d e c a d e .

lar Running

Fence, t h i r t y - n i n e - a n d - a - h a l f

kilometers

c e n t r a t e d in t h e visual arts. I w o u l d

Recently, however, o w i n g to a

t h r o u g h S o n o m a a n d M a r i n C o u n t i e s in C a l i f o r n i a ,

like t o t h a n k t h o s e w h o r e s p o n d e d

d r o u g h t , Spiral Jetty has b e g u n

survives n o t o n l y in its d o c u m e n t a t i o n b u t also t h r o u g h

as well as i n t e r n s N a n c y O o r b e c k

to reappear.

t h e indelible f o r c e of its c o n c e p t .

a n d M e g h a n H e t r i c k f o r t h e i r help in c o m p i l i n g t h e survey data.

Similarly, o t h e r p r o j e c t s a b o u t

which

m u c h has b e e n w r i t t e n — R a c h e l W h i t e r e a d ' s House

at

G r o v e R o a d in L o n d o n ; a n d R i c h a r d Serra's Tilted Arc in N e w York C i t y — h a v e left t h e i r i m p r i n t o n t h e history of p u b l i c art, o f t e n t h r o u g h t h e c o n t r o v e r s y they g e n e r a t e d .

Pyramids." Architecture 89 (2000), 116.

2. F r o m a r e p o r t by Joel R o s e , W H Y Y 91FM, 9 June 2002.Tseng

8. Fuchs, R . H . , C o o s j e van

d e s c r i b e d himself in C h r i s t i n e L o m -

B r u g g e n , and Claes O l d e n b u r g .

bardi's 1986 film East Meets West:

Claes Oldenberg: Large-Scale Projects,

Portrait ofTseng

Kwong

Clii.

nificant, t h o u g h p r o b a b l y f e w have actually seen t h e m .

( o r : T h e R i s e of a N e w A c a d e m y ) . "

9. P i n t o , J o h n A. TheTrevi

Public Art Review ( F a l l / W i n t e r 1996).

N e w Haven, Conn.:Yale University

Fountain.

Press, 1986.

are t u r n e d u p s i d e d o w n by c o m p u t e r chips a n d process-

4. Clauser, J o h n A . " C r e a t i v i t y a n d Desire," u n p u b l i s h e d m a n u s c r i p t ,

10. Bach, P e n n y Balkin. Form and

Yellow Springs, P e n n . , 1995.

Function: Proposals for Public Art for

5 . T h e f o l l o w i n g divisions s h o u l d

Pennsylvania A c a d e m y o f t h e F i n e

i n g p o w e r , a n d t e c h n o l o g y is w e n d i n g its way i n t o p u b lic art t e r r i t o r y . T h e d i f f i c u l t y o f r e c o n c i l i n g old a n d n e w has n e v e r b e e n m o r e a p p a r e n t as w e s t r u g g l e t o urge

artists t o r e s p o n d to an u n s e t t l i n g a n d rapidly c h a n g i n g

P u b l i c A r t R e v i e w . FALL. WTR.02

N e w York: R i z z o l i

3. K o z l o t f , J o y c e . " T h e K u d z u Effect

CHANGING TIMES

O u r traditional v i e w s o f size a n d scale

p r e s e r v e i m a g e s o f t h e past a n d s i m u l t a n e o u s l y

1977-1980.

I n t e r n a t i o n a l , 1980, 97.

M a n y survey r e s p o n d e n t s i d e n t i f i e d these w o r k s as sig10

7. M i l l e r , T h o m a s . " S e c r e t s o f t h e

Philadelphia.

Philadelphia, P e n n . :

n o t b e v i e w e d as absolute. M a n y

Arts and F a i r m o u n t Park Arts

artists a n d w o r k s cross over c a t e -

Association, 39.

gories, b u t f o r this essay 1 have m e n t i o n e d individual w o r k s o n l y o n c e .

Public A r t Survey C h r o n o l o g y

Cave Paintings (c. 15,000 BC), Lascaux, France Pyramids and Great Sphinx (c. 5500-2500 BC), Egypt Stonehenge (c. 2600-1800 BC), Wiltshire, England Serpent Mounds (c. 800 B C - 1 AD), central Ohio, U.S. Parthenon Frieze (442-438 BC), Athens, Greece

R o b e r t Smithson, Spiral Jetty (1970), Great Salt Lake, Utah, U.S. Michael Heizer, City (begun 1970), central Nevada, U.S. Marc R o t h k o , R o t h k o Chapel (1971), Houston, Tex., U.S.

Nazca Lines (c. 200 BC), Peru Marcus Aurelius (161-180, placed in Campidoglio by

Walter D e Maria, Lightning Field (1976), near Quimado, N. Mex., U.S.

Michelangelo c. 1637), R o m e , Italy Baxniyan Buddhas (Fourth-fifth century, demolished

Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Running Fence (1972-76), Sonoma and Marin Counties, Calif., U.S.; Wrapped

2001), Afghanistan Easter Island (Moai) statues (c. 650-1700), Chile BorobudurTemple complex (Seventh-eighth century),

Reichstag (1971-1995), Berlin, Germany Claes Oldenburg, Clothespin (1976), Center Square, Philadelphia, Pa.; Batcolumn (1977), Chicago, 111.;

Indonesia Angkor Wat (879-1191), Cambodia

Oldenburg and van Bruggen, Spoonbridge and Cherry

Chichen Itza (c. 600-1200), Mexico

(1988), Minneapolis, Minn., U.S.

Giotto Frescoes, Capella degli Scrovegni (The Arena

(1977), N e w York City, N.Y., U.S.

Chapel) (1302-1306), Padua, Italy Ryoan-ji Rock Garden (c. 1499), outside of Kyoto, Japan Michelangelo, David (1501- 1504), Florence; The Sistine Bernini, Four Rivers Fountain (1647), R o m e , Italy Nicola Salvi, Trevi Fountain (1732-1751), R o m e , Italy Auguste Rodin, The Burghers of Calais (1884-1895); Balzac (1897); TheThinker (1902). France August Bartholdi, Statue of Liberty (1884-1886), Liberty Island, N e w York City, N.Y., U.S. Gustave Eiffel, Eiffel Tower (1887-1889), Paris, France Antonio Gaudi, Guell Park (1900-1914), Barcelona,

Simpson,Viewlands/Hoffman Substation (1979), James Turrell. Roden Crater (begun 1979), near Flagstaff, Ariz., U.S. R o b e r t Morris, Untitled earthwork (1979), King County, Wash., U.S. Richard Serra, Tilted Arc (1981, destroyed 1989), Federal Plaza, N e w York City, N.Y., U.S. Maya Lin, Vietnam Veterans Memorial (1982), Washington, D.C., U.S. Joseph Beuys, 7,000 Oaks (1982-1987), Kassel,

Spain Diego Rivera, murals, various locations (c. 1923-1953) Simon Rodia, Watts Towers (mid 1920s-1954), Los

Germany Martin Puryear, Scott Burton, Siah Armajani, George Trakas, Douglas Hollis. N O A A (1983), Seattle,

Angeles, Calif., U.S. Constantin Brancusi, Endless Column, Gate of the Kiss, Table of Silence (1938),Targu-Jiu, R o m a n i a Gutzon Borglum, M o u n t R u s h m o r e (completed

Wish., U.S. Jody Pinto, Fingerspan (1987), Philadelphia, Pa., U.S. Mel Chin, Revival Field (1991), Pig's Eye Landfill.

Saint Paul, Minn., U.S.

1939), South Dakota, U.S. (1956-58),

Paris, France.

N e k Chand, Rock Garden (1958-1972), Chandigarh, India Henry Moore, Reclining Figure (1965), Lincoln Center, N e w York City, N.Y., U.S. Alan Sonfist, Time Landscape (1965-1978), N e w York City, N.Y., U.S. Eero Saarinen, Gateway Arclt (dedicated 1966), Saint Louis, Mo., U.S. Pablo Picasso, Untitled (1967), Chicago, 111., U.S. Richard Long, A Line Made by Walking (1967), England, U.K. Alexander Calder, La Grand Vitesse (1969), Grand Rapids, Mich., U.S.

Andrew Keating, Sherry Markowitz, Lewis "Buster" Seattle, Wash., U.S.

Chapel (1508-1512),The Vatican

Isamu Noguchi, Gardens for UNESCO

Mierle Ukeles, New York Sanitation Department Residency

Andy Goldsworthy, The wall that went for a walk (1991) Grisedale Forest, Cumbria, England, U.K. Jeff Koons, Puppy (1992), Arolsen, Germany.

Michael Singer and Linnea Glatt,Twenty-seventh Avenue Phoenix Solid Waste Management Facility (1993), Phoenix, Ariz., U.S. R i c k Lowe, Project Row Houses (1993), Houston.

Tex., U.S. Rachel Whiteread, House (1993), London, U.K. Helen Mayer Harrison and N e w t o n Harrison, Peninsula Europe (commissioned by Expo 2000) Julian LaVerdiere and Paul Myoda.John Bennet and Gustavo Bonevardi, Paul Marantz, and others.

Towers of Light (Tribute in Light) (2002), G r o u n d Zero, N e w York City, N.Y., U.S.

Public Art R e v i e w . FALL. WTR.02

PUBLIC ART PARADOX

Caryl Christian-Levy

T

1 HE U N I T E D STATES AT T H E T U R N OF T H E T W E N T I E T H C E N T U R Y W I T N E S S E D A R E D E F I N I T I O N OF

t h e relationship b e t w e e n t h e p u b l i c a n d t h e arts. N e w p a r a d i g m s r e g a r d i n g t h e

roles o f t h e artist a n d t h e g o v e r n m e n t as p a t r o n r e s h a p e d t h e p u b l i c art r e a l m . T h e e m e r g e n c e o f these p a r a d i g m s can b e i l l u m i n a t e d retrospectively by f o c u s i n g o n p a r t i c ular events, b u t t h e lived e x p e r i e n c e o f that era was less a series o f discrete s h o c k s a n d m o r e a r e w o v e n tapestry o f c o n t e x t .

Public art e m e r g e d f r o m a series o f debates: traditional versus m o d e r n , r e p r e s e n t a t i o n versus abstraction, a r t - f o r - a r t ' s sake versus socially useful art, f o r m versus c o n t e n t . T h e s e d e b a t e s w e r e especially i n t e n s e in t h e early t w e n t i e t h c e n t u r y , w h e n A m e r i c a n p u b l i c art w i t n e s s e d t h e b i r t h o f t h e A m e r i c a n artist's sense o f self. A n e m e r g i n g sense o f self-identity a m o n g A m e r i c a n artists was galvanized by t h e A r m o r y S h o w o f 1 9 1 3 a n d t h e N e w Deal p u b l i c art p r o g r a m s . T h e s e events f o s t e r e d a n e w d e m o c r a t i c p u b l i c p a t r o n a g e f o r c o m m i s s i o n i n g w o r k s o f p u b l i c art a n d set t h e stage t o r p u b l i c art dialogues that c o n t i n u e t o e n g a g e us today.

Artists in t h e late n i n e t e e n t h - c e n t u r y U n i t e d States w e r e s h i f t i n g f r o m an i m p o r t e d E u r o p e a n art w o r l d m o d e l w h i l e c o n f r o n t i n g a rising A m e r i c a n e c o n o m i c c o n s u m e r base as a p o t e n t i a l n e w a u d i e n c e , ultimately setting t h e stage t o r d e m o c r a t i c p u b l i c p a t r o n a g e t h r o u g h g o v e r n m e n t s u p p o r t . T h e A r m o r y S h o w o f 1913, by d r a m a t i z i n g t h e conflict b e t w e e n traditionalism a n d m o d e r n i s m — w i t h a n t i m o d e r n i s t s d e f e n d i n g traditional art o n t h e basis ot its m o r a l a n d t e c h n i c a l s u p e r i o r i t y — u s h e r e d in a spirit o f public debate and spectacle.The exhibition's promotional propaganda t o u c h e d otf a p r o l o n g e d series o f critical debates o n t h e validity o f m o d e r n i s m that h e l p e d s t e m t h e r e a c t i o n a r y tide against that m o v e m e n t .

It was t h e i s o l a t i o n o f t h e A m e r i c a n a v a n t - g a r d e artist in t h e early t w e n t i e t h c e n t u r y t h a t h e l p e d spark this critical d i a l o g u e b e t w e e n a t r a d i t i o n a l , p u r i t a n ical h e r i t a g e a n d t h e increasingly c o m p l e x aesthetics o f a d e m o c r a t i c , pluralistic society.

T h e schism b e t w e e n realists a n d abstractionists was t h e b a c k d r o p f o r t h e e m e r g e n c e o f t h e artist as a professional. Realists dismissed a b s t r a c t i o n as socially useless b e c a u s e it c a r r i e d n o message a n d u n d e m o c r a t i c b e c a u s e it was u n i n t e l l i g i b l e t o m o s t A m e r i c a n s . ( b a c k g r o u n d ) D i e g o Rivera,

T h e idea o f socially useful art, t h e a n t i - m o d e r n i s t d o c t r i n e o f ' l i f e over art," a u g m e n t e d

Man at the Crossroads, c o v e r e d

by early t w e n t i e t h - c e n t u r y p h e n o m e n a — t h e i n d u s t r i a l age, w o r l d wars, d e p r e s s i o n , a n d

wall, R o c k e f e l l e r C e n t e r , N e w York

c o m p e t i n g political i d e o l o g i e s — c o m b i n e d to e x p l o i t artists f o r n a t i o n a l i s t i c political

City, N.Y. ( t o p ) L e e Allen, Soil Erosion and Control, WPA/FAP p r o g r a m , O n o w a , Iowa. ( b o t t o m ) D i e g o Rivera, Man at the

p r o p a g a n d a . O n t h e o t h e r h a n d , rising p r o s p e r i t y a f t e r t h e D e p r e s s i o n invested t h e art w o r l d w i t h resources f o r political a n d cultural c r i t i c i s m that f o s t e r e d t h e d e v e l o p m e n t of the avant-garde.

As A m e r i c a n p o p u l a r c u l t u r e e m e r g e d f r o m W o r l d W a r I a n d t h e G r e a t D e p r e s s i o n , t h e stage was set f o r a f u n d a m e n t a l d e b a t e a b o u t t h e role o f art a n d artists in

Crossroads ( u n f i n i s h e d ) . R o c k e f e l l e r

t h e life o f t h e n a t i o n . M o d e r n i s m a n d a b s t r a c t i o n h a d already d e f i n e d o n e role: t h e

Center.

expression o f an elite f o r an elite. B u t t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f r e g i o n a l i s m a n d t h e A m e r i c a n

P h o t o s c o u r t e s y University of

S c e n e r e p r e s e n t e d a c o n t r a s t i n g focus: p o p u l a r culture, a l a n g u a g e o f t h e streets, a n a r r a -

S o u t h e r n California c. 1933

13

tive u n d e r s t a n d a b l e t o t h e m a j o r i t y . " R e g i o n a l i s m , " o r i g i n a l l y a t e r m b o r r o w e d f r o m s o u t h e r n w r i t e r s i n t e r e s t e d in t h e i r r e g i o n a l cultures, illustrated these familiar, p o p u l a r P u b l i c A r t R e v i e w . FALL.WTR.02

a g e n c i e s t o g o v e r n t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f p u b l i c spaces.

Separating funding streams—money attached to c o n s t r u c t i o n costs ( p e r c e n t - f o r - a r t ) versus an annual general b u d g e t a p p r o p r i a t i o n (grant a n d relief f u n d p r o g r a m s ) — gave rise t o t w o national p r o g r a m s that i n c l u d e p u b l i c art: 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 a n d t h e N a t i o n a l E n d o w m e n t f o r t h e Arts. T h e N e w Deal p a n e l selection process, c o m p e t i t i o n s , commissions, and o n e - p e r c e n t f o r - a r t policy guidelines c o n t i n u e to p e r c o l a t e t h r o u g h Exhibition a t t h e WPA Federal A r t Gallery, N.Y.,

t h e p l e t h o r a o f p e r c e n t - f o r - a r t p r o g r a m s w r i t t e n in t h e

S t u a r t Davis' m u r a l Swing in t h e b a c k g r o u n d .

last thirty years.

P h o t o c o u r t e s y University of S o u t h e r n California 1938

Of

New

Deal

programs,

the

narratives, a n d t h e A m e r i c a n S c e n e was b o r n . N o w , b o t h

W o r k e r ' s Progress (later Projects) A d m i n i s t r a t i o n / F i n e

r e p r e s e n t a t i o n a n d a b s t r a c t i o n w e r e e m b r a c e d as valid

Arts P r o g r a m (WPA/FAP) was t h e largest a n d m o s t c o m -

A m e r i c a n art f o r m s .

prehensive. T h a t program's first national director, H o l g e r

W h i c h f o r m of artistic expression w o u l d c o m e t o c h a r a c t e r i z e t h e e s s e n c e o f A m e r i c a n ideals?

C a h i l l , a p p l i e d his c u r a t o r i a l a n d art c r i t i c i s m

back-

g r o u n d to a n e w p u b l i c art p r o g r a m w i t h b r o a d p a r a m e -

definitively

ters a n d a f o r m a l evaluation system. M i r r o r i n g t h e " a r t is

answered, t h e N e w D e a l did m u c h t o d r a m a t i z e t h e c o n -

life" m a n t l e of R o b e r t H e n r i and the Realists, Cahill

T h o u g h t h a t q u e s t i o n has still n o t b e e n

flict t h r o u g h its i n f l u e n t i a l g o v e r n m e n t s p o n s o r s h i p o f

o u t l i n e d t h e WPA/FAP p r o g r a m in t h e 1935 Federal A r t

artistic p r o d u c t i o n .

P r o j e c t M a n u a l by d e f i n i n g its m i s s i o n as

working

In A m e r i c a n p u b l i c art, t h e pivotal N e w

towards " a n i n t e g r a t i o n o f t h e arts w i t h t h e daily life of

Deal p r o g r a m s f r o m 1 9 3 5 - 1 9 4 3 w e r e clearly o n e o f t h e

t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d an i n t e g r a t i o n of t h e f i n e arts a n d

d e f i n i n g m o m e n t s o f t h e early t w e n t i e t h c e n t u r y a n d

t h e practical arts," an emphasis that c o n t i n u e s today.

c o n t i n u e t o s h a p e c o n t e m p o r a r y p u b l i c art i d e o l o g i e s .

WPA/FAP p r o g r a m g u i d e l i n e s r e q u i r e d

T h e 1933 P u b l i c W o r k s of A r t P r o j e c t (PWAP) pilot p r o -

that subsidized artworks reflect the c o m m u n i t y

g r a m a d m i n i s t e r e d by t h e U n i t e d States Treasury D e p a r t -

r e g i o n in w h i c h they w e r e located. W h i l e n o t e x c l u d e d ,

m e n t subsidized s o m e 4 , 0 0 0 n e e d y artists to create 15,000

abstraction was rarely e m b r a c e d as a local value, h e n c e

w o r k s o f art to embellish n o n - f e d e r a l buildings. N e w c r i -

t h e t r a d i t i o n a l cast o f a f i g u r a t i v e n a r r a t i v e d o m i n a t e s

teria t o raise t h e quality o f such federally s p o n s o r e d public

m u c h N e w D e a l - e r a p u b l i c art. Localism was enlarged by

and

a r t w o r k s c o d i f i e d t h e selection processes o f p u b l i c c o m -

t h e p r o g r a m ' s m a n d a t e t o d e v e l o p a distinctly A m e r i c a n

m i s s i o n i n g b a s e d o n e x c e l l e n c e instead o f n e e d . D i r e c t

style u n d e r s t a n d a b l e t o t h e public at large.This d e m o c r a -

g o v e r n m e n t a p p r o p r i a t i o n b u d g e t s f o r art p r o g r a m s w e r e

tization o f public art t h r o u g h WPA/FAP was also e x t e n d e d

a u g m e n t e d by f u n d s g e n e r a t e d t h r o u g h o n e p e r c e n t of t h e

t h r o u g h federal p a r t n e r s h i p s w i t h state a n d local g o v e r n -

b u i l d i n g ' s c o n s t r u c t i o n b u d g e t . N o l o n g e r a relief p r o -

m e n t s in t h e f u n d i n g , s e l e c t i n g , a n d

gram,

process

process. O u r c o n t e m p o r a r y p u b l i c art projects c o n t i n u e

a w a r d e d c o m m i s s i o n s t h r o u g h c o m p e t i t i o n s a n d regularly

to reflect an emphasis o n c o m m u n i t y values, c o d i f y i n g

r e v i e w e d t h e progress o f these c o m m i s s i o n e d w o r k s .

n o t i o n s of place, local history, a n d site specificity in art

the Treasury

Department's

selection

T h e N e w D e a l art p r o g r a m s i n i t i a t e d

commissioning

that o f t e n expresses visually literal narratives.

B u t despite its s u b s e r v i e n c e t o c o m m u -

the process of p e r c e n t - f o r - a r t programs, h u n d r e d s of

14

the

w h i c h n o w exist across t h e U n i t e d States. T h e s e p r o -

nity standards a n d d e m o c r a t i c ideals, p u b l i c art has n o t

g r a m s attach a fee t o t h e cost o f c o n s t r u c t i o n a n d oversee

been i m m u n e f r o m controversy. For example, G e o r g e

a collaborative selection a n d c o m m i s s i o n i n g process that c o m b i n e s c o m m u n i t y - b a s e d efforts w i t h t h o s e o f p u b l i c

( b e l o w ) David A l f a r o S i q u e i r o s , American Tropical, detail of m u r a l , Los A n g e l e s , Calif. ( l e f t ) Site of American Tropical m u r a l , c u r r e n t l y b e i n g r e s t o r e d .

P h o t o s c o u r t e s y University of S o u t h e r n California 1932

W o r k i n g w i t h t h e n e w m e d i u m o f steel, a r c h i t e c t s c h a l l e n g e d e x i s t i n g p a r a m e t e r s o f scale a n d t h u s r e v i s e d p r e v i o u s n o t i o n s o f p u b l i c access t o a n d a p p r e h e n s i o n o f large buildings. It is n o w o n d e r that t h e response to skyscrapers a n d t h e glass-box b u i l d i n g s in t h e mid-twentieth century would look to m o n u m e n t a l c o n s t r u c t i v i s m in m e d i a t i n g t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p b e t w e e n s k y scrapers a n d t h e public. Is t h e m o n u m e n t a l s c u l p t u r e in t h e c o r p o r a t e plaza a r e s p o n s e t o t h e architecture's scale, Adler and Sullivan,The Chicago Auditorium, 1885-89, Chicago, III.

o r an aesthetic o f m o n u m e n t a l scale b r o u g h t f o r w a r d by

Photo courtesy University of Southern California

t h e artist e x p l o r i n g similar m e d i u m s o f steel a n d vertical

Biddle, f r i e n d o f P r e s i d e n t R o o s e v e l t , a d m i r e d t h e M e x -

d y n a m i c s ? C a n s c u l p t u r e p l a c e d at t h e e n t r a n c e t o tall

ican g o v e r n m e n t ' s m u r a l p r o g r a m s e s t a b l i s h e d in t h e

b u i l d i n g s a m e l i o r a t e feelings of inaccessibility c r e a t e d by

1 9 2 0 s a n d , as p r o m o t e r o f t h e PWAP p i l o t

program,

t h e i r h e i g h t ? T h e m o d e l w e n o w call A r t in P u b l i c Places

b r o u g h t c o n t e m p o r a r y M e x i c a n muralists t o A m e r i c a to

follows t h e earlier A m e r i c a n practice of i m p o r t i n g E u r o -

Mexican

p e a n f i n e art ideals p a r t n e r e d w i t h t h e elite art world's

muralists enlisted t o g u i d e t h e N e w D e a l artists b r o u g h t

p a t r o n a g e a n d c o l l e c t i o n d e v e l o p m e n t strategies. L o n g

i n s p i r e a n e w civic n a r r a t i v e c o n t e n t . T h e

m o r e than technique. T h e i r ideologies challenged the

d e n i e d a positive critical place in p u b l i c art history, " p l o p

roots o f a capitalist d e m o c r a c y w i t h results as c o n t r o v e r -

a r t " deserves reevaluation in its influential c o n s i d e r a t i o n

sial t h e n as they are now. N e l s o n R o c k e f e l l e r ' s o p p o s i t i o n

o f scale a n d n e w m e d i a . Abstract a n d site-specific in f o r m

to D i e g o Rivera's u n f i n i s h e d R o c k e f e l l e r C e n t e r fresco

if n o t c o n t e n t , these m o d e r n i s t w o r k s c h a l l e n g e d n o t i o n s

Man at the Crossroads resulted in its d e s t r u c t i o n a n d d r a m -

o f o w n e r s h i p , p u b l i c narrative, l a n d use, a n d p r i v a t i z a t i o n .

atized t h e conflict o f p r o p a g a n d a versus free s p e e c h f o r

Issues that w e r e d r a m a t i z e d by p u b l i c art

an A m e r i c a n public already d e e p in dialogue over issues

in t h e early t w e n t i e t h c e n t u r y c o n t i n u e t o resonate. C r i t -

of g o v e r n a n c e . A l t h o u g h Man at the Crossroads was a p r i -

ics w h o c h a r g e that p r i v i l e g i n g local c o n t r o l a n d politics

vately f u n d e d p r o j e c t i n a publicly accessible place, m a n y

as usual result in p r e d i c t a b l e a n d f o r m u l a i c w o r k s o f art

N e w Deal publicly f u n d e d projects also d e m o n s t r a t e d a

have a m p l e f o d d e r f o r t h e i r a r g u m e n t . For e x a m p l e , d o e s

s u b s e r v i e n c e o f art to political p r o p a g a n d a . T h e c o n t e x t

t h e 1999 C h i c a g o Cows on Parade p h e n o m e n o n e x t e n d

of t h e A m e r i c a n S c e n e c o n t i n u e s t o represent this h i s t o r -

N e w D e a l r e g i o n a l i s m as a c o n t e m p o r a r y

ically idealized i c o n o g r a p h y , f o r e x a m p l e , t h e e x a g g e r a t e d

S c e n e genre? W h e t h e r it is o u r c u r r e n t c o n f u s i o n o f n o v -

perspective of o u r m i d w e s t e r n

elty w i t h a u t h e n t i c f o r m o r art's applied service 111 c r e a t -

farms—immaculately

clean a n d o w n e d by p r o s p e r o u s , h a p p y f a r m e r s .

i n g an e n v i r o n m e n t

American

o f " q u a l i t a t i v e " f u n c t i o n , early

If in its p r i v i l e g i n g o f r e g i o n a l i s m a n d

t w e n t i e t h - c e n t u r y m o v e m e n t s in A m e r i c a n p u b l i c art

t h e A m e r i c a n S c e n e over abstraction N e w Deal p u b l i c

will c o n t i n u e t o i n f o r m o u r o n g o i n g discussion o f t h e

art reflected a r e j e c t i o n o f m o d e r n i s m , a r c h i t e c t u r e in t h e

role o f arts a n d artists in A m e r i c a n society.

early t w e n t i e t h c e n t u r y r e p r e s e n t e d a r e s u r g e n c e m o d e r n i s t p r i n c i p l e s . A r c h i t e c t L o u i s Sullivan's

of

new

a r c h i t e c t u r a l l a n g u a g e revised r u d i m e n t a r y c o n c e p t s o f

Caryl Christian-Levy is t h e associate director of the Public A r t Studies program at t h e University of Southern California.

structure and o r n a m e n t . W h a t should be architecture's social role? B y 1939 this q u e s t i o n h a d b e c o m e f o c u s e d

Resource References:

011 t h e design o f t h e tall office b u i l d i n g . A public n e c e s -

New Deal Art: California, de Saisset

Park. Marlene and Gerald E.

sity b r o u g h t o n by t h e c o n t i n u i n g d i s p l a c e m e n t o f w o r k -

Art Gallery & Museum, University

Markowitz. Democratic Vistas:

ers

of Santa Clara, Calif., 1976.

from

manual

labor

and

the

concentration

of

p o p u l a t i o n s a n d capital in large cities, t h e skyscraper p r e sented n e w issues o f scale in t h e public's i n t e r a c t i o n w i t h

Post Offices and Public Art in the New Deal. Philadelphia:Temple

New York City WPA Art. N e w York:

15

University Press, 1984.

N Y C W P A Artists, Inc., 1977.

Rose, Barbara, ed. Readings

architectural f o r m s .

C h e r b o . J o n i M. and Margaret J.

in American Art Since 1900: A

Wyszanoski, ed. The Public Life of the

Documentary Survey. N e w York:

Arts in America. N e w Brunswick:

Praeger, 1968.

Rutgers, the State University, 2000.

Senie, Harriet F. and Sally Webster, O ' C o n n o r , Francis V., ed. Art for the

eds. Critical Issues in Public Art:

Millions. Greenwich, C o n n . : N e w

Content, Context, and Controversy.

Graphic Society, 1973.

N e w York: H a r p e r Collins, 1999.

Public Art R e v i e w . FALL. WTR.02

OF BOVINES, BUSKERS, AND BEAUTIES C H I C A G O ' S POPULIST PUBLIC ART

Maureen

Sherlock

The city is not only a language, but also a practice. — H e n r i Lefebvre

I

' N HIS R E C E N T ESSAY, " N E W U R B A N I S M A N D ITS D I S C O N T E N T S , " D E A N MACCANNELL ASKS, " H O W IS IT

possible t o create middle-class n e i g h b o r h o o d s s u p p o s e d l y f o u n d e d o n p r i n c i p l e s o f . e c o l o g i c a l sustainability, civic i n v o l v e m e n t a n d so o n , a n d at t h e s a m e t i m e n e u t r a l i z e

in a d v a n c e any c o n v e r g e n c e o f p e o p l e ' s interests w h i c h m i g h t f r u s t r a t e t h e c o r p o r a t e d e f i n i t i o n o f t h e citizen as p u r e c o n s u m e r ? " 1 O n e m i g h t ask this q u e s t i o n r e g a r d i n g b o t h t h e p u b l i c art a n d civic space that c u r r e n t l y prevail in C h i c a g o ' s c e n t e r city. T h e c o n f l a t i o n o f m a r k e t capital a n d t h e d e m o c r a t i c ideal c o m p l i c a t e s an a c c u r a t e u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f t h e real social, e c o n o m i c , a n d p o l i t i c a l p r o c e s s e s t h a t s t r u c t u r e u r b a n d e v e l o p m e n t .

Clearly, t h e n e e d s a n d desires o f citizens are n o t always c o i n c i d e n t w i t h c o r p o r a t e largess, a n d i n d i v i d u a l c o n s t i t u e n c i e s o f t e n d e m a n d m o r e t h a n w h a t t h e m a r k e t allows. T h e s e same m a r k e t forces n o w shape t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f p u b l i c space f o r p r i v a t e i n t e r e s t in C h i c a g o , as well as t h e aesthetic p o p u l i s m t h a t d o m i n a t e s t h e r e . T h e t r a n s f o r m a t i o n o f t h e city has a l m o s t o b l i t e r a t e d an o l d e r u r b a n i s m o f m i x e d - u s e e t h n i c n e i g h b o r h o o d s w h e r e most people walked to w o r k . Buildings ranging f r o m piano and lamp factories to p o p b o t t l i n g plants have b e e n t r a n s f o r m e d i n t o lofts as b l u e - c o l l a r j o b s travel t o t h e Pacific R i m , S o u t h A m e r i c a , a n d M e x i c o , a n d w o r k i n g - c l a s s p e o p l e are f o r c e d i n t o l o w e r - p a y i n g service j o b s even as t h e i r n e i g h b o r h o o d s are c o - o p t e d by architects a n d upscale m a r keters. T h e s e processes have b e e n u n d e r w a y since t h e 1940s b u t b e c a m e h i g h l y visible d u r i n g t h e 1950s a n d 1960s, w h e n t h e i n d u s t r i a l n e i g h b o r h o o d s o f N e l s o n A l g r e n ' s " c i t y o n t h e m a k e " w e r e g i v i n g u p t h e i r ghosts a n d C h i c a g o b e g a n t o e m e r g e as o n e m o r e financial a n d c o r p o r a t e c e n t e r in a p o s t i n d u s t r i a l e c o n o m y .

F r o m 1947 t o 1 9 8 4 t h e city lost 59 p e r c e n t o f its i n d u s t r i a l j o b s , an i n d i c a t i o n that t h e global e c o n o m y inflates t h e i n c o m e s o f a n e w m a n a g e r i a l class tied t o financial a n d o t h e r c o r p o r a t e f u n c t i o n s w h i l e it deflates t h e i n c o m e s a n d j o b o p p o r t u n i t i e s o f f a c t o r y w o r k e r s . T h e g e n t r i f i c a t i o n o f h o u s i n g f o r this n e w class r e q u i r e s a progressive g h e t t o i z a t i o n o f t h o s e c o m m u n i t i e s d i m i n i s h e d by c h a n g e s i n t h e f u n d a m e n t a l s t r u c t u r e s o f a p o s t i n d u s t r i a l e c o n o m y . T h e t r a n s f o r m a t i o n has b e e n a b e t t e d b y city p l a n n i n g agencies that e n v i s i o n e d t h e city n o t as an i n h a b i t e d space b u t as a m a r -

17

ketable place f o r capital i n v e s t m e n t . T h e old e t h n i c n e i g h b o r h o o d s w e r e r e m a p p e d as " b l i g h t e d , " as w e r e any b l o c k s o c c u p i e d by " N e g r o e s . " T h e m e c h a n i z a t i o n o f t h e c o t t o n industry brought about the Great Migration of African Americans f r o m the South into t h e city j u s t w h e n b l u e - c o l l a r w o r k e r s w e r e t h r e a t e n e d w i t h loss o f t h e i r u n i o n i z e d j o b s ( l e f t ) Pablo Picasso, Untitled.

t o c h e a p n o n u n i o n l a b o r in o t h e r states o r c o u n t r i e s . A p o l o g i s t s f o r t h e city c l a i m e d

C h i c a g o , III.

that t h r e e - a n d - a - h a l f b l o c k s o f h o u s i n g a w e e k w e r e b e i n g " o c c u p i e d " by t h e A f r i c a n

P h o t o by MichaelTropea,

A m e r i c a n s w h o r e p l a c e d t h e m a n y w h i t e s that fled i n t o t h e n e w s u b u r b s . 2

c o u r t e s y Chicago D e p a r t m e n t of

As city, state, a n d local g o v e r n m e n t s p u t t h e i r tax dollars t o w o r k d e v e l -

Cultural Affairs

o p i n g t h e L o o p as c o r p o r a t e l y f r i e n d l y a n d c r e a t i n g s u b u r b a n i n f r a s t r u c t u r e t h a t e n a b l e d t h e s c e n a r i o o f b l a c k b l i g h t a n d w h i t e flight, t h e y set u p t h e c o n d i t i o n s f o r t w o P u b l i c A r t R e v i e w . FALL. WTR.02

Sylvia A b e r n a t h y , Billy A b e r n a t h y , D a r r e l l C o w h e r d , Jeff D o n a l d s o n , Eliot

t e m p o r a l a n d spatial n e x u s as " o n l y here," w h i l e t h e sec-

H u n t e r , W a d s w o r t h Jarrell, B a r b a r a J o n e s , C a r o l y n L a w r e n c e , Roy Lewis,

o n d claims it c o u l d b e l o c a t e d " a n y w h e r e . " T h e i r o n y is

N o r m a n Parish, R o b e r t A. S e n g s t a c k e , William W a l k e r , a n d M y r n a W e a v e r , Wall of Respect ( d e s t r o y e d in 1971), C h i c a g o , III.

that historically these t w o p o s i t i o n s o f t e n t r a n s m u t e i n t o t h e o t h e r , f o r each p r e s u m e s a c e r t a i n h o m o g e n e i t y o f

P h o t o by R o b e r t A. S e n g s t a c k e © 1967

a u d i e n c e t h a t has n e v e r existed. Allegorically t h e y are a n t a g o n i s t i c a n d volatile cities. In C a r l o R o t e l l o ' s w o r d s ,

s y m b o l i z e d i n C h i c a g o by t w o w o r k s t h a t reveal t h e

"Projects, expressway construction, and the c o m p l e x

contradictory

politics of housing and public education p r o d u c e d a

r e m o v e d f r o m all b u t local view, t h e o t h e r t r i u m p h a n t l y

k i n d o f spatial stability by t h e mid-1960s—and p r o d u c e d

c l a i m i n g t h e c e n t e r city as its o w n . T h e first, t h e Wall of

as well a g r e a t deal o f v i o l e n t social instability in t h e f o r m o f racial c o n f l i c t . "

3

18

of two

populations—one

Rcspect, was b e g u n in 1967 a n d c o m p l e t e d in 1969; t h e s e c o n d , called t h e " C h i c a g o Picasso," was installed in

'

A s i m i l a r s c e n a r i o has b e e n

aspirations

repeated

1967 o n t h e t h e n - n a m e d C i v i c C e n t e r Plaza, n o w D a l e y

o v e r a n d o v e r again as capital m a r k e t s a n d t h e W o r l d

Plaza. T h e latter r e m a i n s as an i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y

B a n k s p r e a d t h e i r t e n t a c l e s , r u i n i n g local e c o n o m i e s

i c o n o f t h e city a n d its t r a n s f o r m e d e c o n o m y , w h i l e t h e

a n d e r o d i n g i n d i g e n o u s social o r d e r s . T h e result is a sys-

f o r m e r slipped i n t o t h e e p h e m e r a l C h i c a g o o f f a d i n g

t e m a t i c t e n s i o n b e t w e e n t h e global a n d t h e local that

m e m o r y that floats a r o u n d t h e b o r d e r s o f t h e official o r

sociologist Z y g m u n t B a u m a n calls glocalization,

t r a n s n a t i o n a l city o f e c o n o m i c substance.

" a redis-

known

t r i b u t i o n o f privileges a n d d e p r i v a t i o n s , o f w e a l t h a n d

T h e Wall of Rcspect, a m u r a l at Langley

poverty, o f r e s o u r c e s a n d i m p o t e n c e , o f p o w e r a n d p o w -

A v e n u e a n d F o r t y - t h i r d Street, was p r o d u c e d u n d e r t h e

erlessness, o f f r e e d o m a n d c o n s t r a i n t . " 4 T h e results are

d i r e c t i o n o f A f r i c a n - A m e r i c a n artist W i l l i a m W a l k e r .

visible o n every street in t h e city, f r o m q u a i n t street signs

W i t h t h e c u r r e n t u b i q u i t y o f u r b a n murals, it m a y b e

to rapidly rising real estate d e v e l o p m e n t a n d a b u n d a n t

h a r d t o i m a g i n e h o w this w o r k g a l v a n i z e d an e n t i r e

n e w laws r e g u l a t i n g p u b l i c b e h a v i o r .

T h i s d o u b l e h e l i x also results in t w o

c o m m u n i t y . Its p o w e r was b o t h t e m p o r a l l y a n d spatially specific, b u t it also r e p r e s e n t e d itself as an " a u t h e n t i c " o r

v e r y d i f f e r e n t aesthetics a n d art practices. O n e n o t o n l y

" p e o p l e ' s " aesthetic, as if " t h e p e o p l e " w e r e o f o n e v o i c e

addresses a s p e c i f i c a u d i e n c e b u t also h o p e s t o e f f e c t

a n d identity. Industrial e c o n o m y traditionally represents

c h a n g e in t h e social o r d e r , w h i l e t h e o t h e r appeals t o a

itself i n a n a r r a t i v e , realist, o r h e r o i c f o r m , w h i l e t h e

universal f o r m a l i s m that claims t o t r a n s c e n d historical

postindustrial collapses e v e r y t h i n g i n t o

r e f e r e n c e a n d its i n h e r e n t c o n f l i c t s . T h e first insists o n its

a n d visual a b s t r a c t i o n — o r kitsch. C h i c a g o has a r i c h t r a -

P u b l i c A r t R e v i e w . FALL. WTR.02

consumption

d i t i o n o f murals f r o m b o t h t h e m i d w e s t e r n r e g i o n a l i s m

a n d was s u b j e c t t o a great deal o f p o p u l i s t c r i t i q u e a n d

o f t h e 1930s a n d m o r e r e c e n t o n e s r e f l e c t i n g M e x i c a n -

r i d i c u l e . D e n o u n c e d as a f r a u d , w h a t b e g a n as " p l o p "

A m e r i c a n traditions.

s c u l p t u r e slowly b e c a m e a t o u r i s t i c o n f o r t h e city a n d

R e c e n t l y t h e C h i c a g o P u b l i c Art P r o -

i n t r o d u c e d t h e use o f p u b l i c art as a m e c h a n i s m a i m e d

g r a m , a d i v i s i o n o f t h e city's D e p a r t m e n t o f C u l t u r a l

at dispelling t h e city's p r e s u m e d provincial o r w o r k i n g -

Affairs, a w a r d e d $ 1 9 0 , 0 0 0 (their largest c o m m i s s i o n to

class a u r a . H e r e art r e f l e c t e d a c o m p l e x a n d v o l a t i l e

date) t o artist Ellen L a n y o n , a f o r m e r C h i c a g o resident.

t r a n s f o r m a t i o n o f a m a n u f a c t u r i n g a n d p r o d u c t i o n city

T h e p r o j e c t involved a series o f c e r a m i c m u r a l s — s i x t e e n

into a corporate and consumption

n a r r a t i v e a n d t w e l v e d e c o r a t i v e p a n e l s — f o r t h e city's

a b s t r a c t i o n a s s u m e d a k e y role in t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n

n e w R i v e r w a l k Gateway, a trellised passageway c o n n e c t -

this n e w u r b a n space. Its p o r t a b i l i t y t o m u l t i p l e sites a n d

center. Aesthetic of

i n g t h e l a k e f r o n t w i t h t h e s o u t h r i v e r w a l k . Part o f a m a s -

its p o w e r t o displace i n d i g e n o u s f o r m s in f a v o r o f t h e

sive g e n t r i f i c a t i o n p r o g r a m w i t h g o n d o l a s a n d cafes, t h e

serial a n d i n s t a n t l y r e c o g n i z a b l e m o n o t o n y

murals w e r e t o b e a h i s t o r y o f t h e C h i c a g o R i v e r f r o m

m o d e r n i s m created a familiar s e c u r i t y f o r a w o r k f o r c e

t h e s e v e n t e e n t h c e n t u r y t o t h e present. Lanyon's p i e c e is

o n t h e m o v e . Additionally, in releasing art f r o m real c o n -

a classic e x a m p l e o f t h e p s e u d o - h i s t o r i c a l a e s t h e t i c o f

t e n t o r f u n c t i o n , abstraction facilitated t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n

natural and industrial forms, landscapes, and

o f t h e p u r e sense o f pleasure so necessary f o r a c o m -

monu-

ments—largely without habitation. Recapitulating the

o f mass

m o d i f i e d culture.

u r b a n landscape that has b e e n v a n q u i s h e d , h u m a n s exist

T h e most c o m m o n formal means to

m o s t l y as a n o n y m o u s s i l h o u e t t e s lost t o history, w h i l e

achieve t h e c o m m e r c i a l sector's d e m o c r a c y o f c o n s u m p -

a r c h i t e c t u r e is c e l e b r a t e d as a r u i n o f a b a n d o n e d t e c h -

t i o n is w h a t D e a n M a c C a n n e l l calls t h e " c o r p o r a t e

n o l o g i e s . In this progressivist scenario, factories, b r i d g e s ,

U t o p i a n i d e a . " 5 T h i s U t o p i a is a f a r c r y f r o m t h e o n e s

a n d t h e like are n a t u r a l i z e d a n d n e u t r a l i z e d as p a r t o f t h e

d r e a m e d b y t h e a n a r c h i s t s a n d socialists w h o w a l k e d

city's history, m e r e m a r k e r s in a forest o f signs felled by

C h i c a g o ' s streets f o r 150 y e a r s . W h i l e M a c C a n n e l l f o c u s e s

t h e n e w w o o d s m a n ' s axe. Lanyon's m u r a l is e x e c u t e d in a

o n s u c h p r o g r a m m e d " c o m m u n i t i e s " as D i s n e y ' s C e l e -

d a t e d c o m m e r c i a l illustration style, a n d its easily accessi-

b r a t i o n C i t y in Florida, similar p r o g r a m s are b e i n g d e v e l -

ble f o r m disguises its c o m p l e x politics. In visualizing t h e

o p e d in m a j o r cities t h r o u g h o u t t h e U n i t e d States. T h e

d e m i s e of Algren's O c t o b e r city, t h e w o r k b e c o m e s part

nostalgic creation of n e w " n e i g h b o r h o o d s " over the

of a general aesthetic, o r p e r h a p s anesthetic, o f nostalgia

debris of factories and h o m e s f r o m earlier e c o n o m i c

f o r t h e c i t y — l a y e r by layer.

phases, upscale real estate is disguised as h i s t o r i c p r e s e r v a -

A t t h e o t h e r e n d o f t h e s p e c t r u m is a

tion o f a p r i v i l e g e d past w i t h o u t class a n d racial c o n f l i c t .

high m o d e r n i s t art that travels well f r o m o n e city to t h e

Increasingly, an " a e s t h e t i c s " o f social r e p r e s e n t a t i o n is sys-

n e x t w i t h o u t s k i p p i n g a n o t e . S u r r o u n d e d by buildings

tematically used to justify the removal of people, busi-

d e s i g n e d by M i e s van d e r R o h e , C h i c a g o ' s

Picasso

nesses, activities, a n d h o u s i n g f r o m areas t h e city a n d its

sculpture was c o m m i s s i o n e d by M a y o r R i c h a r d F. Daley

p r i v a t e p a r t n e r s seek t o d e v e l o p f o r a n o t h e r e c o n o m i c

- m -

• 1 M B C ZH'

mm

LAC ! . ' 1UNOIS

Bggs&J

19

WKM ( l e f t ) Ellen Lanyon, Riverwalk Gateway, C h i c a g o , III. ( t o p l e f t ) Exploration,

1673.

( t o p r i g h t ) The Great Fire, 1871.

P h o t o s c o u r t e s y C h i c a g o D e p a r t m e n t of Cultural Affairs 2 0 0 0

P u b l i c A r t R e v i e w . FALL. WTR.02

( a b o v e ) G e o r g a n D a m o r e , " L o v e Suite." Suite Home

Chicago,

C h i c a g o , III. ( l e f t ) A d a m B r o o k s , " V e g e t a b l e : C a u s e a n d Effect," Suite Home

Chicago,

C h i c a g o . III. P h o t o s c o u r t e s y C h i c a g o D e p a r t m e n t of Cultural Affairs 2 0 0 1

class. P u b l i c art is used t o c o n t r o l p o p u l a t i o n s a n d class

o n c e w e r e streets a n d m a r k e t s , a n d p o w e r players w h e r e

f o r m a t i o n s , " t o s u b s t i t u t e s y m b o l s of safe h o m o g e n e i t y

there once were friends and neighbors.7

f o r t h o s e o f diversity a n d sensual disorder. A n d in e a c h

Music

case, t h e p o w e r f u l e n f o r c e an e c o n o m y o f r e a c t i o n — a n

Everywhere,

illusory r e t u r n t o t r a d i t i o n a l values, h o m o g e n e o u s c o m -

t h e L o o p ' s c o r p o r a t e plazas, streets, a n d parks. T h e city

m u n i t y , a n d elevated quality of l i f e — t h r o u g h an aesthetic

has always h a d f r e e c o n c e r t s a n d m u s i c festivals in G r a n t

t h a t seeks t o r e m o v e f r o m p u b l i c v i e w t h e u n t i d y cultures

P a r k , a n d t h e r e is a t r a d i t i o n o f e t h n i c m u s i c festivals

of undesirable and unmarketable populations."

6

c r e a t e d by strategically p l a c i n g musicians in

s t r e t c h i n g b a c k 150 years. O r i g i n a l l y p a r t o f anarchist

T h e p o p u l i s t a e s t h e t i c d e p l o y e d by t h e

20

T h i s year's t o u r i s t season lure is

a n d l a b o r festivals in t h e city, t h e a u d i e n c e s f o r this m u s i c

city is " f u n " art, art that e n t e r t a i n s a n d n e v e r challenges,

have p r i m a r i l y b e e n ethnic

art u s e d as H a n s H a a c k e ' s " s o c i a l g r e a s e " f o r t o u r i s m ,

Polish, B o h e m i a n , etc. O f t e n musicians w e r e a c c o m p a -

communities—German,

c r o w d c o n t r o l , a n d t h e h i g h - i n c o m e h o u s i n g t h a t dis-

n i e d by tableaux

places l o w - i n c o m e p e o p l e . O n e m i g h t arbitrarily b e g i n

was h o n o r e d w i t h C h i c a g o parades a n d picnics f o r m a n y

vivants o f t h e Paris C o m m u n e , w h i c h

w i t h the i n f a m o u s 1999 C h i c a g o cow culture, replete

years. 8 D r o p p i n g t h e m r a n d o m l y t h r o u g h o u t t h e L o o p ,

w i t h artists w h o p r e f e r t h e role o f c o u r t j e s t e r f o r t h e

w i t h o u t a s u p p o r t i v e i n d i g e n o u s c o m m u n i t y , isolates t h e

m a n a g e r i a l class. T h e D e p a r t m e n t o f C u l t u r a l A f f a i r s

m u s i c i a n s a n d reveals t h e insensitivity o f t h e c u r a t o r s .

claims that 3 2 0 Cows on Parade b r o u g h t in $ 2 0 0 million

Part of a given nationality's folk art, the music may

f r o m t o u r i s m . T h e y t r i e d t o repeat t h e p e r f o r m a n c e , w i t h

a p p e a r repetitive o r even m o n o t o n o u s t o a b r o a d e r a u d i -

l i m i t e d success, in 2 0 0 1 w i t h Suite Home Chicago, w h i c h

e n c e w i t h o u t c o n t e x t u a l i z a t i o n . Its a b s t r a c t i o n o n a

s c a t t e r e d 3 7 5 pieces o f a r t i s t - d e c o r a t e d fiberglass f u r n i -

street c o r n e r t u r n s it i n t o plop m u s i c in t h e

platz.

t u r e in p u b l i c a n d p r i v a t e sites t h r o u g h o u t t h e L o o p .

Usually t h e city curtails t h e activities o f

W h a t e v e r criticisms m i g h t b e leveled against M a r y J a n e

street musicians, as if they d o n o t have a r i g h t to t h e s u b -

Jacob's 1 9 9 3 Culture

w a y station o r t h e street. A t least as early as H o g a r t h ' s

in Action

o r 1996's Re-inventing

the

Garden City, c u r a t e d by J o y c e F e r n a n d e z , t h e y certainly

The Enraged

p a l e n e x t t o c o w s a n d c o u c h e s . K i t s c h has r e p l a c e d

p l a i n e d a b o u t l o i t e r i n g , v e n d i n g , street noise, a n d t h e

t h o u g h t f u l e n g a g e m e n t s w i t h g r o u p s o f p e o p l e displaced

b l i n d h u r d y - g u r d y players, w h o m they b a n n e d in t h e i r

by t h e city fathers, f o r in C h i c a g o ' s D i s n e y l a n d d e m o c -

s e c t i o n s o f t h e city. 9 In t h e n i n e t e e n t h c e n t u r y , m o s t

racy, p o l i t i c a l l y c o n n e c t e d f o o l s r u l e . C o n f r o n t i n g o r

street m u s i c i a n s w e r e Italian c h i l d r e n w h o played Irish

Musician

( 1 7 4 1 ) , t h e u p p e r classes c o m -

c o n t e s t i n g t h e ( r e ) c o n s t r u c t i o n o f social space is silenced,

a n d G e r m a n t u n e s , Italian o p e r a , a n d all t h e h o t , n e w

in favor o f that m e r e p h a n t o m o f l i b e r t y — t h e f r e e d o m to

p o l k a s . In C h i c a g o , t h e y w e r e all f r o m a single t o w n ,

shop. If art in p a r t creates its o w n a u d i e n c e , t h e n w h a t

Laurenzana, brought

k i n d o f h u m a n s u b j e c t is b e i n g c r e a t e d b y c o w s a n d

h o m e t o w n , a n d t h e y w e r e o f t e n treated cruelly. T h e lit-

c o u c h e s ? A fiberglass b o v i n e is art f o r w h a t R e b e c c a S o l -

tle slaves o f t h e h a r p , as t h e y w e r e called, all lived o n

t h e r e by a padrone

from

their

nit calls a " h o l l o w city." It p r o d u c e s real estate w h e r e t h e r e

C a r p e n t e r S t r e e t , w h e r e in 1 8 7 3 , 150 o f t h e m

was o n c e a h o m e o r n e i g h b o r h o o d , malls w h e r e t h e r e

harassed a n d arrested by t h e police, w h o also t o o k i n t o

P u b l i c Art R e v i e w . FALL. WTR.02

were

custody Italian craftsmen, artisans, and street p e d d l e r s . 1 0

T h e r e is n o p o e t r y there, b u t p e r h a p s if o n e takes a walk

N o w the c o r n and ice c r e a m v e n d o r s f r o m M e x i c o , w i t h

b e y o n d the chic fusion restaurants on Division Street, o n e

their carts j i n g l i n g Scott Joplin's " T h e Entertainer," a n d

just m i g h t see a w o n d e r f u l l y l o u d l o w r i d e r w i t h magical

musicians f r o m the S o u t h Side m u s t b u y licences they

lights, s c r e a m i n g by in all its glory. N o m a t t e r w h a t t h e

c a n n o t afford in o r d e r to m a k e a living. M u s i c is d e f i -

speakers blare, its t u n e remains t h e s a m e : " I a m still h e r e

nitely not e v e r y w h e r e ; policy redefines t h e right to p u b -

and there is n o t a d a m n t h i n g y o u can d o a b o u t i t ! " T h e y

lic s o n i c space, a n d t h e state has a l o n g h i s t o r y

are t h e poets o f t h e street o n a derive t h r o u g h H u m b o l d t

of

d e m a n d i n g a single tune.

Park, and their bass is the t h u n d e r i n g voice o f O r p h e u s —

Last but n o t least in this s u m m e r ' s fare is t h e BuskerFest,

for keeps and a single day.

p r o d u c e d by a b r a n d n e w " c o m m u -

nity," N e w East C h i c a g o , located in the city's c o r p o r a t e

M a u r e e n P. S h e r l o c k is a p h i l o s o p h e r w h o p u b l i s h e s w i d e l y o n c o n t e m p o -

c e n t e r (east of M i c h i g a n b e t w e e n R a n d o l p h a n d t h e

r a r y a r t and c u l t u r e .

C h i c a g o R i v e r ) . Several p r i v a t e c o m p a n i e s

donated

$ 2 5 , 0 0 0 and hotel r o o m s to b r i n g in a score of street

Notes:

e n t e r t a i n e r s for t h e first Friday and Saturday of August.

1. M a c C a n n e l l , D e a n . " T h e N e w

6. Ferrell.Jeff. Tearing Down the Streets:

T h e venues started in the lobby of the Hyatt R e g e n c y

U r b a n i s m a n d Its D i s c o n t e n t s , "

Adventures

and e x t e n d e d to t h e P r u d e n t i a l and Doral Plazas, t h e

in Giving Ground: The Politics of

York: St. M a r t i n s Press, 2 0 0 1 , 1 6 .

A o n C e n t e r , and the Blue C r o s s / B l u e Shield building.

Propinquity.

in Urban Anarchy.

N e w York: Verso Press,

1999, 110.

7. Solnit, R e b e c c a . Hollow

S c h e d u l e d for a d o w n w e e k e n d o n t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l 2. M e y e r s o n , M a r t i n and E d w a r d

Crisis of American

given transportation and h o u s i n g b u t n o pay. T h e y w e r e

Banfield. Politics, Planning, and Public

York: Verso, 2 0 0 0 .

wonders

what

that

term

means

when

applied

to

their

presence a n d p r o d u c t i o n .

T h e final line of N e l s o n Algren's great

Urbanism.

New

Interest: The Case for Public Housing in Chicago. G l e n c o e . 111.: Free Press, 1955,406.

8. N e l s o n . B r u c e C . B e y o n d the Martyrs: A Social History of Chicago's

buskers. Licensing street musicians and street e n t e r t a i n ers is a way of s a n i t i z i n g a n d c o n t r o l l i n g b o t h

City:

The Siege of San Francisco and the

circuit, the p e r f o r m e r s , f r o m fire-eaters to clowns, w e r e d e s c r i b e d as "professionals" by t h e organizer, b u t o n e

New

chists, 1870-1900.

3. R o t e l l a , C a r l o . October Redevelopment

of Urban

Cities:The

Anar-

N e w Brunswick:

R u t g e r s U n i v e r s i t y Press, 1988, 128.

Literature.

Berkeley: U n i v e r s i t y o f C a l i f o r n i a ,

9. C o h e n , D a v i d a n d B e n G r e e n -

1998,57.

w o o d . The Buskers: A History of Street

4. B a u m a n , Z y g m u n t . " G l o b a l i z a t i o n

C h a r l e s , 1981, 132.

Entertainment.

prose p o e m o n C h i c a g o , " C i t y o n t h e Make," says " W e

London: David and

shall leave, for r e m e m b r a n c e , o n e rusty iron h e a r t . . . . For

a n d t h e N e w Poor." in The

keeps and a single day."Algren k n e w that his C h i c a g o was

Reader, e d i t e d by Peter Beilharz.

10. Z u c c h i . J o h n E . The Little

Slaves

d y i n g in t h e old n e i g h b o r h o o d s a n d in t h e r u s t e d old

M a i d e n , Mass.: Blackwell Publishers,

of the Harp: Italian Child Street

Musi-

2001,304.

cians in Nineteenth-Century

5. M a c C a n n e l l , 110.

M c G i l l - Q u e e n ' s U n i v e r s i t y Press,

hulks that used to b e steel mills o n the S o u t h side. W h a t will we leave for r e m e m b r a n c e — a fiberglass cow, a Prada shoe, a gated c o m m u n i t y , a m e n u f r o m C h a r l i e Trotter's?

Blues Fest Skyline, Music Everywhere, C h i c a g o , III. Photo courtesy Chicago Office ofTourism

Bauman

Paris,

London, and New York. M o n t r e a l :

1992, 125.

TEMPORALITY AND LONGEVITY

Hafthor Yngvason

N THE PAINTER

I

OF MODERN

LIFE

(1863), C H A R L E S UAUDELAIRE DEFINED A SALIENT FEATURE OF T H E

art o f his t i m e : " B y ' m o d e r n i t y ' I m e a n t h e e p h e m e r a l , t h e fugitive, t h e c o n t i n g e n t , t h e half o f art w h o s e o t h e r half is t h e e t e r n a l a n d t h e i m m u t a b l e . " 1 T h e s e w e r e

p r o v o c a t i v e w o r d s 140 years ago, a n d t h e y are still relevant. T h e art o f m o d e r n life d o e s n o t exist in a timeless, t r a n s c e n d e n t a l realm, a n d this is particularly t r u e o f c o n t e m p o r a r y p u b l i c art. U n l i k e t r a d i t i o n a l m e m o r i a l s that w e r e c o n c e i v e d in b r o n z e a n d s t o n e , as if t o fix a m o m e n t f o r eternity, m u c h p u b l i c art o f o u r t i m e is i n t e n d e d t o p a r t i c i p a t e in t h e c o n t i n g e n c i e s o f everyday life. A l o n g w i t h installations, video, p e r f o r m a n c e , a n d o t h e r g e n r e s o f c o n t e m p o r a r y art, ptiblic art has b e e n s i g n i f i c a n t l y s h a p e d by w h a t W i l l i a m Seitz has d e s c r i b e d as " t h e n e e d o f certain artists t o . . . u n d e r m i n e t h e striving f o r p e r m a n e n c y by u s i n g . . . t h e materials o f life r a t h e r t h a n art." 2 To w o r r y a b o u t t h e c o n s e r v a t i o n o f such art seems a l m o s t c o n t r a d i c t o r y . Yet t o leave a r t w o r k s at t h e m e r c y of t h e e l e m e n t s , w i t h o t i t c o n s i d e r a t i o n o f t h e i r c o n t i n u e d r e l e v a n c e t o c o m m u n i t y , seems like a w a n t o n waste. M a n y significant c o m m i s s i o n s of t h e 1970s a n d 1980s have b e e n allowed t o d e t e r i o r a t e to a p o i n t o f 110 r e t u r n , a n d t h e loss is b e c o m i n g increasingly glaring.

O n l y t h i r t y - f i v e years a f t e r t h e N a t i o n a l E n d o w m e n t f o r t h e A r t s (NEA) started t o s u p p o r t " p e r m a n e n t " p u b l i c art t h o u g h its A r t in P u b l i c Places p r o g r a m , a n e w stirvey c o n d u c t e d by t h e o r g a n i z a t i o n Save O u t d o o r S c u l p t u r e

(SOS!)

has

s h o w n that at least a t h i r d o f t h e sculptures c o m m i s s i o n e d r e q u i r e c o n s e r v a t i o n . An The Great Wall, San F e r n a n d o

a d d i t i o n a l c o n c e r n is that a l m o s t 2 0 p e r c e n t o f t h e 4 0 0 sculptures that t h e NEA c o m -

Tujunga W a s h , Los A n g e l e s , Calif.

m i s s i o n e d are u n a c c o u n t e d f o r (see w w w . h e r i t a g e p r e s e r v a t i o n . o r g ) . Local p r o g r a m s

P h o t o c o u r t e s y Judith F. Baca, SPARC

t h r o u g h o u t t h e c o u n t r y f a c e t h e s a m e p r e d i c a m e n t . A wave of p e r c e n t - f o r - a r t o r d i -

n a n c e s in t h e 1 9 7 0 s p r o v i d e d f u n d i n g f o r t h o u s a n d s o f

m a i n t e n a n c e start o r s t o p ? A s s o c i a t e d w i t h t h e i m p e r a t i v e

s i t e - s p e c i f i c a r t p r o j e c t s t h a t n o w are w e l l i n t o

their

o f c o n t e m p o r a r y p u b l i c a r t t o b e a p a r t o f life, t h e r e has

t h i r d d e c a d e , a n d t h e y l o o k it. F o r t u n a t e l y , m a n y p r o -

been a p r o f o u n d distrust o f the a u t o n o m o u s a r t w o r k since

g r a m s are a d d r e s s i n g t h e p r o b l e m as b e s t t h e y c a n . O n

t h e 1 9 6 0 s , l e a d i n g t o w h a t L u c y L i p p a r d has c a l l e d " d e m a -

t h e n a t i o n a l level, SOS! has t e a m e d u p w i t h t h e NEA t o

t e r i a l i z a t i o n " o f t h e art o b j e c t . T h e t r a d i t i o n a l m o n u m e n t

of NEA-funded public art. T h e

was n o t t o b e r e p l a c e d b y n e w o b j e c t s b u t b y r a d i c a l l y n e w

h o p e is t h a t j u s t as t h e NEA p r o v i d e d m o d e l s f o r n e w

sculptural relationships integrated into the e v e r - c h a n g i n g

support conservation

the

u r b a n f a b r i c . D e f i n e d b y its r e l a t i o n s , t h e o b j e c t loses its

n a t i o n a l e f f o r t t o c o n s e r v e t r a d i t i o n a l m o n u m e n t s , so

p r i v i l e g e d p l a c e . " A ' s c u l p t u r e ' t h a t p h y s i c a l l y reacts t o its

t h e c o m b i n e d e f f o r t will i n s p i r e a n d i n f o r m n e w c o n -

e n v i r o n m e n t is n o l o n g e r t o b e r e g a r d e d as a n o b j e c t , "

s e r v a t i o n initiatives b y local a g e n c i e s .

H a n s H a a c k e stated in 1 9 7 3 . " T h e r a n g e o f o u t s i d e factors

p u b l i c a r t i n its h e y d a y a n d j u s t as SOS! h a s l e d

S u c h initiatives n e e d t o p r o c e e d i n l i g h t

a f f e c t i n g it, as w e l l as its o w n r a d i u s o f a c t i o n , r e a c h e s

o f a s o l i d h i s t o r i c a l u n d e r s t a n d i n g . In o r g a n i z i n g a

b e y o n d t h e s p a c e it m a t e r i a l l y o c c u p i e s . It t h u s m e r g e s

r e c e n t c o n f e r e n c e o n p u b l i c art c o n s e r v a t i o n a n d m a i n -

w i t h t h e e n v i r o n m e n t i n a r e l a t i o n s h i p t h a t is b e t t e r

tenance, 1 e n c o u r a g e d t h e speakers to address the histor-

u n d e r s t o o d as a ' s y s t e m ' o f i n t e r d e p e n d e n t p r o c e s s . " 4

ical a n d p h i l o s o p h i c a l issues o f p u b l i c a r t t h r o u g h a p a n e l d i s c u s s i o n , case s t u d i e s , a n d e v e n in p r e s e n t a t i o n s on nuts-and-bolts administrative and technical cerns.

3

con-

In t h e t h r e e days o f d i s c u s s i o n , m a n y o f t h e m o s t

p r o f o u n d p r o b l e m s o f p u b l i c art w e r e a d d r e s s e d . As J u l i e

The study

presented

by

issues w e r e Patricia

explored

Fuller, w h o

recently w o r k e d on major projects for the

in

a

has

case most

Massachu-

setts I n s t i t u t e o f T e c h n o l o g y ( M L T ) . " W i t h t h e passage o f time, b u i l d i n g s are b o u n d

to change," Fuller

noted.

B o i v i n , c u r a t o r of p u b l i c art f o r t h e city o f M o n t r e a l

" W h a t h a p p e n s t o t h e a r t i n t e g r a t e d i n t o t h e m ? Is it

s t a t e d at t h e c o n f e r e n c e , t h e issues o f p u b l i c art c o n s e r -

r e a s o n a b l e t o e x p e c t t o m a i n t a i n t h e a r t in its o r i g i n a l

v a t i o n g o far b e y o n d t h e p h y s i c a l d i m e n s i o n . " I t s e e m s

f o r m , or d o w e n e e d to search for n e w ways to preserve

t h a t t h e c o n s e r v a t i o n c h a l l e n g e lies first a n d f o r e m o s t in

its i n t e g r i t y ? " F u l l e r e x p l o r e d t h e s e q u e s t i o n s i n r e l a -

the recognition and articulation of the

ever-changing

tion to a m u c h - e m u l a t e d artist-architect

collaborative

u r b a n , social, a n d political d y n a m i c s o f p u b l i c space."

p r o j e c t , t h e W i e s n e r b u i l d i n g at MIT. C l o s e t o

T h i s is b e c a u s e p u b l i c a r t is " s u b j e c t e d t o t h e v e r y f o r c e s

decades after the project was c o m p l e t e d , a

t h a t t r u e s i t e - s p e c i f i c i t y e x p l o i t s in a n u r b a n

environ-

addition to t h e b u i l d i n g will affect a t w o - a n d - a - h a l f

m e n t c o n s t a n t l y r e d e f i n i n g its o w n i d e n t i t y . T h i s c h a l -

a c r e plaza o r i g i n a l l y d e s i g n e d b y R i c h a r d F l e i s c h n e r . In

l e n g e s t h e w o r k ' s c a p a c i t y t o m a i n t a i n its i n t e g r i t y ,

his d e s i g n , F l e i s c h n e r r e s p o n d e d t o a g i v e n c o n t e x t a n d

two

planned

relevance, or distinctiveness in the u r b a n landscape and

c a r e f u l l y i n t e g r a t e d t h e plaza w i t h t h e b u i l d i n g a n d its

towards the public."

surroundings. " T h e new building would change

If s i t e - s p e c i f i c s c u l p t u r e m e r g e s w i t h t h e e n v i r o n m e n t , w h a t is t h e r e t o m a i n t a i n , o r w h e r e s h o u l d

spatial

relationships

to

which

the

work

the

originally

responded, and the question of w h a t to do about

the

W h e t h e r these ideas w e r e n e w d o e s n ' t

Richard F l e i s c h n e r , W i e s n e r building c o u r t y a r d , M.I.T., C a m b r i d g e , Mass.

P h o t o by a r t o n f i l e . c o m Š

m a t t e r m u c h ; t h e critical a c k n o w l e d g e m e n t o f " p r o c e s s " as a l e g i t i m a t e artistic goal was a t i m e l y r e a c t i o n t o a

F l e i s c h n e r c o u r t y a r d b e c a m e critical," Fuller n o t e d . T h e

trend of investment-driven, bricks-and-mortar, percent-

case raises p r o f o u n d q u e s t i o n s a b o u t t h e p e r m a n e n c e o f

f o r - a r t c o m m i s s i o n s . B u t like all r e a c t i o n s , p r i v i l e g i n g

art in p u b l i c spaces, b u t MIT d e v e l o p e d a c o m m e n d a b l e

t h e process over t h e p r o d u c t q u i c k l y t u r n e d i n t o an easy

s o l u t i o n , b r i n g i n g t h e artist b a c k to redesign t h e c o u r t -

f o r m u l a . T h e n e w p u b l i c art was e x p e c t e d to r e s p o n d

yard in t h e spirit o f t h e o r i g i n a l c o m m i s s i o n .

directly to the i m m e d i a t e c o n c e r n s of a c o m m u n i t y ,

A n o t h e r d e v e l o p m e n t o f t h e 1960s also

a n d it q u i c k l y resulted in an o r g y o f e p h e m e r a that w e r e

c o n t r i b u t e d t o t h e d e m a t e r i a l i z a t i o n o f t h e art o b j e c t

passed o f f as " c o n n e c t i v e " a n d " p a r t i c i p a t o r y . " M a n y of

a n d c a u s e d c o n s i d e r a b l e c o n f u s i o n a b o u t t h e role a n d

t h e a r t w o r k s w e r e forgettable, b u t s o m e m e t a p l a n n e d

even t h e possibility o f m a i n t e n a n c e . As t h e Italian critic

b u t u n t i m e l y e n d , w h i c h b r i n g s us b a c k t o t h e q u e s t i o n

Renato

of m a i n t e n a n c e . M o u n t e d f o r an o c c a s i o n a n d

Barilli has n o t e d , " T h e r e was a r e m a r k a b l e

c h a n g e a r o u n d 1967 in t h e c l i m a t e of artistic r e s e a r c h . . . .

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

There

o n g o i n g care?

was the resurgent

feeling for the

informal,

e m p h a s i z i n g t h e processes, attitudes a n d b e h a v i o r r a t h e r than objects or

24

finished

products."

5

then no

T h e v i e w that p u b l i c art s h o u l d b r i n g a

T h e emphasis on

g r o u p of p e o p l e t o g e t h e r f o r a c o m m o n b u t t e m p o r a r y

process o v e r p r o d u c t b e c a m e o f special significance t o

a c t i o n has i n d e e d b e e n used t o a r g u e against c o n s e r v a -

p u b l i c art w i t h h i g h l y p u b l i c i z e d art p r o g r a m s

and

t i o n . O n c e t h e process is over, t h e p r o j e c t has fulfilled its

extensive, if b e l a t e d , critical d i s c o u r s e in t h e early 1990s.

f u n c t i o n a n d can b e f o r g o t t e n . B u t that is a p o o r u n d e r -

" T h e r e is a n e w p a r a d i g m f o r p u b l i c art

s t a n d i n g o f activism a n d t e m p o r a l i t y in art. Activism has

i n this c o u n t r y , " M i c h a e l K i m m e l m a n c l a i m e d in a 1 9 9 3

inspired p r o f o u n d public a r t w o r k s — w o r k s that were

New York Times article. " I t is n o t always easy t o d i s t i n -

i n t e n d e d to have lasting i m p a c t — a n d t h e q u e s t i o n is n o t

guish f r o m social w o r k

w h e t h e r b u t how to m a i n t a i n their e f f e c t . T o uncritically

|A|rtists [collaborate! directly

w i t h t h e c o m m u n i t i e s that will c o m e i n t o c o n t a c t w i t h

e q u a t e " p r o c e s s " to " s h o r t - t e r m e n g a g e m e n t " trivializes

t h e w o r k , t h e p r o c e s s o f c o l l a b o r a t i o n b e c o m i n g , in

activist art a n d strips it o f its ability t o sustain l o n g - t e r m

m a n y cases, as i m p o r t a n t as t h e e n d result."'' In t h e spirit

c h a n g e . N o t i n g that " c o n t i n u i t y may b e t h e m e a s u r e o f

o f this " p a r a d i g m c h a n g e , " S u z a n n e Lacy called f o r a

b o t h t h e artist's responsibility a n d t h e w o r k ' s success,"

radical e v a l u a t i o n o f p u b l i c art in a 1 9 9 3 article in Public

Lacy q u o t e s a s t a t e m e n t by o n e o f t h e greatest e x e m p l a r s

Art Review,

o f activist art, J u d y Baca, that t h e artist's political i n t e n -

later p u b l i s h e d as i n t r o d u c t i o n t o

the Terrain, New

Mapping

Genre Public Art (1995). " C e n t r a l t o this

evaluation is a r e d e f i n i t i o n that m a y well c h a l l e n g e t h e

tion " h a s t o b e sustained.You can't have a flash in t h e p a n a n d e x p e c t that's g o i n g t o c h a n g e things." 8

n a t u r e o f art as w e k n o w it, art n o t p r i m a r i l y as a p r o d u c t b u t as a process o f value

finding."7

I said s o m e t h i n g

At t h e C a m b r i d g e asked, " S h o u l d

[community

c o n f e r e n c e , Baca

murals]

be

considered

similar in t h a t s a m e issue o f PAR a n d was chastised by a n

e p h e m e r a l a n d b e a l l o w e d to disappear? O r s h o u l d they

o l d e r c o l l e a g u e f o r r u n n i n g after t h e latest t r e n d .

b e m a i n t a i n e d ? " As t h e f o u n d e r of t h e Los A n g e l e s C i t y -

Public Art R e v i e w . FALL. WTR.02

wide Mural

P r o j e c t a n d t h e Social a n d P u b l i c A r t

Resource Center

(SPARC),

s h e has a d v o c a t e d f o r s u s -

tained c o m m u n i t y e n g a g e m e n t in p u b l i c art. S t a r t i n g in

e r a t i o n o f y o u t h a n d c o m m u n i t y m e m b e r s s h o u l d take place t o insure its c o n t i n u e d respect, p r o t e c t i o n , a n d s u r vival in t h e n e i g h b o r h o o d . "

1976, she w o r k e d w i t h s o m e 7 0 0 c o m m u n i t y m e m b e r s

Public p a r t i c i p a t i o n m a y g o against t h e

on c r e a t i n g t h e Great Wall in Los Angeles, w h i c h resulted

prevailing d o c t r i n e o f t h e c o n s e r v a t i o n p r o f e s s i o n , b u t

in a 2 , 4 0 0 - f o o t portrayal o f t h e history o f C a l i f o r n i a , a n d

n e w m o d e l s are b e i n g d e v e l o p e d . A t t h e c o n f e r e n c e ,

her connection

continues with conservation of the

c o n s e r v a t o r G l e n n W h a r t o n p r e s e n t e d a case s t u d y o f

m u r a l . T h e a r t w o r k , as a p r o d u c t o f a c o m m o n a c t i o n ,

an i n g e n i o u s p a r t i c i p a t o r y c o n s e r v a t i o n p r o j e c t o f a

has a role in t h e c o n t i n u e d life o f a c o m m u n i t y , a n d that

s c u l p t u r e in H a w a i i . " O p e n i n g t h e c o n s e r v a t i o n process

realization s h o u l d set t h e t o n e f o r its m a i n t e n a n c e . W h a t

t o t h e p u b l i c is n o t a s i m p l e task," W h a r t o n said. " T h e

is to b e m a i n t a i n e d is n o t j u s t a physical o b j e c t b u t t h e

traditional roles o f t h e c o n s e r v a t o r as t e c h n i c a l e x p e r t

r e l a t i o n s h i p o f a c o m m u n i t y t o its art. " F o r t w e n t y - f i v e

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

years [the Great Wall] has m a i n t a i n e d a r e l a t i o n s h i p w i t h

r e c o n s i d e r e d in g i v i n g p u b l i c s t a k e h o l d e r s a seat at t h e

t h e p e o p l e o f t h e c o m m u n i t y , w h o n o w w e l c o m e it a n d

table." To e n g a g e t h e c o m m u n i t y , W h a r t o n t e a m e d u p

feel o w n e r s h i p , " Baca n o t e d . A n d t o sustain that r e l a t i o n -

w i t h an arts e d u c a t i o n o r g a n i z a t i o n a n d

ship, she insisted, o n e m u s t learn f r o m t h e inclusiveness

g r o u p s . " R e p r e s e n t a t i v e s o f local g r o u p s devised activi-

o f t h e c o m m u n i t y m u r a l . " T o c o n s e r v e a living m u r a l ,

ties t h r o u g h o u t

t h e process that created it m u s t b e r e s p e c t e d . As a site o f

m o n t h p e r i o d t o attract a t t e n t i o n a n d s t i m u l a t e p u b l i c

p u b l i c m e m o r y a n d history, t h e e d u c a t i o n o f a n e w g e n -

dialogue about the m o n u m e n t ' s conservation."

the c o m m u n i t y

o v e r an

community eighteen-

A n o t h e r e x e m p l a r o f activist p u b l i c art, M i e r l e L a d e r m a n U k e l e s , also s p o k e a b o u t t h e i m p o r tance of perseverance and continuity. W h e n

Ukeles

wrote her n o w famous "Manifesto for Maintenance Art" in 1969, she did it in r e s p o n s e t o h e r e x p e r i e n c e c a r i n g f o r h e r n e w b o r n d a u g h t e r in a s o c i e t y t h a t p l a c e d n o value o n m a i n t e n a n c e w o r k . M a i n t e n a n c e , she stated at t h e c o n f e r e n c e , is t o " k e e p y o u r s e l f o r k e e p a n o t h e r ( l e f t ) The Great Wall, d a m a g e t o 1950s s e c t i o n , " F o r b e a r e r s of Civil Rights," f e a t u r i n g Paul R o b e s o n . ( b e l o w ) The Great Wall, d a m a g e t o 1950s s e c t i o n , " O l y m p i c C h a m p i o n s 1 9 4 8 - 1 9 6 4 Breaking B a r r i e r s , " f e a t u r i n g Billy Mills.

P h o t o c o u r t e s y Judith F. Baca, SPARC 2 0 0 2

( l e f t ) T h e King K a m e h a m e h a m o n u m e n t a f t e r t h e c o m m u n i t y - b a s e d conservation treatment.

( a b o v e ) R e m o v i n g o v e r o n e h u n d r e d y e a r s of p a i n t buildup f r o m t h e K a m e h a m e h a m o n u m e n t using a m e d i u m - p r e s s u r e s t e a m w a s h .

P h o t o s by G l e n n W h a r t o n & Associates 2 0 0 1 ( b e l o w ) M i e r l e L a d e r m a n U k e l e s , Hartford Wash:Washing,

Tracks,

Maintenance: Outside, p a r t of M a i n t e n a n c e A r t P e r f o r m a n c e Series, Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, Conn.

P h o t o c o u r t e s y Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, N e w York City 1973

alive, o r k e e p an institution alive o r a b u i l d i n g o r a c u l ture o r a city alive." It was a role that Ukeles felt ill-prep a r e d f o r . " M y l o n g e d u c a t i o n as an artist did

not

Notes: 1. Baudelaire, C h a r l e s . The Painter of

5. Barilli, R e n a t o . " A r t povera, c o n -

Modern Life (1863), trans. J o n a t h a n

ceptual art, m u l t i m e d i a . " In Arte Ital-

M a y n e . L o n d o n : P h a i d o n , 1963, 13.

ian 1960-1982,

p r o v i d e m e w i t h any culture of m a i n t e n a n c e , any l a n g u a g e o f m a i n t e n a n c e , n o r any t r a d i t i o n o f m a i n t e -

2. S e i t z , W i l l i a m C . The Art of Assem-

nance." I n art as in the rest of life, m a i n t e n a n c e w o r k is

blage. N e w Y o r k : T h e M u s e u m o f

h i d d e n , yet n o t h i n g lasts w i t h o u t it.

M o s t e v e r y t h i n g in o u r c u l t u r e — o r d i n a r y o b j e c t s , p e r s o n a l interests, i d e n t i t y , e t h n i c i t y — i s c o n s i d e r e d dispensable. O b j e c t s are discarded as s o o n as

M o d e r n Art, 1968,92.

1982,27.

6. K i m m e l m a n , M i c h a e l . " A r t V i e w ; o f C a n d y Bars and P u b l i c Art." New

3 . T h e c o n f e r e n c e t o o k place in

York Times, 26 S e p t e m b e r 1993, Sec.

C a m b r i d g e in O c t o b e r 2 0 0 1 . It was

2, Arts & Leisure.

c o s p o n s o r e d by t h e C a m b r i d g e Arts C o u n c i l a n d H a r v a r d University and

7. Lacy, S u z a n n e . Mapping

they have served their short-lived f u n c t i o n . It is t h e r e f o r e

was f u n d e d in p a r t by t h e NEA. All

New Genre Public Art. Seattle, Wash.:

hard to appreciate the significance of the m o d e r n reac-

t h e papers p r e s e n t e d will b e p u b -

Bay Press, 1 9 9 5 , 4 6 .

tion against the lasting materials of traditional sculpture. If

lished by A r c h e t y p e Publications.

t h e e p h e m e r a l n a t u r e o f c o n t e m p o r a r y art m a t e r i a l s

8. Lacy, 34.

4. H a n s H a a c k e , q u o t e d in Lippard,

reflect the c o n t i n g e n c i e s of m o d e r n life, w e a d m i n i s t r a -

Lucy R . SixYears:The

tors m u s t ask ourselves w h a t o u r responsibilities are. A n d

tion of the Art Object.

h e r e , I suggest, w e b e t t e r f o l l o w t h e e x a m p l e s of such

P r a e g e r Publishers, 1 9 7 3 , 3 7 .

DematerializaN e w York:

artists as U k e l e s a n d Baca. In h e r " M a i n t e n a n c e M a n i festo," U k e l e s p r o p o s e d a m u s e u m p e r f o r m a n c e w h e r e she w o u l d " s w e e p a n d w a x t h e floors, dust e v e r y t h i n g , a n d d o all these things in public," as if to s h o w that n o t h 26

e d i t e d by C a r l o

Pirovano. Milan: E d i t o r i a l e Electa,

i n g — n o t even art—exists w i t h o u t m a i n t e n a n c e . At t h e C a m b r i d g e c o n f e r e n c e , she s t a t e d , " M y art strives b o t h to b r i n g a sense o f artistic f r e e d o m a n d e x p e r i m e n t a t i o n i n t o t h e area of p e r m a n e n t public art, and also to restore a sense of t h e o n g o i n g value of materials that flow t h r o u g h o u r lives b e y o n d their first use, to respect differentiation and integrity."

H a f t h o r Y n g v a s o n is t h e d i r e c t o r of Public A r t f o r t h e C a m b r i d g e A r t s Council.

f

? i

P u b l i c A r t R e v i e w . FALL. WTR.02

' i r r

myrnwaww

•

the Terrain,

MARCHES AND ARCHES

Brian M c M a h o n

I T

|

I

H E

T R I U M P H A L A R C H IS A T H R O W B A C K T O AN ERA W H E N CITIES C O M M O N L Y

CELEBRATED

I f a m o u s d e e d s a n d p e o p l e w i t h civic m a r c h e s . G r a n d p a r a d e s h e l p e d c r e a t e a - L national identity and a c o m m o n culture by c o n n e c t i n g people to their defining e x p e r i e n c e s , m y t h o l o g i c a l roots, a n d h e r o e s . T h e s e festive o c c a s i o n s w e r e pivotal events in t h e life o f a c o m m u n i t y , particularly b e f o r e m o d e r n t r a n s p o r t a t i o n a n d c o m m u n i c a t i o n a d v a n c e m e n t s . C i t i e s c o m p e t e d t o see w h o c o u l d p r o v i d e t h e m o s t e x t r a v a g a n t c e l e b r a t i o n , a n d civic p r i d e a n d local b o o s t e r i s m led t o lavish e x p e n d i t u r e s o n d e c o r a tive e l e m e n t s , m a n y o f w h i c h w e r e o n l y t e m p o r a r y .

M o n u m e n t a l arches, p y l o n s , a n d o t h e r d e c o r a t i v e d e v i c e s w e r e c o n s t r u c t e d to m a r k a p a r a d e r o u t e . F a b r i c a t i o n of t h e s e e l e m e n t s , w e e k s b e f o r e t h e actual m a r c h , h e l p e d create a sense of e x p e c t a t i o n a n d e x c i t e m e n t . Typically, d e c o r a t i v e m o t i f s r e f e r e n c e d classical a r c h i t e c t u r e a n d s c u l p t u r e , w h i c h w e r e readily u n d e r s t a n d a b l e a n d s y m b o l i c a l l y u p l i f t i n g . S u c h o r n a m e n t a t i o n , e v e n if t e m p o r a r y , played a vital e d u c a tional role in f o s t e r i n g a sense o f civic p r i d e a n d an a p p r e c i a t i o n o f an attractive p u b l i c realm, particularly b e f o r e t h e rise o f large u r b a n art m u s e u m s , s c u l p t u r e g a r d e n s , t h e city b e a u t i f u l m o v e m e n t , a n d even t h e c o n c e p t o f p u b l i c art.

B e c a u s e m u c h o f this d e c o r a t i o n was i n t e n d e d t o b e t e m p o r a r y , f e w physical artifacts r e m a i n . Occasionally, an arch was so h i g h l y a d m i r e d t h a t it was later r e p r o d u c e d i n p e r m a n e n t m a t e r i a l s . In N e w Y o r k C i t y a w o o d e n arch d e s i g n e d b y Stanford W h i t e to c o m m e m o r a t e t h e centennial of Washington's i n a u g u r a t i o n was installed o n l o w e r F i f t h A v e n u e in 1889. It was e v e n t u a l l y r e b u i l t in s t o n e a n d still

Looking n o r t h t h r o u g h t e m p o r a r y W a s h i n g t o n A r c h o n Fifth A v e n u e , N e w York City, N.Y. Collection of t h e N e w York Historical S o c i e t y Š 1889

arches built in N e w York

a n d c h u r c h e s t h r o u g h o u t t h e c o u n t r y u n t i l t h e 1960s,

i n c l u d e an 1 8 9 2 w o o d e n s t r u c t u r e c o n s t r u c t e d as a t e m -

w h e n t h e era o f e l a b o r a t e a r c h i t e c t u r a l d e c o r a t i o n c a m e

p o r a r y m e m o r i a l for C h r i s t o p h e r C o l u m b u s .

t o an e n d .

stands. O t h e r t e m p o r a r y

In 1 8 9 9 an e l a b o r a t e arch c o n s t r u c t e d t o

Several t h i n g s led t o t h e d e c l i n e o f t h e

c e l e b r a t e t h e v i c t o r y of A d m i r a l D e w e y over t h e Spanish

g r a n d civic m a r c h . Cities discovered less e x p e n s i v e ways t o

fleet in t h e P h i l i p p i n e s i n c o r p o r a t e d t h e w o r k o f such

p r o m o t e their image. In a d d i t i o n , d e c l i n i n g j i n g o i s m a n d

n o t e d s c u l p t o r s as J o h n Q u i n c y A d a m s W a r d , Karl Bitter,

h e r o w o r s h i p m a d e it difficult t o arouse universal p u b l i c

a n d D a n i e l C h e s t e r F r e n c h . T h e overall design was s u g -

enthusiasm that w o u l d w a r r a n t such elaborate events.

gested by t h e R o m a n arch o f T i t u s andVespasian.

Finally, streets i n c r e a s i n g l y b e c a m e d e d i c a t e d t o t r a n s were

p o r t a t i o n a n d c o m m e r c e a n d less available f o r p u b l i c c e r e -

f o u n d t h r o u g h o u t t h e c o u n t r y , as t y p i f i e d by several

m o n y . N o n e t h e l e s s , it is clear that t h e h i s t o r i c t r a d i t i o n of

civic c e l e b r a t i o n s in Saint Paul, M i n n e s o t a . In 1893 an

c e l e b r a t o r y art greatly i n f l u e n c e d o u r a p p r e c i a t i o n o f t h e

enthusiastic response to the completion of the Great

p u b l i c realm a n d paved t h e way for c o n t e m p o r a r y p u b l i c

N o r t h e r n R a i l r o a d led t o t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n o f n u m e r o u s

art, particularly a l o n g transit c o r r i d o r s .

28

T e m p o r a r y m o n u m e n t a l arches

arches a l o n g t h e f i v e - m i l e p a r a d e r o u t e . In 1 9 1 9 t h e city w e l c o m e d the return o f W o r l d W a r I troops from France

Brian McMahon has d e g r e e s f r o m t h e University of N o t r e D a m e and t h e

b y e r e c t i n g a t e m p o r a r y arch f a b r i c a t e d by t h e local s t u -

P r a t t Institute School of A r c h i t e c t u r e , and has studied at t h e Columbia Uni-

dio

versity Masters Program in Historic Preservation. H e is currently executive

of

Brioschi-Minuti. This

firm

created

artistic

e m b e l l i s h m e n t s f o r civic b u i l d i n g s , m o n u m e n t s , schools, Public Art R e v i e w . FALL. WTR.02

d i r e c t o r of University United in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

( p r e v i o u s p a g e ) D e w e y A r c h — v i e w of d o u b l e c o l u m n s and arch on 5th Avenue, looking n o r t h f r o m 2 3 r d S t r e e t , N e w York City, N.Y. P h o t o by Pach Bros. 1899 Collection of t h e N e w York Historical Society© ( a b o v e ) Looking n o r t h t o t h e C o l u m b u s Memorial A r c h on 5th A v e n u e at 57th S t r e e t , N e w York City, N.Y. Collection of t h e N e w York Historical Society© 1892 ( m i d d l e ) T h e W e l c o m i n g Arch f o r t h e Villard Party and t h e N o r t h e r n Pacific Railroad C e l e b r a t i o n , Saint Paul, Minn.

29

Collection of t h e Minnesota Historical Society© 1883

( b o t t o m ) View of Third S t r e e t during c e l e b r a t i o n of c o m p l e t i o n of t h e G r e a t N o r t h e r n Railroad, Saint Paul, Minn.

P h o t o by Truman W . Ingersoll 1893 Collection of t h e Minnesota Historical Society© ( n e x t p a g e ) P a r a d e o n Sixth S t r e e t t h r o u g h Memorial Arch in c e l e b r a t i o n of t h e r e t u r n of t h e 151 st Field Artillery, Saint Paul, Minn.

Collection of t h e Minnesota Historical Society© 1919 Public Art R e v i e w . FALL. WTR.02

REPORT

NEW DEAL ART REVISITED ( b e l o w ) J o s e p h H e n n i n g e r , Spanish

By D i a n n e C r i p e • • •

Influence in Arizona, M o e u r Building, A r i z o n a State University,Tempe.Ariz.

P h o t o b y T i m T r u m b l e , ASU 2 0 0 2

D u r i n g the Great Depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt

ethnic artists and the g o v e r n m e n t h o p e d to p r o m o t e a n e w

began several ambitious public art programs unparalleled in

American culture, most N e w Deal art reflects an idyllic and

this country's history.The legacy of these programs still can be

one-sided view of this country's history.

seen in public buildings f r o m M a i n e to C a l i f o r n i a . W h i l e m u c h has been written about the participation of such wellk n o w n artists as G r a n t W o o d , Ben S h a h n , and W i l l e m de Kooning, little has been written about the thousands of lesserk n o w n artists w h o contributed to this country's early public art scene. Many of these artists created murals and sculptures of Native Americans that, while accepted seventy years ago, today are viewed as patronizing and offensive. H o w these historic artworks should be displayed and interpreted continues to provoke debate.

T h r o u g h o u t his l o n g life, J o s e p h

H e n n i n g e r was always

attracted to the exotic. F r o m M o r o c c o to t h e A m e r i c a n Southwest, the gregarious artist often l o o k e d to Native p e o ples for artistic inspiration. A n d like m a n y o t h e r federal art program artists, H e n n i n g e r decided to contrast past and prese n t h i s t o r y w h e n c o n s i d e r i n g mural subjects f o r t h e ASU library. O n e seven-by-sixteen-foot work titled Spanish ence in Arizona

Influ-

d e p i c t e d scenes o f padres b a p t i z i n g a n d

instructing local youths, and conquistadors forcing indigenous people to m i n e gold or silver. In the center, a w a r r i o r looks to

T h e first federal art program, the Public Works of Art Project

the heavens for help.

(PWAP), began in D e c e m b e r 1933 to give American citizens what. Roosevelt t e r m e d "a m o r e abundant life."' Artists were

T h e t h e m e was typical of the 1930s, an era of assimilation for

selected on basis of merit first and then need of e m p l o y m e n t .

this nation's Native A m e r i c a n population. M a n y were sent to

W h e n the program closed just six m o n t h s later, 3,749 artists

reservation schools r u n by well-intentioned Anglos w h o p u n -

had created artworks for post offices, schools, c o u r t h o u s e s ,

ished students f o r speaking in their native language. H e n -

hospitals, and other public institutions. T h e state of Arizona

ninger k n e w little about Arizona history and felt ill-prepared

benefited from the PWAP with eight murals, fifty-one oil and

for the project. But his intent is evident in a 1934 letter to his

watercolor paintings, and a design for a decorative fountain.

parents: "I have divided the canvas so that the b o n d a g e of the

Arizona State University, a small college then, received t w o

church is on the left and the b o n d a g e of the C o n q u i s t a d o r is

murals for the n e w library and a fountain in front of the c a m -

o n the right. I have placed the figure of the Indian well f o r -

pus landmark. O l d Main.

ward a n d almost c e n t e r o f t h e c o m p o s i t i o n c r y i n g to t h e

A c o m m i t t e e oflocal art aficionados selected two artists:Joseph

life and his spiritual lite."-

Great Spirit for relief f r o m the oppression of b o t h his physical Henninger, an Indiana native trained at the Ecole des B e a u x Arts, w h o painted the murals, and E m r y Kopta, a European

D u r i n g a later interview, H e n n i n g e r n o t e d that models were

sculptor w h o had lived on the H o p i Reservation f r o m 1912 to

nonexistent in P h o e n i x and "historical data o f Spanish A r i -

1923 and w h o designed the fountain. Both artists were given a

zona was most meager and the rest of the design was arrived at

free hand regarding subject matter; they were told only that the

by pure conjecture!"- 1 W i t h a studio set up in the dusty o u t -

subject should reflect the American scene. But whose America

reaches of P h o e n i x , h e c o m p l e t e d the mural in three weeks. It

is depicted? Since N e w Deal art programs did not actively seek

was proudly displayed in the ASU library for twenty-five years.

REPORT

E m r y K o p t a , original design f o r E m r y K o p t a , Kachina

Fountain,

Kachina

Fountain.

A r i z o n a S t a t e University.

P h o t o by E m r y Kopta 1934, c o u r t e s y

Photo courtesy Dianne Cripe

M u s e u m of N o r t h e r n Arizona

but w h e n the g r o w i n g university n e e d e d a n e w library, the

tural Affairs O f f i c e of the T o h o n o O ' o d h a m Nation in s o u t h -

murals were moved to an office building. T h e y were essen-

ern Arizona requested an image of the mural and copies of the

tially f o r g o t t e n until a recent renovation m e a n t f i n d i n g yet

artist's letters for review.Their verdict was to display the mural

a n o t h e r location. In addition to considering proper lighting

but include text that w o u l d i n f o r m the viewer of both the

and security, the question of h o w and w h e r e to display a sev-

mural's, and T o h o n o O ' o d h a m , history.

enty-year-old work of art reflecting archaic cultural perceptions was n o w a consideration. As an educational institution, h o w should ASU balance the responsibility to preserve its cultural heritage while respecting n e i g h b o r i n g Native American communities?

As the mural was relocated to a campus landmark building, a n o t h e r p r o j e c t involving a Native A m e r i c a n

community

began. W h e n E m r y Kopta was tapped to design a decorative fountain for

ASU

as part of the

PWAP,

he drew inspiration f r o m

his eleven years on a Hopi mesa in n o r t h e r n A r i z o n a . T h e Aus-

It s e e m e d a p p r o p r i a t e first to seek responses f r o m Native

t r i a n - b o r n artist envisioned a t h r e e - f o o t stone pedestal with

American faculty. T h e i r responses were mixed. O n e professor

bas-relief kachinas topped by a six-foot bronze flute player. As

casually stated that this was Arizona history and displaying the

the statue's base was installed, Kopta was i n f o r m e d that funds

mural was not a problem. A n o t h e r just shrugged her shoulders

were unavailable for the flute player. Eventually t h e plaster

and said,"It's not the worst I've seen."A third asked that it not

model was destroyed, leaving only a t w o - f o o t maquette. With

be shown at all. All c o n c u r r e d that contacting the tribe p o r -

the extensive renovation of ASU's O l d Main several years ago

trayed was the most i m p o r t a n t consideration. While the mural

c a m e a revived interest in " f i n i s h i n g " the s e v e n t y - y e a r - o l d

contained elements f r o m several tribes, an image of Mission

fountain in front of the building. But while a campus popula-

San X a v i e r del Bac in the b a c k g r o u n d h e l p e d d e t e r m i n e

tion in 1933 might not have flinched at the sight of a life-sized,

which of the t w e n t y - o n e c o m m u n i t i e s to contact. T h e C u l -

breechcloth-clad, somewhat impressionistic Native American

P u b l i c Art R e v i e w . fALL.WTR.02

REPORT

( b e l o w right) Hopi-Tewa Senom

( b e l o w l e f t ) E m r y K o p t a , Hop/ Flute Player, Music Building,

Dance Group, p e r f o r m a n c e during

A r i z o n a S t a t e University.

d e d i c a t i o n of Hop/ Flute Player.

P h o t o by Angela R e a b u r n 2 0 0 2

P h o t o b y T i m T r u m b l e , ASU 2 0 0 2

playing a flute, twenty-first century audiences might have a dif-

model, but the artist, w h o died in 1954, left n o records a b o u t

ferent reaction. And, m o r e importantly, h o w would the H o p i

the project.

Tribe view the project?

Ultimately, the decision was referred to the Flute Clan, w h i c h

After m a k i n g several p h o n e calls to the Cultural Preservation

asked that the statue not be placed on the fountain. A secure,

Office in Kykotsmovi, I traveled, with maquette, five hours to

tranquil courtyard outside the Music Building was selected,

the northeast c o r n e r of the state to meet with tribal adminis-

and on April 24 of this year, Hopi Flute Player was dedicated

trators and the council of elders. T h e administration asked sig-

amid strains of H o p i flute music and a p e r f o r m a n c e by the

nificant questions: W h e r e would the statue be placed? Would

H o p i - T e w a S e n o m Dancers. D u r i n g the ceremony, a t w o - f o o t

it be damaged by water from the fountain? W h a t about p o t e n -

bronze replica of the statue was presented to the leader of the

tial vandalism by students? W o u l d i n f o r m a t i o n a b o u t the

Flute Clan and is n o w displayed in the multigenerational c e n -

statue's history be available? T h e y viewed the project as an

ter on First Mesa, w h e r e the H o p i Tribe lives.

o p p o r t u n i t y to educate the campus about the H o p i presence in Arizona and serve as an e n c o u r a g e m e n t to Native students at ASU.The elders, w h o spoke in their native language, wanted to k n o w about the artist, his intent, and the m o d e l for the statue. O n e , in fact, r e m e m b e r e d Kopta, w h o limped around the canyons with a sketchpad and offered c h e w i n g g u m to the children. T h e y w a n t e d to c o n t a c t the d e s c e n d a n t s of t h e

N e w Deal art programs transformed America's cultural scene but, in many cases, left a visual legacy of ethnic stereotypes.

R e c o g n i z i n g and c o n f r o n t i n g differences in values, then m o v ing toward interpreting the various histories, is just o n e step toward h o n o r i n g those depicted.

D i a n n e C r i p e is d i r e c t o r of public a r t a t A r i z o n a S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y i n T e m p e and has s e r v e d as chair of t h e T e m p e Municipal A r t s C o m m i s s i o n .

Notes: 1. Park, M a r l e n e a n d G e r a l d E. M a r k o w i t z . New Deal for Art. H a m i l t o n , N.Y.:Gallery Association o f N e w York State, Inc., 1977, 11.

2. L e t t e r f r o m J o s e p h H e n n i n g e r t o his parents, J a n u a r y 2 4 . 1934.

3. L e t t e r f r o m J o s e p h H e n n i n g e r t o D a n i e l Hall, S e p t e m b e r 2, 1971.

P u b l i c A r t R e v i e w . FALL.WTR. 02

REPORT

THE BIG PICTURE (below) Deborah Wian

By Susan T o d d - R a q u e • • •

W h i t e h o u s e , Water Spirits, JFK N a t a t o r i u m , A t l a n t a , G a .

P h o t o by D . W . W h i t e h o u s e © 1999

In O c t o b e r 2 0 0 1 , Atlanta Celebrates P h o t o g r a p h y collabo-

S o m e progress in m o v i n g photography into the public art arena

rated with the Metropolitan Public Art Coalition to produce

began in the 1990s. Still in a traditional two-dimensional for-

the workshop, T h e Big Picture: Photography and Public Art,

mat, photography began to appear in public art driven by gov-

w h i c h was sponsored by the Fulton C o u n t y Arts C o u n c i l . T h e

e r n m e n t support. In Florida, cities such as Miami and Tampa

workshop's objective was to i n f o r m artists and photographers

initiated programs to actively s u p p o r t public art projects. In

a b o u t h o w to integrate p h o t o g r a p h y i n t o public art. W h a t

Atlanta, the city's Bureau of Cultural Affairs supported many

b e c a m e clear at the w o r k s h o p was that m a n y artists in the

public art projects incorporating photography.

S o u t h are isolated f r o m any k i n d of m e a n i n g f u l discussion about public art. T h e Big Picture proved to be an excellent way to open u p possibilities for photography's role in the p u b -

Sepia-toned prints in Vicki Ragan's The Navigation Project are placed on open walls in the International Terminal at Hartsfield Atlanta I n t e r n a t i o n a l A i r p o r t . C o m m i s s i o n e d for the

lic art world.

1996 Olympics, this photographic work combines drawings, P h o t o g r a p h y in public art has been a little-traveled path, par-

maps, astronomical symbols, and mythological figures, along-

ticularly in the S o u t h . W h i l e m a n y public artists in o t h e r

side an e n o r m o u s C o p e r n i c a n globe. Water Spirits (1999), by

media here have explored the capabilities of photography, very

D e b o r a h W i a n W h i t e h o u s e , at the JFK N a t a t o r i u m in Atlanta

few p h o t o g r a p h e r s have ventured into public a r t . T h e m e d i u m

celebrates the universal aspects of c o m m u n i t y spirit in large-

seemed to be separate f r o m any real c o n n e c t i o n with public

scale prints on 3 M vinyl. Digitally scanned to fit the architec-

art-making. F u r t h e r m o r e , traditional art historians and p h o -

ture and then m o u n t e d on Sintra substrate to withstand the

t o g r a p h e r s themselves have been r e l u c t a n t to push

the

pool's humidity, the colorful imagery of children underwater

m e d i u m into new artistic dialogues beyond the photographic

promotes a sense of joyfulness. Similarly, Whitehouse's e n o r -

practice of d o c u m e n t a t i o n .

m o u s Spirit of Atlanta

P u b l i c A r t R e v i e w . FALL. WTR. 02

(2000) at Hartsfield A i r p o r t serves as

REPORT

Mike Mandel, Sitting Down at Rich's, Sam N u n n A t l a n t a F e d e r a l C e n t e r , Atlanta, Ga. P h o t o by S t e p h e n T r a v e s © 2 0 0 1

w e l c o m e gateway to the city by capturing the diversity of the

the dynamic possibilities of this relatively n e w f o r m . T h e nar-

people and vibrancy of the urban area.

rative c o n t e n t , featuring seminal m o m e n t s in Atlanta's Civil

Despite the success of these and other efforts, o n e question has continued to confront the discipline: H o w can p h o t o g r a phy in public places m o v e b e y o n d t h e

two-dimensional

R i g h t s m o v e m e n t , is m a d e all the m o r e e l o q u e n t by the way the photographs w r a p around the building and create a sense of continuity.

process? Since the advent of the digital process, artists have

W h e t h e r c h e m i c a l l y or digitally p r o d u c e d , certainly o n e

b e e n using p h o t o g r a p h i c i m a g e r y in t h o u g h t - p r o v o k i n g ,

other constant challenge facing p h o t o g r a p h y has been over-

innovative ways never possible b e f o r e — b u t usually as rela-

c o m i n g its static quality. W h i l e p h o t o g r a p h y has been hailed

tively small artworks. T h e translation of these m e t h o d s to the

for its power to " b u r n " into one's m i n d , that same ability also

public f o r u m r e m a i n e d a challenge. T h e n e w t e c h n i q u e of

dates the w o r k m o r e than o t h e r artistic media. A p h o t o g r a p h

digitizing photography into tile, however, can create a sense of

from

three-dimensionality.

C o u n t y w o r k — r e m a i n s in that capsule of t i m e a n d space

1966—for example, William

Christenberry's

Hale

m o r e than a p a i n t i n g f r o m the same year ever w o u l d . A Barbara Jo Revelle, a professor at the University of Florida, Gainesville, set the precedent for the t e c h n i q u e in 1991 with her photo-based tile mural, A People's History of Colorado, in Denver. Revelle has followed u p that effort with five m o r e

painting often b e c o m e s m o r e p o w e r f u l over time, w h e r e a s many photographs seem to lose their potency. H o w can p h o tography b e c o m e publicly dynamic and powerful in a different, timeless way?

public works, including the Fort Myers C o u r t h o u s e Public Art Project. Mike Mandel's recent work, Sitting Down at Rich's

T h e use of light, an essential e l e m e n t in t h e p h o t o g r a p h i c

(2001), in the Sam N u n n Atlanta Federal Center, exemplifies

process, may be o n e direction to follow. For example, p h o t o -

P u b l i c Art R e v i e w . FALL. WTR. 02

REPORT

Maria M a r t i n e z - C a n a s , Arios

( b e l o w ) C a r l C h e n g , Everglades

Continuous, Miami I n t e r n a t i o n a l

Trespass, S o u t h w e s t Regional

A i r p o r t , Miami, Fla.

Library, P e m b r o k e Pines, Fla.

Photo courtesy Miami-Dade

P h o t o courtesy Broward County

A r t in Public Places 1996

Cultural Affairs Division 2 0 0 0

ing's lobby is N a n c y G u t k i n O ' N e i l ' s Glass

Collage-Atlanta

(2000), m a d e u p of historical p h o t o g r a p h s and text. As the sunlight shifts d u r i n g the day, soft, colorful lozenges m o v e slowly across the space, reminiscent of the interiors of High G o t h i c cathedrals.

Recently, artists in the South have been exploring temporality as a n o t h e r dimension of p h o t o g r a p h y in public art. Temporality counters the static limitations of photography. R e n d e r i n g p h o t o g r a p h y ephemeral may foster experimentation and g e n erate unusual, perhaps

even

controversial, c o n t e n t .

For

instance, several artists have used projections to make political statements. KrysztofWodiczko's The Homeless Project (Boston, 1987) and S h i m o n Attie's The Writing on the Wall (Berlin, 1991) are examples of artworks that intervene temporarily into the public eye, yet the m e m o r y of their message remains.

Photography can be unexpected. It can be public. W h e r e the interaction of photography and public art in the South can go f r o m here is endless.The dialogue has just begun.

Susan T o d d - R a q u e is an i n d e p e n d e n t p h o t o h i s t o r i a n and l e c t u r e r in A t l a n t a . S h e is also a c o f o u n d e r and b o a r d m e m b e r of A t l a n t a C e l e b r a t e s P h o t o g r a p h y , Inc.

graphic light boxes have added a new dimension by b e c o m i n g m o r e actively involved w i t h space and architecture. P h o t o g r a phy acquires depth, even if it is an illusion, by strategic use of backlighting. In the M i a m i International Airport, Maria M a r t i n e z - C a n a s ' h u g e mural, Anos Continuos

(1996), occupies a

wall of back-lit, sand-blasted glass panels that create an arresting translucency. F u n d e d as part of the M i a m i - D a d e Art in Public Places program, the artwork blends personal images, universal symbols, maps, and travel d o c u m e n t s .

Natural light enhances the digitized p h o t o g r a p h s of nearby animal and plant life o n acrylic panels in Carl Cheng's Everglades Trespass (2000), sponsored by the Broward C o u n t y C u l tural Affairs Public Art and Design Program. In an Alpharetta, Georgia library, the glass-paneled work of D e a n n a Sirlin and Phillip Auslander, Looking

Forward, Looking

Back

(1999),

recounts with words and historical images the city's history.

Similarly, Stephen Knapp's The Crossroads Quartet (2000), at the Sam N u n n Atlanta Federal Center, tells the story of the city's early industry. T h e c o m p u t e r - g e n e r a t e d images were subsequently k i l n - f o r m e d on glass plates. N e a r b y in the build-

P u b l i c Art R e v i e w . fALL.WTR.02

EXHIBITION

EVOKING HISTORY: THE MEMORY OF LAND; THE MEMORY OF WATER

By Neill Bogan • • •

( b e l o w ) J. M o r g a n P u e t t , Cottage Industry.

P h o t o by C l a y t o n Lewis 2 0 0 2

Spoleto Festival USA Charleston, South Carolina May 31 to June 2,2002

" O h , they're slaves."

Heard through the w i n d o w of an SUV in which five w h i t e kids

the final conference of this year's E v o k i n g History program. In the second year of a three-year r u n , E v o k i n g History represents a collaboration b e t w e e n outside artists and local residents. T h e 2002 conference was curated by M a r y Jane J a c o b a n d T u m e l o Mosaka as part of the Spoleto Festival USA.

and a m o m are stopped for a light at the c o r n e r of East Bay and

T h e three dressing w o m e n are part of J. M o r g a n Puett's Cot-

C a l h o u n in Charleston, South Carolina. Past the crowd they

tage Industry, staged in o n e of t w o houses that are the last r e m -

eye two w o m e n (one black, o n e white) on a platform slowly

nants o f an historically A f r i c a n - A m e r i c a n

dressing a third (white) in front of a peeling clapboard house.

k n o w n as the B o r o u g h , o n c e a collection of modest h o m e s

All are wearing n i n e t e e n t h - c e n t u r y undergarments.

s u r r o u n d i n g a housing project just off the Charleston docks.

neighborhood

In the city that anchored the trans-Atlantic slave trade and

T h e houses n o w stand before an e n o r m o u s vacant field ringed

today reflects the fruits of b u r g e o n i n g global trade and m o b i l -

by n e w buildings.

ity, tangible evidence of the slave system is almost invisible— except in rare m o m e n t s like this. Still, it's always there, and the most inexact cues b r i n g its m e m o r y to the surface.

T h e houses are o w n e d by sisters C a t h e r i n e B r a x t o n a n d R e b e c c a Campbell, key partners in this year's program. In o n e house, they w o r k e d with Puett to create a bursting assemblage

T h e w o m e n continue to exchange elegant garments and posi-

of family objects, amid w h i c h the artist-designer's n e t w o r k of

tions in a measured cadence dictated by the heat. T h e y are

cutters, p a t t e r n - m a k e r s , and stitchers labored. In the o t h e r

watched by a smattering of passers-by and many attendees at

house is The Borough, a display of oral histories and m e m o r y

37

P u b l i c A r t R e v i e w . FALL. WTR.02

EXHIBITION

Marc L a t a m i e , Caravella.

( b e l o w ) N a r i W a r d , Fortress.

P h o t o by John McWilliams 2 0 0 2

P h o t o by John McWilliams 2 0 0 2

objects f r o m f o r m e r residents of the a r e a — n o w swept clean in

Atlantic world, but they all seem to circle back to glimpses of

t h e city's p o s t m o d e r n

the m e m o r y of people enslaved.

reinvention

of itself. In t h e yard

b e t w e e n have been f o r u m s and presentations.

by curator Jacob, w h o s e involvement began with her Placcs

glass fortress by Nari Ward has n o t h i n g left to guard but ghosts

Willi a Past exhibition in 1991, and n o w by Mosaka, whose

and names. A shanty store stocked with M a r t i n i q u a n trade

roots are in the South African f r e e d o m struggles of the late

goods by Marc Latamie has n o customers. Far out in the harbor, a n i n e t e e n t h - c e n t u r y lighthouse, bathed in Kim Sooja's slowly shifting colored lights, stands watch for the return of those w h o have left the city. U p the Ashley River, at the Drayton plantation, w h e r e Braxton and Campbell's slave ancestors 38

T h e program reflects a l o n g - t e r m c o m m i t m e n t to Charleston

In the dust at the edge of the cleared field there is less life. A

are buried, Sooja has placed carpets bearing their names.

T h e s e works constitute a social m a p centered on the B o r o u g h . T h e y f u n c t i o n at o n e level as elements in a cultural perf o r m a n c e t a k i n g place over the t h r e e years of E v o k i n g History, a p e r f o r m a n c e that represents a growing confluence of critical and c o m m u n i t y - b a s e d art. This conference has precursors in Jacob's o w n Culture in Action, in the R E P O h i s t o r y c o l l a b o r a t i o n s o f t h e 1990s, and m a n y o t h e r s . T h i s year's a n n o u n c e d issues are youth, education, and trade across the

P u b l i c A r t R e v i e w . FALL. WTR.02

EXHIBITION

Kim S o o j a , Planted

Names.

P h o t o by John McWilliams 2 0 0 2

By galvanizing awareness of t h e city as a global resource, efforts like this, even t h r o u g h their mistakes, create a n e w d e m a n d for local people to e x a m i n e and showcase their o w n cultures. For m e , the c o n f e r e n c e ' s value is e p i t o m i z e d in exchanges that emphasize imbalances, contradictions, and creative misunderstandings.

Artist Marc Latamie describes voyaging: M a r t i n i q u e to Paris to H a r l e m and b a c k . "1 have never lived b e y o n d East Bay Street," announces C a t h e r i n e Braxton.

Latamie e x h o r t s a g r o u p of local e d u c a t o r s to " b r e a k t h e rules!" O n e teacher fires back, "You d o that in O r a n g e b u r g and you'll be fired!"

G e o r g e M c D a n i e l , director of the D r a y t o n Hall plantation and a key figure in attracting artists to display their w o r k at D r a y t o n this year, m o m e n t a r i l y drops his c o u r t l y s o u t h e r n m a n n e r d u r i n g a tour of archaeological sites along the Ashley R i v e r to yell at a speeding m o t o r b o a t w h o s e wake is threatening the sites.

T h e d e m a n d of c o m m u n i t i e s , especially A f r i c a n - A m e r i c a n , for straight-ahead, representational m o n u m e n t s is insistent.

T h e strongest voices in response are also l o c a l — f r o m those invested in c o n t e m p o r a r y art production.

W h o is the insider and w h o the outsider? T h e language of the art and m u s e u m worlds meets that of C h a r l e s t o n . R e b e c c a C a m p b e l l affirms, " I ' m b e g i n n i n g to think I ' m an artist. I have learned terminologies I was not a part of."

Evoking history means evoking differences: e c o n o m i c , philosophical, cultural. In the face of such differences, good-faith exchanges are difficult, but inaction is not a realistic option.

T h e o p p o r t u n i t y this p r o g r a m presents is t o o valuable to ignore, even as it limits are clearly discerned.

As George McDaniel turns f r o m shouting d o w n the speedboat, he rejoins artists R i c k Lowe and Suzanne Lacy, w h o are already strategizing the final year of Evoking History. B o t h 1980s. This is not a grassroots effort, but a risky o n e by the established Spoleto Festival to take up vexing local issues and m e n d the city's isolation f r o m s u r r o u n d i n g c o m m u n i t i e s by b r i n g i n g global culture into n e i g h b o r h o o d settings. Perhaps n o other southern city has a comparable institution capable of m a n a g i n g the logistics of an effort like this. Charleston is also h o m e to a growing cadre of people versed in public art, history, and c o m m u n i t y culture: artists Colin Q u a s h i e and the

artists have a long practice o f interventions into the control of public space. T h e fact that they are s t a n d i n g h e r e

with

McDaniel represents radical possibilities. But they are standing o n swampy g r o u n d , terrain w h o s e shape seems to c h a n g e daily but that over time absorbs and neutralizes change. Like a wetland, this region is a rich b i r t h i n g g r o u n d for e m e r g e n t A m e r i c a n culture, a n d a t t e m p t i n g to negotiate that b i r t h is w o r t h all the risks.

team of G w y l e n e Gallimard and J e a n - M a r i e Mauclet, curators Frank M a r t i n and Karen C h a n d l e r , teacher-activists H e n r y Darby and Ayoka Lucas, newspaper writers Kristen R h o d e s

Neill Bogan w a s a lead a r t i s t - w r i t e r o n Evoking H i s t o r y in 2 0 0 1 a n d is a

and Jeffrey Day.

p a r t n e r in K l e m / B o g a n A r t a n d C o m m u n i c a t i o n .

P u b l i c Art R e v i e w . fALL.Wffi.02

REPORT

FORECAST UPDATE

G e o r g e M o r r i s o n , Tableau:A Native American Mosaic, Minneapolis, Minn.

By F O R E C A S T Staff

P h o t o by S u e Hartley, 2 0 0 1 . From t h e Public

• •

A r t A d v e n t u r e Map c r e a t e d f o r t h e A r t in Public Places Program, City of Minneapolis

T h r o u g h o u t the country, c o m m u n i t i e s have discovered the

Expect exciting changes to the PAR website over the n e x t

benefits of public art and the rewards of involving artists in

eighteen months. N o w that publicartreview.org is u p and r u n -

p u b l i c space d e v e l o p m e n t , m a k i n g public art an essential

ning, F O R E C A S T will be e x p a n d i n g the site to include a

c o m p o n e n t of any development. T h r o u g h the years, F O R E -

keyword-searchable index of articles from all the back issues,

C A S T Public A r t w o r k s ' efforts have increased c o m m u n i t y

providing an o n - l i n e history of both the j o u r n a l and develop-

participation and awareness of public art. N o w approaching

ments in the field. We also plan to make available a n u m b e r of

t w e n t y - f i v e years as a n o n p r o f i t p u b l i c arts o r g a n i z a t i o n ,

c o m p l e t e articles from all the issues. Please visit publicartre-

F O R E C A S T has evolved into a multifaceted c o m p a n y that

view.org and let us k n o w what you think.

provides a broad range of professional consulting services in • •

addition to arts p r o g r a m m i n g . O u r Public Art Services program offers consultation and facilitation services for c o m m u nities, individuals, and g o v e r n m e n t

agencies s e e k i n g

to

In a d d i t i o n to Public Art Services and Public Art

Review,

i n c o r p o r a t e public art into their environment. W i t h a c o m -

F O R E C A S T is k n o w n nationally for its innovative Public

prehensive database of artists, and a resource library of public

Art Affairs program, offering developmental grants to e m e r g -

art materials f r o m around the c o u n t r y (thanks in part to Public

ing public artists in all disciplines, at sites of their choosing in

Art Review and our statewide grant program), F O R E C A S T

the state of M i n n e s o t a . C o n t r a r y to m o s t c o m m i s s i o n i n g

houses an impressive collection of public art information.

p r o g r a m s , Public Art Affairs, s u p p o r t e d annually by the J e r o m e Foundation, allows artists to define public art in their

F O R E C A S T ' S staff—Jack Becker, Paula Justich, and R e b e c c a

own terms, work with issues and communities of c o n c e r n to

R y a n — h a v e helped over three dozen clients realize their p u b -

t h e m , and

lic art aspirations. O f f e r i n g everything from project planning,

strengthen careers. At F O R E C A S T , we put the artist's ideas,

c o m m u n i t y facilitation, master planning, policy development,

energy, and talents in the spotlight, and provide technical

and artist selection m a n a g e m e n t to artist contracting, p r o m o -

assistance that is unavailable a n y w h e r e else in the country.

engage

in

dialogues

that

can

blossom

and

tional materials, and public art maps and p r o g r a m brochures,

People ask us w h e r e public artists c o m e from and h o w they

F O R E C A S T is a full-service shop.

get started in this complex and competitive field. Public Art

" T h e facilitation of successful public art is our primary c o n -

Affairs provides the answers.

cern. We have enabled n u m e r o u s projects and programs, both

As most public art programs around the U n i t e d States have

p e r m a n e n t and t e m p o r a r y , " says Artistic D i r e c t o r Becker.

discovered, p e r c e n t - f o r - a r t

" F O R E C A S T is like a f u l c r u m , balancing the interests and

develop artists in their own communities. Public Art Affairs

programs

don't

always

help

c o n c e r n s of multiple stakeholders, diverse sites, and almost

offers a replicable model to do just that, and F O R E C A S T can

every type of community."

help communities seeking to build a stronger local or regional

As a nonprofit, F O R E C A S T offers its services at reasonable

pool of public art talent.

rates, and views consulting as another segment of its educa-

To learn m o r e about F O R E C A S T ' S programs and services,

tional p r o g r a m m i n g . T h e organization avoids playing " a g e n t "

please c o n t a c t us by t e l e p h o n e , 6 5 1 - 6 4 1 - 1 1 2 8 ; by e - m a i l ,

for a select g r o u p of artists and allows clients the broadest

forecast@visi.com; or visit o u r websites, forecastart.org and

range of possible creative outcomes. T h e public process often

publicartreview.org.

b e c o m e s political—sensitivity, neutrality, and diplomacy are a m o n g F O R E C A S T ' S strongest assets.

• • •

40

T h e April 2003 issue of Public Art Review will focus on agitprop public art. T h e potential of public art to i n f o r m , influence, and inflame is undeniable, yet can public art by itself transform a culture? W h a t are effective ways of expressing dissent in public art? W h a t are the political and legal c o n s e quences w h e n public spaces serve as an artist's soapbox? Issue # 2 8 promises to be a fascinating and timely exploration of the political and social dimensions of putting opinionated art in the public realm.

P u b l i c A r t R e v i e w . FALL. WTR.02

REVIEW

ONE PLACE AFTER ANOTHER: SITE-SPECIFIC ART AND LOCATIONAL IDENTITY R e v i e w e d by D e b o r a h Karasov • • •

Miwon Kwon Cambridge, Mass.:The MIT Press, 2002 230 pages, $32.95 (cloth)

An Austrian landscape of brilliant green spruce trees d o m i nates the cover of M i w o n Kwon's new b o o k , One Place After Another: Site-Specific Art and Locationai Identity. T h e gentle path flanked by snow belies the m o u n t a i n o u s Alps that cover Austria. Pausing on the path is artist Christian Philipp Miiller, w h o provided this and other photographs as part of his project for the 1993 Venice Biennale. Traveling w i t h o u t proper visas across Austria's borders to each of its n e i g h b o r i n g countries, he e n a c t e d a series of illegal i m m i g r a t i o n s , m a r k i n g these crossings with postcards mailed to his Vienna dealer.

For critic K w o n , Miiller's artwork represents a kind that redefines the site of art as a discursive

field—much

as artists of the

1960s redefined site as a social manifestation. Miiller's images

postulates a n e w m o d e l o f " b e l o n g i n g - i n - t r a n s i e n c e . " Yet

are indeed a useful reference point for the b o o k . Kwon's care-

visual art is barely present in this chapter populated by, a m o n g

ful observations are wonderfully apt—such as her questioning

others, novelist D o n DeLillo and theorist H o m i Bhabha.

of the assumption that site artwork is automatically radical, or that n o m a d i c , freelance artistry is necessarily s o m e t h i n g to celebrate. At the same t i m e , it is telling that K w o n never describes the substance of Miiller's project or that of o t h e r similar artists. Literally and figuratively, K w o n leaves the images behind as she moves f r o m a genealogy of site-specificity since the late 1960s to her theories of recent art and p l a c e - b o u n d identity.

For the reader, the r h e t o r i c of the last chapter obscures the f u t u r e of site-oriented art. So the final image of the b o o k by artist G a b r i e l O r o z c o is an a p p r e c i a t e d l a n d i n g . O r o z c o ' s o p e n - e n d e d p h o t o g r a p h s a n d sculptures c o n j u r e a w h o l e world of disorientation, instability, and possibilities. A n d yet, lest w e get carried away theoretically and make t o o m u c h of it, he reminds us, " A n o m a d is t o o glamorous an expression. I am really just an immigrant."

Kwon's b o o k comprises six chapters. In the first three, she charts changes in h o w artists have conceived of site specificity.

D e b o r a h Karasov is a f r e e l a n c e w r i t e r and assistant d i r e c t o r of t h e land-

As other writers have, she compares Richard Serra's Tilted Arc

scape g r o u p G r e a t River Greening.

to J o h n Ahearn's figurative sculptures for the South B r o n x , differentiating "site" as a geographical location f r o m "site" as a network of social relations.

In the next t w o chapters, she turns to c o m m u n i t y art, offer-

TAKING THE TRAIN: HOW GRAFFITI ART BECAME AN URBAN CRISIS IN NEW YORK CITY R e v i e w e d by M o i r a F. H a r r i s

ing an interesting typology based on the kind of interactions between

the

artist(s)

partner(s). C o m m u n i t y

and

the

respective

art, K w o n

community

w r i t e s , can

unearth Joe Austin New York: Columbia University Press, 2002 356 pages, $49.50 (cloth), $24.50 (paper)

repressed histories, provide greater visibility for marginalized groups and issues, and rediscover m i n o r places ignored by the d o m i n a n t culture. Paradoxically, it can also blur t h e very specificity of place by simply serving the thematic drive of an artist, the outreach need of a m u s e u m , or the fiscal needs of a city. Are we cultivating art and u n i q u e places or simply nostalgia and cultural commodities?

In the last paragraph of his n e w b o o k , J o e Austin, professor of p o p u l a r

c u l t u r e at B o w l i n g G r e e n

w r i t e s , "I r e m a i n c o n v i n c e d

State

University,

that w r i t i n g manifests

greatest art of t h e late t w e n t i e t h

the

century." W r i t i n g — a s

"By way of conclusion," w h i c h is the title of the final chapter

Austin prefers to t e r m w h a t others have called aerosol art,

of t h e b o o k , K w o n spins a b r u p t l y i n t o j a r g o n , s p e e d i n g

spraycan art, or graffiti—has certainly been incredibly influ-

t h r o u g h academic theories of space as f r a g m e n t e d and abstract

ential. Although it preceded h i p - h o p , w r i t i n g is n o w linked

as the processes she is discussing. As a way to c o u n t e r the

to the music, dancing, and poetry of that world. W r i t i n g is

artist's tendencies toward either nostalgia or n o m a d i s m , she

practiced virtually everywhere and clearly is scorned by as

Public Art R e v i e w . fALL.WTR.02

REVIEW

m a n y people as there are those w h o enjoy and create it. In

JOE

AUSTIN

those cities w i t h zero tolerance for w r i t i n g , the costs of r e m o v i n g it may well be far more than the budgets of local museums for displaying art.

Taking the Train is not intended to be a history of writing, even in N e w York City, but rather an explanation of w h a t w r i t i n g is and why, in Austin's view, it represents a tragically missed opportunity. W h e n w r i t i n g on subway cars began to flourish

in the 1960s, the city had a chance to support it as "a

h o m e g r o w n public art f o r m " ; its rolling canvases could have b e c o m e destinations f o r cultural tourists. Instead, the city administration and its transit authority declared "war o n graffiti" in 1971, offering this as an achievable goal rather than attempting to solve other m o r e d a u n t i n g urban problems.

HOW G R A F F I T I A R T

T h e war lasted over a decade, through the administrations

BECAME

A N U R B A N C R I S I S IN N E W Y O R K

CIT

of J o h n Lindsay and Edward Koch. Solvents to clean the subway cars, fences and rolls of barbed wire to prevent w r i t ers f r o m reaching cars parked in yards at the end of lines,

recreate the very different experience of a masterpiece on a

and increased surveillance and arrests finally enabled victory

subway train. Yet having their art in galleries could b r i n g a

to be declared. After w h a t writers called " t h e Buff," N e w

critical response (although never e n o u g h c o m m e n t a r y f r o m

York City's subway cars were declared clean in 1989. W r i t -

the New York Times, according to the author) and perhaps an

ing, however, survived—it just moved elsewhere.

e c o n o m i c benefit for some writers.

In a chapter called "Walls and the World," Austin refers to

Austin's t h o r o u g h l y researched v o l u m e describes o n e sus-

some of the developments in w r i t i n g that followed the end

tained conflict in writing's history. P h o t o g r a p h s are n o t a

of the war o n graffiti. In N e w York writers f o u n d handball

strength of the b o o k , and I would have preferred to see images

court walls, highway underpasses, and freight trains to serve

placed closer to the c o m m e n t a r y about them. T h e challenge

as substitute spaces for subway cars. S o m e writers earn a

of writing an u p - t o - d a t e history of writing remains, perhaps

living d o i n g legal permission pieces, several of which are

incorporating approaches like that of Susan A. Phillips in her

m e m o r i a l walls (see M a r t h a C o o p e r and Joseph

1999 b o o k Wallbangin': Graffiti and Gangs in L.A.

R.I.P.

Sciorra,

Memorial Wall Art). Writers active in the early years

of w r i t i n g are often invited to o t h e r cities to teach and

M o i r a F. H a r r i s is an a r t h i s t o r i a n and a u t h o r of Art on the Road: Painted

demonstrate their work. N u m e r o u s zines record images of

Vehicles of the Americas.

writers' often ephemeral work.

O v e r the years writing developed its own forms, vocabulary, and code of ethics. For example, spray paints are expensive, so the only "ethical" way to finance a masterpiece is to steal the paint. In the early years of w r i t i n g it was considered w r o n g to w r i t e over s o m e o n e else's work, but that changed as m o r e w r i t e r s c o m p e t e d for the same spaces. W r i t e r s learned f r o m each o t h e r and f r o m watching the w r i t i n g roll by as they sat on "writers' b e n c h e s " on subway platforms. A literature on writing grew up, with Craig Castleman's

Get-

ting Up: Subway Graffiti in New York in 1982, Martha C o o p e r and H e n r y Chalfant's Subway Art in 1984, and Chalfant and

DISCOVER

www.publicarfreview.org

James Prigoff's Spraycan Art in 1987. Movies, videos, and the Internet spread k n o w l e d g e of writing and its images.

For a brief time w r i t i n g entered w h a t Austin refers to as the "galleried world." Works created on canvas or paper had to P u b l i c A r t R e v i e w . FALL.WTR.02

Phone: 6 5 1 - 6 4 1 - 1 128 Fax: 6 5 1 - 6 4 1 - 0 0 2 8 E-mail: publicartreview@visi.com

RECENT

PROJECTS

T h e City o f W e s t H o l l y w o o d ,

on King's R o a d and assembled

Billed as a public a r t / i n f o r m a -

Barbara Grygutis c o m p l e t e d

Calif, unveiled EDGES AND H E D G E S ,

his playful, f r e e f o r m , n o t - q u i t e

tion piece, P U B L I C G R E E N is an

COMMON G R O U N D , an e n v i r o n m e n -

the first of several public art

sculpture with help f r o m the

a r t w o r k in the f o r m of sixty

tal w o r k of art, for t h e city o f

installations o n the Santa M o n -

s u r r o u n d i n g c o m m u n i t y . Painter

maps o n bus shelters, locating

Denver, C o l o . C o m m o n s Park,

ica Boulevard. Facilitated by

Keith Sklar p r o d u c e d his first

green space for residents of

w h e r e t h e a r t w o r k sits, is

Barker and Associates, the instal-

t h r e e - d i m e n s i o n a l piece for t h e

Los Angeles, Calif, w h o may n o t

part of an urban renewal

lations will be o n view f r o m the

project, entitled Dining

have easy access to it. Artist

p r o j e c t of t h e C e n t r a l Platte

end of April to the end of

U s i n g f o u n d objects, real and

Lize M o g e l questions o w n e r s h i p

Valley's old rail yards in d o w n -

N o v e m b e r . Art on t h e O u t s i d e ,

artificial plants, and paint, h e

of land, acquisition practices,

t o w n D e n v e r w h e r e t h e Platte

a West H o l l y w o o d Fine Arts

sculpted an oversize table and

and o t h e r f u n c t i o n s of t h e

R i v e r flows t h r o u g h t h e city.

C o m m i s s i o n public art p r o -

chairs piled high w i t h glasses,

c u r r e n t Los Angeles park system

Part sculpture, p a r t ceremonial

g r a m , g r e w o u t of the rehabili-

plates, and f o o d . B r u c e O d l a n d

t h r o u g h text and maps in

staircase, and part v i e w f i n d e r .

tation of Santa M o n i c a

used t h e sounds f o u n d at the

English and in Spanish. She

Common

Boulevard. P e r c e n t - f o r - a r t f u n d s

site to create his o w n c o m p o s i -

suggests that every vacant lot

several varieties of stone native

Room.

Ground is m a d e of

were leveraged f r o m o n e p e r -

tion, t r a n s f o r m i n g t h e n o r m a l l y

c o u l d b e a park, especially in

to t h e a r e a . T h e staircase rises

cent of t h e b u d g e t for t h e Santa

j a r r i n g sounds of an u r b a n

p a r k - p o o r areas of t h e city.

to a h e i g h t of e i g h t e e n feet,

M o n i c a Boulevard rebuilding

intersection into h a r m o n i c ,

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

and t h e walls of t h e sculpture

p r o j e c t . T h e art is installed o n

musical elements. Tonic uses par-

w w w . p u b l i c g r e e n . c o m . Public

curve a r o u n d each o t h e r for an

t h e n e w grassy medians along

abolic reflector b e a m s to t u n e

Green was f u n d e d in part by a

ultimate length of 2 0 0 feet.

the b o u l e v a r d . T h e project c e n -

real-time s o u n d f r o m t h e bus

g r a n t f r o m the Los Angeles

T h e a r t w o r k is fully accessible,

ters o n t h e t h e m e of nature in

stop o n t h e c o r n e r to b e a m

D e p a r t m e n t of C u l t u r a l Affairs,

was built by h a n d using tradi-

the urban e n v i r o n m e n t . Sheila

across t h e street, operating as an

w i t h transit shelter space

tional m e t h o d s , a n d is m e a n t

Klein, a Washington artist, p r o -

u n d e r t o n e o n the opposite c o r -

donated from Viacom O u t d o o r

to c o m m e m o r a t e t h e m i l l e n -

d u c e d Palm Ear, d e c o r a t i n g

ner. Local artist Blue M c R i g h t

and t h e c o m m u n i t i e s of Boyle

n i u m . C o m m i s s i o n e d by t h e

palm trees w i t h large earrings.

designed Lawn Chair, the first in

Heights, Sun Valley, H i g h l a n d

Gates Family F o u n d a t i o n as a

N o n e of t h e earrings pierce the

a series o f ' I m p o s s i b l e Lawns."

Park, and Virgil Village.

gift to t h e city of Denver,

trees, b u t t h e nose r i n g palm

T h e chaise l o u n g e is larger than

G r y g u t i s ' a r t w o r k showcases t h e

tree appears to. D a n g l i n g ear-

life, at approximately n i n e feet

b e a u t y of t h e Platte Valley and

rings h a n g off o n e tree, and the

l o n g by five feet high by f o r t y -

the Front R a n g e m o u n t a i n s ,

last gets a pair of simple hoops.

t w o inches w i d e , and is u p h o l -

[right Photo courtesy the artist]

Starcltief (Garden Car), by Laura

stered w i t h artificial grass,

H a d d a d and T h o m a s D r u g a n ,

inviting passers-by to sit or

transforms a 1959 Pontiac Star

recline in it. Michael Stutz

C h i e f i n t o a giant planter. C o l -

sculpted Coyote o u t of strips of

orful annuals line t h e inside

woven, lacquered cardboard.

edge of t h e car, and tall grasses

T h e f o u r t e e n - f o o t - l o n g coyote

and sunflowers fill the inside.

appears playful, and simultane-

T h e car's e x t e r i o r is p a i n t e d

ously in and o u t ot place,

silver. S t e p h e n Glassman g a t h -

[left Coyote. Photo by BielenbergŠ]

ered the necessary b a m b o o for Naliara from Schindler H o u s e

43

RECENT

PROJECTS

O n R o c k e f e l l e r Plaza in

Andreas von H u e n e recently

fabricate the pieces. Stephanie

2 0 0 2 marks the fifteenth

N e w York C i t y f r o m J u n e 2 6 -

c o m p l e t e d STRONG F L O W S THE

Suter designed t h e p o n d ani-

anniversary of C o n v e r g e n c e

S e p t e m b e r 2, P u b l i c Art F u n d

RIVER, a w a t e r feature for t h e

mals, E d u a r d o Veda designed the

International Arts Festival, the

presented N a m J u n e Paik's

surgical waiting r o o m at t h e

marble dishes, t h e dragon wings

only state-wide arts festival in

TRANSMISSION, a t h i r t y - t h r e e - f o o t -

newly c o n s t r u c t e d M i d C o a s t

and t h e metal b o d y were

the nation. Primarily based in

tall a u t h e n t i c transmission tower

Hospital in B r u n s w i c k , Maine.

designed by M i g u e l Cajamarca,

Providence, the festival e n c o m -

m a d e in collaboration w i t h laser

T h e project, in c o n j u n c t i o n

and the dragon head was

passes several activities i n c l u d i n g

e x p e r t and creative technician

with Quiet Moves the Stream in

designed by Hillenkamp.

a R h o d e Island-wide display of

N o r m a n Ballard. Paik began to

the waiting area of the m a i n

S u r r o u n d e d by decorative f e n c -

public sculpture—directly c o m -

w o r k w i t h laser t e c h n o l o g y in

e n t r a n c e c o r r i d o r , aims to

ing, t h e plaza has pathways r u n -

missioned f r o m local, national,

t h e 1990s, and d u r i n g t h e day

p r o m o t e a quiet, healing envi-

n i n g t h r o u g h the p o n d and

and international artists—the

t h e tower's r u n g s are brilliantly

r o n m e n t at the hospital. B o t h

a r o u n d t h e various creatures,

Providence Jazz and Blues

lit w i t h n e o n . At night, red,

projects reference s o o t h i n g

m o s t m a d e of stone and or

Festival, the C o n v e r g e n c e

blue, and g r e e n lasers p o u r f r o m

natural i m a g e r y that also brings

metal and covered in small,

F i l m / V i d e o / A n i m a t i o n Festival,

t h e tip of t h e t o w e r and reflect

to m i n d bodily m e t a p h o r s .

colorful disks. T h e dragon

and the third annual C o n v e r -

off nearby m i r r o r e d surfaces,

F u n d i n g for the projects was

breathes fire and water, and the

g e n c e Street Painting Festival.

creating a w e b of laser light.

provided by local benefactors,

metal f r a m e w o r k is covered in a

C o n v e r g e n c e also showcases

S u r r o u n d i n g t h e t o w e r are six-

and a c o m m i t t e e f o r m e d

skin of small, triangular metal

site-specific dance p e r f o r m -

teen cars f r o m Paik's 32 Cars for

at t h e hospital approved t h e

scales. T h e p o n d animals are

ances, and installations w i t h

the 20th Century.play

w o r k and process. B o t h

designed so children can play o n

s o u n d and light. In celebration

Requiem quietly, f r o m the collec-

e n v i r o n m e n t s w e r e created

t h e m , and t h e plaza has b e c o m e

of the fifteenth anniversary, the

tion of t h e S a m s u n g F o u n d a t i o n

using local materials w h e n

a c o m m u n i t y g a t h e r i n g place.

Island M o v i n g C o m p a n y has

of C u l t u r e in Seoul, S o u t h

possible, such as w h i t e granite

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

b e e n c o m m i s s i o n e d to create a

Korea. T h e cars are stripped of

f r o m a nearby q u a r r y and " D e e r

www. iron-to-live-with .com.

site-specific dance piece for

their engines, painted silver, and

Isle P i n k " granite, q u a r r i e d on

[right Photo courtesy Helmut

B u r n s i d e Park using t h e

filled with obsolete audio-visual

D e e r Isle, Maine.

Hillenkamp]

restored Banjotti F o u n t a i n , an

Mozart's

icon of historic Providence.

e q u i p m e n t . T h e d a n c i n g lasers, h u m m i n g silver cars, and

Fausto C a r d o s o designed PLAZA

The company performed out-

d e f u n c t e q u i p m e n t suggest a

DEL DRAGON in C u e n c a , E c u a d o r

doors for t h e first time at the

narrative of t h e t w e n t i e t h c e n -

at t h e behest of A n t o n i o Salinas,

inaugural C o n v e r g e n c e Festival.

tury that encompasses media

a n e i g h b o r w h o also f u n d e d the

O t h e r p e r f o r m a n c e and installa-

a n d c o n s u m e r culture, planned

project. O t h e r artists b e c a m e

tion artists have b e e n c o m m i s -

obsolescence, and t h e rise and

involved with designing the fea-

sioned to p r o d u c e site-specific

crisis of car culture. Transmission

tures of the plaza. In t h e m i d d l e

projects for D o w n c i t y . Dave

at R o c k e f e l l e r C e n t e r is p r e -

of the plaza sits a f i r e - b r e a t h i n g

Cole, e m e r g i n g Providence

sented by C i n g u l a r Wireless,

dragon, s u r r o u n d e d by a p o n d

artist, brings THE KNITTING MACHINE

w i t h additional s u p p o r t p r o -

and p o n d animals. H e l m u t Hil-

to C o n v e r g e n c e . Two h u g e

vided by TAC Americas,

l e n k a m p and crew set u p a

" k n i t t i n g needles," operated by

[left Photo courtesy Public

w o r k i n g studio in t h e t o w n of

backhoes, will create a k n i t t e d

Art Fund]

C u e n c a and w o r k e d w i t h m a n y

piece o u t of Mylar f a b r i c . T h e

p e o p l e f r o m the c o m m u n i t y to

festival has b e e n recognized as

RECENT

PROJECTS

a leader in the revitalization of

T h e international collaboration

T h e public art p r o g r a m in

Arts in Transit, a p r o g r a m o f t h e

Providence. For m o r e i n f o r m a -

involves artists f r o m San

T e m p e , Ariz, recently c o m m i s -

Bi-State D e v e l o p m e n t A g e n c y

tion, visit www.caparts.org.

Francisco's C l a r i o n Alley

sioned artist J i m C a m p b e l l to

in Saint Louis, M o . , presents

C o n v e r g e n c e 2 0 0 2 is sponsored

M u r a l Project and artists

create an interactive v i d e o and

P U L S E : RHYTHMS OF THE CITY, a piece

by the C i t y of Providence, the

fromYogyakarta, Indonesia's

still w o r k of art for the n e w

by artist Ilan Sandlers that will

Providence Parks D e p a r t m e n t ,

Apotik K o m i k . C r e a t i o n

Westside M u l t i g e n e r a t i o n a l

remain on display for o n e year.

CapitolArts Providence,

of n e w works and cross-cultural

C e n t e r . T h e c e n t e r provides an

N e a r the intersection of I n t e r -

N B C 1 0 W J A R , Cable C a r C i n -

dialogue are the stated aims

array of services and houses an

states 7 0 and 170, the Saint

ema, the R h o d e Island Division

of t h e collaboration, b o t h

association of n o n p r o f i t

Louis M e t r o L i n k light rail

o f T o u r i s m , t h e Providence

considered even m o r e i m p o r -

providers. B U I L D I N G MEMORY links

crosses a b r i d g e over Interstate

T o u r i s m C o u n c i l , and the p r i n t -

tant in light of t h e c u r r e n t

the f o u r areas of t h e building,

70. O n this bridge, at t h e nexus

ing industries of R h o d e Island,

n e e d for dialogue b e t w e e n

the p e o p l e using t h e building,

of transportation routes and of

[left Knitting Machine.

M u s l i m and n o n - M u s l i m

and areas i m m e d i a t e l y outside

people, t h e artist installed the

Photo courtesy Convergence 2002

c o u n t r i e s and people. Phases

the facility using strategically

fifteen-foot-high and 614-foot-

International Arts Festival]

t w o and three (scheduled

placed cameras and screens p r o -

l o n g piece over t h e c o u r s e of a

for 2 0 0 3 and 2004) will see

j e c t i n g a r t w o r k . Building

artists f r o m San Francisco

plays o n its title and focuses o n

crews. T h e sculpture appears as a

T w o California artists, Carolyn

Memory

night w i t h help f r o m BSDA

C a s t a n o and M e g a n Wilson,

traveling toYogyakarta to

relationships as t h e real subject

line of b r i g h t o r a n g e c o r r u g a t e d

i n t r o d u c e Random Acts of

participate in a series of public

of the w o r k , b o t h of t h e a r t -

plastic d u c t material, attached t o

Beauty, part o n e of an i n t e r n a -

projects and dialogues, and

w o r k and t h e w o r k of organiza-

a g r i d of steel aircraft cable. T h e

tional collaboration entitled

t h e n artists fromYogyakarta

tions in the building. Still

line does i n d e e d pulse along the

SAMA-SAMA/YOU'RE W E L C O M E .

traveling to San Francisco

p h o t o g r a p h s of the building

tracks and is easily v i e w e d f r o m

during construction made up

the h i g h w a y and f r o m inside

t h e first set of b a c k g r o u n d

M e t r o L i n k . T h e staggered

Castano and Wilson are travel-

to participate in t h e same.

ing to Tokyo, Japan; Denpasar,

Sama-sama/You're

Indonesia; andYogyakarta,

f u n d e d in part by a grant f r o m

images played o n t h e screens.

c u r v e d and p o i n t e d line evokes

Indonesia to create works of

the Asian Cultural C o u n c i l in

Collages are c o m p o s e d of ele-

n u m e r o u s biological and trans-

art that surreptitiously insert

N e w York.

m e n t s f r o m live cameras in the

portation metaphors, trom

b u i l d i n g along w i t h stored

heartbeats to electrical activity

images f r o m t h e past. T h e c o l -

to transportation hubs and t h e

themselves into t h e urban life of these h u g e cities.

Flowers, birds, and o t h e r images of the natural world are created with everyday materials such as cardboard, napkins, paper, pens, and pencils.

Random Acts of Beauty is also i n t e n d e d as a rejection of c o r p o r a t e values and the aesthetics of capitalism, subverting t h e urban o r d e r of advertis-

Welcome is

lage o n screen will constantly

c o m m u n i t y itself. F u n d i n g s u p -

c h a n g e and feature b l a c k - a n d -

p o r t for Pulse was p r o v i d e d by

w h i t e figures m o v i n g across a

t h e Missouri Arts C o u n c i l a n d

colored b a c k g r o u n d . T h e p r o j -

the R e g i o n a l Arts C o m m i s s i o n

ect is also designed so y o u n g

of Saint Louis,

p e o p l e using t h e facility will

[right Photo courtesy Arts in

eventually create t h e f u t u r e

Transit]

b a c k g r o u n d photos, [middle Photo courtesy City of Tempe Public Art]

ing and signage w i t h small m o m e n t s of i n t e r r u p t i o n .

45

P u b l i c Art R e v i e w . FALL.WTR.02

RECENT

46

PROJECTS

Ixl, artists Stuart Keeler and

T h e N e w England Foundation

2002, to h o n o r the B o s t o n

M i c h a e l M a c h n i c , created

for the Arts (NEFA) presents

homeless w h o have died in the

to t h e Grafter's Shack, located in

THE PLACE B E T W E E N in 2001

three n e w projects that are part

past year. T h e w o r k is i n t e n d e d

t h e w o o d l a n d part o f W a v e Hill.

forTRAX,

the Salt Lake City

This installation was transferred

of t h e Visible R e p u b l i c p r o -

as the first of an annual ritual

P u e t t created a c o m p l e x and

Light R a i l line. C o m m i s s i o n e d

gram. H a r r i e t Casdin-Silver.

and public r e m e m b r a n c e rite,

detailed tableau detailing the

by t h e U t a h Transit A u t h o r i t y

L ' M e r c h i e Frazier, and Kevin

and involves a procession with

history of bees t h r o u g h a

for t h e 800 East stop, t h e

B r o w n created IS F R E E D O M VISIBLE?

sculptural lanterns that were

display of collectibles. Bees

piece consists of fabricated

a project that uses life-sized

created in collaboration with

have served as a logo for

stainless steel a r m a t u r e and

h o l o g r a m s of Boston's t w e n t y -

homeless individuals.Visible

freemasons, as m e t a p h o r s in

cables that hold 120 stainless

first-century A f r i c a n - A m e r i c a n

R e p u b l i c is a public art p r o -

religious texts, and as symbols

steel and a l u m i n u m bicycle

c o m m u n i t y in c o n j u n c t i o n with

g r a m m i n g and f u n d i n g collabo-

for o t h e r political causes. Aside

rims s p i n n i n g t w e n t y - f i v e feet

enlarged archival p h o t o g r a p h s

rative of t h e N e w England

f r o m the previously m e n t i o n e d

off t h e g r o u n d , and three

collected by the M u s e u m of

F o u n d a t i o n for the Arts, the LEF

installation and collector's items,

1950s-style a l u m i n u m chairs

A f r i c a n - A m e r i c a n History of

F o u n d a t i o n , the Boston F o u n -

the shack serves as a m e m o r i a l

that sit high above the p l a t f o r m .

t h e n i n e t e e n t h - c e n t u r y black

dation, and the F u n d for Arts.

for the w a n i n g art of b e e k e e p -

T h e artists w e r e interested

c o m m u n i t y of B e a c o n Hill. T h e

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

ing in the U n i t e d States.

in c a p t u r i n g the d a y d r e a m i n g

artists i n t e r v i e w e d youth at local

www.nefa.org.

that takes place b e t w e e n the

schools, and stories collected

start and finish of a j o u r n e y —

f r o m these interviews will be

Wave Hill, a public garden

beeswax. A f o u r t h f u n c t i o n of

t h e r a n d o m s p i n n i n g wheels

able to be heard u n d e r a u d i o

and cultural center in t h e

t h e shack is an autobiographical

offer a visualization of w h a t a

d o m e s . T h e project is o n view

B r o n x , N.Y., presented

o n e for the artist, w h o s e family

d a y d r e a m i n g m i n d looks like.

f r o m O c t o b e r 4 - 3 1 , 2002, at t h e

J. M o r g a n Puett's THE GRAFTER'S

is f o u r t h - g e n e r a t i o n beekeepers.

T h e piece also draws o n

Massachusetts State H o u s e ,

SHACK f r o m July 1 4 - O c t o b e r 29,

Besides Barry Puett's involve-

folk art traditions and

D o r i c Hall. Alan C o l b y will be

2002. P u e t t i n t r o d u c e d her

m e n t , a c c o m p a n y i n g text

e n v i r o n m e n t s that recycle

carving portraits for his 100

generated@wavehill project

relaying c h i l d h o o d b e e k e e p i n g

discarded materials, like Salt

Heads project, w h i c h will take

w i t h an installation in the

m e m o r i e s was w r i t t e n by

Lake City's o w n Gilgal G a r d e n .

place in the D o r c h e s t e r (DOT)

G l y n d o r Gallery c o m p r i s i n g a

a n o t h e r sister, Lake Puett;

T h e piece is a still life of t e c h -

H o u s e Multiservice C e n t e r .

c u s t o m - d e s i g n e d beekeeper's

b r o t h e r G a r n e t t Puett, artist and

n o l o g y and m o v e m e n t

From September 2002-March

veil e m b r o i d e r e d w i t h designs

beekeeper, will discuss various

located at t h e p o i n t b e t w e e n

2003, C o l b y will be artist-in-

of the q u e e n bee's reproductive

issues facing beekeepers,

c o m i n g and going,

residence at DOT H o u s e in his

system; w h i t e overalls covered in

[right Photo by Eva Heyd]

[left Photo courtesy the artists]

carving studio n e x t to the c e n -

writings a b o u t t h e myths, lore,

ter's after-school facilities for

and w i s d o m of beekeeping; a

y o u t h . T h e carved heads of

beekeeper's books, tools, and

patients will then b e c o m e a p e r -

supplies; and a seamstress'

m a n e n t installation in the c e n -

sewing m a c h i n e . T h e artist's

ter's health care waiting r o o m s

sister, Barry Puett, a q u e e n

and facilities. Temporal

breeder, d e m o n s t r a t e d t h e

Memorial,

M a n y of t h e items will be covered in a clear coat of

by artist and architect Sandra

art of grafting, or creating a

Vieira, will be in place o n

q u e e n bee, w h i l e w e a r i n g t h e

Boston C o m m o n D e c e m b e r 21,

c u s t o m beekeeper's outfit.

RECENT

For its annua] o u t d o o r t e m p o -

Artist Masayuki Nagase created

PROJECTS

T h i s s u m m e r , Dispensing with

D a n C o r s o n created WAVE RAVE

rary project, the C h i c a g o Public

THE CYCLE OF LIFE for the M u l t -

Formalities (DwF) distributed

CAVE as o n e of the last projects

Art P r o g r a m , a division of the

n o m a h East Building in G r e -

i n f o r m a t i o n , ideas, and art in

for his residency w i t h Seattle

C h i c a g o Cultural Affairs

sham, O r e g . , w h i c h houses the

Columbus, Ohio, beginning

C i t y Light, f u n d e d by t h e

D e p a r t m e n t , presented H e r b e r t

Health, Aging, and Disability

July 20, 2 0 0 2 . T h e g r o u p

Seattle Arts C o m m i s s i o n p e r -

Migdoll's S W I M M E R S , installed July

services for M u l t n o m a h

originated in the s u m m e r of

c e n t - f o r - a r t . Located in

1 and o n view until O c t o b e r ,

C o u n t y . F u n d e d by M u l t n o m a h

1997 in C h i c a g o . G r o u p s and

Seattle's Belltown n e i g h b o r h o o d

2 0 0 2 on the n o r t h bank of the

County percent-for-art funding,

individuals were invited to

u n d e r t h e Aurora A v e n u e -

C h i c a g o R i v e r at Michigan

the a r t w o r k has t w o c o m p o -

develop projects and distribute

H i g h w a y 9 9 bridge, d u r i n g the

Avenue. Migdoll p h o t o g r a p h e d

nents: a sculpture suspended

t h e m o n streets using free n e w s -

day t h e s t o n e - c o v e r e d , wave-like

m e m b e r s of the JofFrey Ballet of

f r o m t h e third floor ceiling and

paper dispensers. T h e dispensers

f o r m s appear gray, and at n i g h t

C h i c a g o s w i m m i n g in Lake

a granite water feature directly

were placed o n a n u m b e r of

they are lit w i t h brilliant,

Michigan and in the Aegean

b e l o w it on t h e g r o u n d

street c o r n e r s , and the c o n t r i b u -

m u l t i c o l o r n e o n , creating a psychedelic a t m o s p h e r e .

floor.

Sea. U s i n g a fixed frame, h e shot

Located near the m a i n e n t r a n c e

tors' art, i n f o r m a t i o n , and ideas

images rapidly, and the resulting

of the building, t h e a r t w o r k is

were d i s t r i b u t e d . T h e press

T h e lights m o v e and project patterns over t h e shapes,

succession of images elongates

visible f r o m several vantage

release states, " T h e dispensers

and freezes t h e m o v e m e n t of

points and changes d e p e n d i n g

were initially designed for

w h i c h also are reminiscent of stalagmites, to go a l o n g w i t h

the dancers t h r o u g h the water.

o n the m o v e m e n t of air or t h e

direct m a r k e t i n g purposes.

The 250-foot-long, eight-foot-

kind of light e n t e r i n g the b u i l d -

W e have p u t t h e m towards

the cave-like a t m o s p h e r e

high, f o u r - p a n e l , m i x e d - m e d i a

ing. T h e suspended sculpture,

m o r e creative and interesting

u n d e r t h e bridge. If changes

piece displays sequential images

m a d e f r o m recycled plastic

e n d s . T h e dispensers allow for

in t h e space necessitate, t h e

of the s w i m m e r s . T h e a r t w o r k

f o r m e d into abstract, t h r e e -

m o r e o p e n and personal uses of

f o r m s are designed to b e

incorporates painting and p h o -

dimensional shapes, references

public space than are usually

m o v e d or stored. B e l l t o w n

tography, and uses digital and

rain and waterfalls. T h e f o u n t a i n

tolerated. DwF builds concrete,

historically has b e e n h o m e t o

h a n d - p o u r e d color. Across t h e

represents p o n d s , springs, and

alternative systems that d o n ' t

b o h e m i a n artists, nightclubs,

b o t t o m , a l o n g strip of p o u r e d

g r o u n d w a t e r . Taken as a w h o l e ,

repeat e x p e c t e d m o d e s of art

and raves, and is n o w b e i n g

paint connects all four images.

t h e a r t w o r k explores t h e circu-

distribution and reception.

transformed into a neighbor-

S u p p o r t f r o m 401 N o r t h

lation of water b e t w e e n earth

DwF places art and ideas

h o o d of upscale u r b a n lofts,

Michigan, o w n e d by Zellar

and sky, and the life forces that

directly i n t o peoples' daily

[right Photo courtesy the artist]

Realty C o r p o r a t i o n , and

circulation nourishes. T h e art-

experiences." For m o r e i n f o r -

M e t r o M e d i a Technologies m a d e

w o r k was facilitated by the

m a t i o n on t h e C o l u m b u s p r o j -

Swimmers possible,

R e g i o n a l Arts and C u l t u r e

ect, visit w w w . g r o u p s a n d s p a c e s .

[left Detail of Swimmers.

C o u n c i l , located in Portland,

net/dwfindex.html.

Photo courtesy Chicago Depart-

[middle Photo courtesy Regional

ment of Cultural Affairs]

Arts and Culture Council]

RECENT

PROJECTS

With percent-for-art funds from

O n v i e w in Boston, Mass. until

ence, recalling t h e generations

f a m i n e and the loss of h o m e

t h e restoration of the art build-

the e n d of S e p t e m b e r , SPIRITS IN

of e x t e n d e d families and friends

and land and crops

ing, Z o r a n Mojsilov designed

THE T R E E S , at t h e historic Forest

near t h e site. W h i l e there is n o t

artist's creative imagination was

and sculpted TUNKA OVATE (Lakota

Hills C e m e t e r y , brings t o g e t h e r

space to list all projects, they can

b o t h set free and inspired

words m e a n i n g " p a t h w a y or

t w e n t y - t h r e e artists to create art

be seen and read a b o u t at

by the subject matter." O n e

c o n n e c t i o n to earth and man's

revolving a r o u n d t h e m e s of

www.foresthillstrust.org. Grants

enters the m e m o r i a l and walks

b e g i n n i n g s " ) at Wayne State

family, ancestors and m e m o r y ,

f r o m t h e LEF F o u n d a t i o n and

upwards because it sits at a

C o l l e g e in Wayne, N e b . , d e d i -

m y t h and ritual, recycling and

the Boston Cultural C o m m i s -

tilt, crucially separating the

cated O c t o b e r 8 . T h e courtyard

r e i n c a r n a t i o n , threshholds and

sion f u n d e d t h e projects,

re-visioned f a r m f r o m its c u r -

near the restored art b u i l d i n g is

j o u r n e y s . T h e u n i q u e landscape

[right Nightshirts. Photo courtesy

rent t i m e a n d c o n t e x t . T h e path

t h e site of t h e project, u n o f f i -

of the cemetery, conceived and

Forest Hills Educational Trust]

takes the v i e w e r to the top of

cially called " T h e R o c k s . " T h e

built d u r i n g t h e Victorian era,

courtyard contains rows of

contains an o p e n - a i r m u s e u m ,

T h e IRISH H U N G E R MEMORIAL

granite stones lining the w a l k -

an a r b o r e t u m , V i c t o r i a n land-

o p e n e d at the tip of M a n h a t t a n

furrows in the field w h e r e p o t a -

way, t h e tallest rising e i g h t e e n -

scapes, and acres of green space.

in Battery Park City July 16,

toes o n c e grew; plants, grasses,

a n d - a - h a l f feet, h o l d i n g back

T h e c e m e t e r y is h o m e to fine

2002, after b e i n g delayed by the

and wildflowers native to

m o u n d e d earth covered in b u f -

m e m o r i a l sculpture and a c o n -

events of S e p t e m b e r 1 1, 2001.

Ireland; and stones f r o m each

falo grass, a native Nebraska

t e m p o r a r y sculpture p a t h . T h e

Artist Brian Tolle recreated,

of Ireland's t h i r t y - t w o counties.

prairie grass. T h e stones line the

artists involved explored t h e

d o w n to t h e dirt, a quarter-acre

T h e base supports tons of dirt

walkway, creating the sense of a

cemetery's trees as sites since

of an Irish hillside f a r m

and an irrigation system. T h e

2 5 0 - f o o t - l o n g canyon, and the

trees are o n e of t h e d e f i n i n g

devastated by the f a m i n e of

w o r k draws o n m a n y c o n t e m -

walkway is slightly r o u n d e d o u t

elements of the landscape and

1 8 4 5 - 1 8 5 2 . C o n s t r u c t i o n was

porary art m o v e m e n t s to create

and covered in crushed granite

also are receptacles of m e a n i n g

u n d e r w a y o n S e p t e m b e r 11,

a p o s t m o d e r n fusion of e a r t h -

to resemble a d r y r i v e r b e d . T h e

specifically suited to e x p l o r i n g

2001, and the m e m o r i a l ,

w o r k and minimalism. A plaza

stone edges were softened and

the a b o v e - m e n t i o n e d themes.

although only t w o blocks f r o m

s u r r o u n d s the tilted quarter

t h e dirt m o u n d e d i n t o small

T h e artists' striking projects r e p -

G r o u n d Z e r o , escaped

acre, and the base of the tilt is

hillocks to create the sense of

resent w i d e - r a n g i n g interests

u n h a r m e d . An article by

covered in historical facts and

age and of wear by r u n n i n g

and variations in media and

R o b e r t a Smith in the July 16

figures a b o u t the f a m i n e and

water. E n t e r i n g the courtyard,

style. Leslie W i l c o x created

New York Times credits the

a b o u t h u n g e r t h r o u g h o u t the

The

the plot, past a stone cottage f r o m C o u n t y Mayo; e m p t y

t h e v i e w e r feels that the c a m p u s

Nightshirts, ghostly g a r m e n t s for

m e m o r i a l with c o n t e m p o r a r y

world. Text is presented o n

is t h e recent addition and the

slender trees. T h e shirts are

resonance and credits Irish

panels that can be c h a n g e d

stone landscape has b e e n there

m a d e of painted stainless steel

A m e r i c a n p o l i c e m e n and

and u p d a t e d w i t h n e w historical

far longer. Also this s u m m e r ,

screen; folded and shaped to

firefighters,

information. With funding

Mojsilov installed Couch Potatoes

resemble Victorian sleeping

G e o r g e Pataki, w i t h creating a

at the N o r t h Dakota M u s e u m

clothes for m e n , w o m e n , and

space for the m e m o r i a l to be

Authority,Tolle collaborated

of Art in G r a n d Forks, N . D . , an

children; a n d w r a p p e d a r o u n d

built amid the cleanup efforts at

with J u e r g e n R i e h m and

as well as G o v e r n o r

f r o m the Battery Park C i t y

installation of three stone

tree trunks. H o v e r i n g slightly

G r o u n d Zero. Joyce Pomeroy

David Piscuskas of 1100

b e n c h e s in the f o r m of large

above t h e g r o u n d near an

Schwartz, the consultant

Architects, and Gail W i t t w e r -

b o u l d e r s of charcoal granite

e x t e n d e d family plot, the n i g h t -

involved in p l a n n i n g the m e m o -

Laird, a landscape architect. For

f r o m C o l d Spring, M i n n ,

shirts m o v e in t h e breeze but

rial, says,"In this case the s u b -

m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n visit w w w .

[left Photo courtesy the artist]

have a b e n i g n and friendly pres-

j e c t was the tragedy of the

batteryparkcity.org/ihm.htm.

Skowhegan June 14 - August 16, 2003 Application deadline: February 3, 2003

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November 15, 2002 • May 15, 2003

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