Public Art Review issue 36 - 2007 (spring/summer) by forecastpublicart

a publication of F O R E C A S T Public Artworks

RiblicArlReview issue 36 â&#x20AC;˘ spring/summer 2007

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# in collaboration with the minnesota center for photography

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Metro Art congratulates the following artists for their public art contributions to our transit system: 1. Jim Isermann, Untitled

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2. George Legrady, Kinetic Flow 3. Franka Diehnelt &. Claudia Reisenberger (Merge Conceptal Design), Overcoat 4. Franka Diehnelt &. Claudia Reisenberger (Merge Conceptual Design), Out of Sight

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• •

RiblicArtReview

Issue 36 • Spring/Summer 2007 • Volume 18 • Number 2

MULTIFACETED LENS

public art & photography

Introduction GEORGE SLADE

Tyrant or Tool? Photography in/and Public Art LUCY R. L I P P A R D

Facet 1: Fine Art Photographers Inspired

Facet 2: Photographers Exploring the Field

Facet 3: Observing Audiences

Work in Progress GLENN GORDON

32 34 37 40 45

Facet 5: Enabling Technology

Facet 6: Preserving the Long-Gone or Inaccessible

Facet 7: Temporary Events & Installations

Performed Photography: Making Things Public JAN E S T E P

Facet 4: Recording Creation

Last Page: Yet Another Facet

THE PUBLIC ART NETWORK INVITES YOU TO

—

BALANCING ACTS IN ARTS AND COMMUNITY AMERICANS FOR THE ARTS 2007 ANNUAL CONVENTION LAS VEGAS JUNE 1-3,2007

The

Public

Art track

of t h e A m e r i c a n s

for t h e

Arts Annual

Convention

w i l l h i g h l i g h t l e a d i n g t h i n k e r s a n d c r e a t o r s in t h e f i e l d — i n c l u d i n g

keynote

Dave Hickey. W e w i l l also d e b u t c o m m i s s i o n e d i n s t a l l a t i o n s by Jenny Holzer a n d s e v e r a l o t h e r artists, w h i l e s p o t l i g h t i n g N e v a d a ' s a n n u a l art p h e n o m e n o n , Burning Man. J o i n our speaker, a c c l a i m e d arts writer, and critic,

c o n f e r e n c e s e s s i o n s a s w e f o c u s o n risk t a k i n g , n e w w o r k f r o m a r o u n d t h e g l o b e , a n d t h e p e r s p e c t i v e of t h e artist in public art.

T h e A n n u a l C o n v e n t i o n w i l l a l s o p r e s e n t t h e 2007 Public A r t Y e a r in R e v i e w , a c e l e b r a t i o n of t h e m o s t s u c c e s s f u l , i n n o v a t i v e , a n d e x c i t i n g public art p r o j e c t s

AMERICANS

in t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s . T h i s y e a r ' s c u r a t o r s a r e artists M i w o n K w o n a n d J a m e s C a r p e n t e r a n d t h e 2 0 0 7 Y e a r in R e v i e w w i l l be a v a i l a b l e a s a C D - R O M in t h e A m e r i c a n s for t h e A r t s O n l i n e S t o r e .

To register for the conference or to find more details on sessions

www.AmericansForTheArts.org or call (202) 371-2830.

and presenters, visit

To o r d e r t h e s e b o o k s a n d o t h e r r e s o u r c e s o n public art, p l e a s e visit

PU8UC

www.AmericansForTheArts.org/Bookstore

or call 1.800.321.4510 by Oaye

by Miwon Kwon

eBook Art b Y " 1 ( Goldstein Batbata

Public Ai Review Issue 36 • Spring/Summer 2007 • Volume 18 • Number 2 MULTIFACETED

LENS

DEPARTMENTS 50

Photographic Practice Meet America's two leading public art photographers and discover why Atlanta is embracing photography in a big way. Learn about new materials for photographic installation and ponder the legal ramifications of photographing public art. CATHY B Y R D SUE PETERS JOANNA B A Y M I L L E R K E V I N FENTON

Artist Page: Peter Goin

Featured State: Nevada From Michael Heizer's desert projects to neon masterpieces in Vegas the Burning Man festival —what happens in Nevada no longer stays R O B E R T TRACY, J A R R E T K E E N E and L O U I S M. B R I L L

72 74

From the Home Front Conference Reports A N D R E W PAUL W O O D M A R I A N. S T U K O F F

Book Reviews PATRICE C L A R K K O E L S C H JANE DURRELL JAY W A L L J A S P E R M E L I S S A CONSTANTINE R O B B MITCHELL PATRICIA B R I G G S

www.publicflRTreview.org

Recent Publications

Open Letter to public art administrators

News

Recent Projects

Last Page

and there.

Metro Arts in Transit would like to thank the following artists for their contribution to our new MetroLink Extension. Andy Cross, Carl Harris, and Tai Tessmer

A Walk in the

Park

Ellen Driscoll

The View From

Here

Brower Hatcher

Linear

Accelerator

Douglas Hollis

Aquilone

Erwin Redl Speed

Shift

Lindsey Stouffer

Hoi

Polloi

We are currently seeking submissions to our artist roster. Please go to www.artsintransit.org for more information. 707 N. First St., St. Louis, MO 63102 (P) 314.982.1412

Fire M e d a l l i o n s by Gregg LeFevre 2006 • bronze • Fire Station It 159

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ATHENA TACHA www.oberlin.edu/art/athena/tacha.html

Berenice Abbott

James B. AbbottHKael Alford

B Egil Bauck-Larsen Tom Biihler

MikeBaur

Robert Cassilly

Sheila Levrant de Brettevilte E Steve Gilbert

Lin

David Maisel

Lesley Moon

Robert Smithson

Jonathan Borofsky

Constantin Brancusi John Clement

Chris Faust Albert Fernique Harrell Fletcher Lee Friedlander Andy GoldsworthyflGlenn Gordon

Bentley Kassal Mike Mandel

The NAMES Project

B David Pittman

Auguste Frederic Bartholdi

Anne ChauvetHchristo and Jeanne-Claude

David Goldes

Wing Young Huie

Jack Becker

Mark Balma

A. Kayser

Robert Marbury Barb Nei

Diller Scofidio + Renfro Sean Smuda

Theel

Peter Haakon Thompson

Wasil

RobWilkenson

Atta Kim

Douglas Levere

Bob McDermott

Ruben Ochoa

Robert Rich

Edward Steichen

Li Wei

Maya

Joel Meyerowitz

Pepon OsorioflTerry Peck

Richard S e r r a f l j i m Simmons

Tracy Lee Stum

Spencer TunickaJoAnn Verburg

William E.Williams

Gianfranco Gorgoni

Krzysztof Wodiczko

Larry Sultan

Gunnar

Wolfgang Volz

Zhang Dali

Zhang Huan

MULTIFACETED LENS \ public art & photography A collaboration between FORECAST Public Artworks and the Minnesota Center for Photography, organized and curated by Jack Becker and George Slade.

INTRODUCTION

G E O R G E S L A D E - guest editor & curator

Photography's contributions to the perception and identification of public art date back to the nineteenth-century origins of the medium, a time when the term "public art" was probably as mysterious a concept as the notion of capturing a moment in time in "the mirror with a memory," a label given to daguerreotypes, or "the pencil of nature," as William Henry Fox Talbot titled his groundbreaking publication of positive prints from paper negatives. From the earliest days, artwork outside museum and gallery walls has been an ideal subject for photographyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;it stands still and it's well lit. As photographic technology has grown more flexible, more responsive, its ability to interact with public art has likewise grown to incorporate increasingly subtle and fleeting aspects of representation in a mutually beneficial arrangement. In its ability to disseminate image content, photography has helped define public art and establish widespread familiarity with iconic, nonportable, nonrepeatable, artistic efforts. Exchanging the favor, public art has increasingly utilized photography, taking it from precious-objectunder-glass status within art collections and bringing it full force into public spaces through new reproduction processes, durable materials, and conceptual strategies that incorporate the elements of time and verisimilitude that are organic to photographic image-making.

The notion of a multifaceted lens requires some explication, and perhaps an added metaphor, to clarify the symbolic relationship being suggested between photography and public art. While most lenses are prized for sharpness and precision resulting from perfectly smooth and aligned glass surfaces, what we propose here, in images and texts, is a lens that witnesses multiple perspectivesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;not unlike a bee's eye, or an unconventional camera lens that intentionally distorts a subject in order to create an otherwise unseeable image. The perspectives offered in the featured, front-of-the-book section assert that photography has a nuanced and vital role in promoting, chronicling, and creating art outside institutional walls. Photography even creates new possibilities for experiencing public art, a phenomenon encountered in every issue of this magazine and particularly explored in this one. Long-time readers of PAR might intuit the fact that photography, in conveying news of site-specific events and constructions, often makes art public. A symbol that helps me think about the relationship between photography and public art is the billboard. There are numerous examples (some appearing in this feature) of billboards as art, and artistic images displayed on billboards function both as self-defined artworks and as commercials for exhibitions or advertisements for products or services entirely unrelated to the content the photograph presents. The bill-

board, then, is sometimes a sculptural object set in a landscape, sometimes a magazine left open on a library table, sometimes a Sunday newspaper advertising supplement dropped on the kitchen floor. The photograph, too, serves in various ways: as art, as an eloquent vehicle for conveying information, or as an afterthought, a necessary expedient for commercial purposes. The best way to approach this issue, then, is at face value as a foray into what is clearly a rich and diverse set of relationships between form and content, between what an image shows and how it carries out that demonstration. Public Art Review Issue 36 accompanies a traveling exhibition of photographs about the relationship between photography and public art. While the magazine does not serve explicitly as a catalogue for the show, its front section includes many images that will be shown in that context and functions as an important adjunct to the exhibition, creating speculative categories of significant images and adding to the dialogue sure to emerge about photography's connection to public art. The essays and images explore questions about integrating two complex, creative activities, and how they add to or limit the other. Imagine a gigantic lens on a free-floating billboard, with the ability to move literally and metaphorically through time and space, Those are some of the multiple facets we are exploring in this conceptual venue.

In order to stress the innate complexities of photography's relationship with public art, identifying information about the images has been moved to pages 46 and 47. The images are arranged in numbered facets to identify common elements among groups of photographs in their engagement with public art. These include the following: photographers inspired to make public art part of their images; photographers explorng the field of public art; observations of audience interaction with public art; images recording the creation of public art: digital technology enabling the creation of proposals and fully realized public artworks; photography providing access to works that are either destroyed or otherwise inaccessible; and photographs chronicling temporary public performances or installations. Finally, on the last page of the magazine. I speculate about another facet. Can a photograph, which, as Jan Estep notes in her essay, transforms lived, three-dimensional experience into something entirely "other"â&#x20AC;&#x201D;flat, framed, monocularâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;become the source material for public art? How is "sight" transformed into "site"? Does citing an image manipulate history? The dialogue starts here.

Photography in public places is nothing new, given the billboards and advertisements that inundate our daily lives. Krzysztof Wodiczko pioneered the public projection as ephemeral presence. Barbara Jo Revelle, among many others, has used new technologies to print large-scale photographs on nontraditional surfaces. Artists like Dennis Adams, co-opting commercial styles to make political points about power, have often used photography to refer to public figures or consumerism. When the images are of people, as they often are, the fusion of personal and political can be striking. More often associated with short-lived illusion and changing styles, a photograph given status as public art takes on a different kind of life, somewhere between public and private, even as it freezes an image in the present and in a place. In the case of community murals and projects, photography can validate the artist's and community's joint efforts. Within this peculiar blend of familiarity and unfamiliarity, the "community" (never monolithic), often unaccustomed to the public

eye, sees itself mirrored positively and perceives itself as worth looking at. If recognizable faces are included in a public artwork, the sense of pride expands. At the same time, as Susan Sontag pointed out, photography is the ultimate tool of colonization and imperialism, intruding into the farthest corners of the world, from public art to portraits etched on gravestones. Public art from the top down can be viewed the same way. Photographic media in mainstream art, especially video and film installations, have willingly accompanied the inescapable homogeneity that comes with globalization; they are perhaps complicit in the mainstream's dismissal of regionalism. Digital photography has only increased the possibilities, while it has also dismantled the once deeply held notion that photography equals "truth." Consider, for instance, the notorious toppling of a Saddam Hussein statue, first presented as truth (Iraqi people overjoyed at U.S. invasion), then revealed as falsehood when an expanded view of the plaza showed it to be a U.S. public relations ploy.

Photography serves public art internally as well as externally. It is ubiquitous as documentation (and on Web sites), on which public art depends heavily when the art market is involved. Earthworks, temporary art, and isolated pieces of relatively private public art are especially dependent on their protracted lives via photographic media. In fact, most of the best-known land artworks in the world are known to aficionados primarily through photography. The photographer becomes the artist's uninvited collaborator; for good reason, many artists insist on doing their own photography so the images conform more precisely to their own vision. It is always interesting to compare pictures of a well-known artwork by different photographersâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the angles, lighting, perspective, context. Context is crucial, but sometimes disrespected, in favor of romanticized vistas. By omitting surrounding buildings and other obstacles, the photographer presents the art as though it were in a gallery rather than a volatile public setting, A photograph can also grant or deny a work its scale. Vast landscapes

at once diminish and aggrandize works of art. By associating a work with nature, photographs endow it with a sense of the rugged, the grand, the "natural." thus influencing or even creating viewers' conceptions of an artwork. In the case of performances or ephemeral works, photography is an even more integral part of the art itself; in fact, it becomes the work. In the 1960s and 1970s, photo-documentation was rarer than today, and photographs of certain happenings, streetworks, and performances are now iconic, while other equally important events, undocumented, are forever forgotten. So. for better or worse, contemporary artists across the spectrum of styles and intentions must come to terms with their relationship to photography. LUCY R. LIPPARD is the author of twenty books on contemporary art and culture. The most recent are The Lure of the Local: Senses of Place in a Multicentered Society and On the Beaten Track: Tourism, Art and Place.

FACET C

Fine Art Photographers Inspired

M M 2

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Photographers Exploring the Field

FACET 3 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; O b s e r v i n g Audiences

WORK IN PROGRESS

GLENN

GORDON

We call a work of art "a work" because it took work to do it, but in looking at it we don't see what went into it. We see just the art. To get deeper into sculpture, it's interesting to be there with a camera while the studio or the site still swarms with activity, before the work is done and the riggers have packed up and gone home. What remains is a work of art standing silent, formal, still. What doesn't remain is the dance the makers did to get it there. T h e creation and installation of any large public sculpture is a staged performance, a dance with bodies in motion all around the work, ministering to it: the Greeks as they build the horse and roll it up the beach at Troy; workers clambering the scaffolding around the Statue of Liberty; riggers maneuvering a ten-ton di Suvero hanging from the hook of a crane. With a camera to bear witness to something still in process, you not only see the work but feel up close the work that's involved. You're not there photographing a work of art sitting for its formal portrait but responding to it like a sports photographer, capturing action that unfolds before your eyes. What you are experiencing is the sculptor's mind at work. When pho-

tographing dancers, the rhythm of the music tells you when to snap the shutter as they form and dissolve tableaux on the stage. When photographing the creation and installation of sculpture, there are similar peaks in the flow of the action, the sculptor and crew composing fleeting groupings in relation to the work of art. Counterpoised for a moment against the work, they reveal something you might not otherwise have seen in it. Usually when photographing art this way, the situation isn't nicely set up for a shot. Instead, the scene is littered and chaotic; all care is directed at the work itself. T h e studio is cluttered, the background distracting, the foreground cluttered with pizza boxes and take-out cartons. Out on the site you run into unexpected complications. All of a sudden a passing bus barges into the viewfinder, or a cop tells you to get back, or it decides to rain. You need to stay loose and keep changing vantage points, looking for the order in the disorder, the picture that conveys what the work was like as it emerged, before everything fell neatly into place. This is photography more impromptu than contrived. There is forethought, certainly, but like street photography, ev-

erything hinges on spontaneity. This work draws inspiration from the gritty photography of men at work: Lewis Hines's riveters perched on girders of the Empire State Building going up, Marc Riboud's worker painting the Eiffel Tower with insouciance as well as paint, Sebastiao Salgado's toilers climbing muddy out of the huge, gaping pits of gold mines in Brazil. Without people in these pictures, the settings are still dramatic but relatively static. The point is to show the symbiosis of the work, those who made it, those who move it into place, and that place itself. The easiest tools for working on the fly to capture this dance of artist and art are 35 mm and small digital cameras, but these won't give as substantial an account of a sculpture as will a portrayal by a photographer working with a view camera. What the eye wants from a more formal photograph is a fuller depiction of the sculpture's volumes and spaces, its zones of light and shadow, its textures and surfaces. Medium- and largeformat cameras are better tools for rendering a sculpture's sensuous qualities, its materiality, for letting the eye run its hands over the work. If we say we are "touched" by a sight,

it's because the eye is tactile. In the hands of a sensitive photographer, so is the lens of a camera, tracing the contours of its subject not as an optic but as an instrument of touch feeling its way along. It's been said that art is a lie told to reveal the truth. A photograph of a work of art is a lie told on top of that, a stab at getting something to stand still when nothing is truly inert. The light itself is mercurial. No matter which approach you take to document a workâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;as an event kinetically in progress or as fait accompli in reposeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;you're there with a camera to see for others what they aren't there to see for themselves. T h e feeling is like trying to tell a story while protesting that "you really had to be there." We do it despite that, for the sake of the record, because in the end memory is all we have. GLENN GORDON (www.mnartists.org/Glenn_Gordon] is a writer, photographer, and artist living in St. Paul. Minnesota. His articles on photography, design, sculpture, and architecture appear in American Craft. Architecture Minnesota. Woodwork, Fine Woodworking, and other arts journals.

4 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; R e c o r d i n g Creation

6 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Preserving the Long-Gone or Inaccessible

FACET

Temporary Events & Installations

IAN E S T E P

When thinking about photography and public art, the issue for me is not so much the relationship between the two terms as separate formal categories, but the desire to share specific ephemeral or site-bound works in a more public way via photographic documentation. Many artists use the camera to document acts that could not otherwise be shared: anonymous interventions, obscure earthworks, transient events, personal and intimate performances. The acts that interest me most are ones that occur in public places—in nature, on the street, among people-specifically, nonart contexts in which drawing attention to the art-ness of the event would define or limit the experience too quickly. Here photography can mediate between the desire to make art that is private, gestural, or radically site-specific, and the desire for a wider audience. In writing about her large-scale environmental work Sun Tunnels, remotely situated in the Utah desert, Nancy Holt describes the diminished status of photographic documentation: "Words and photographs of the work are memory traces, not art. At best, they are inducements for people to go and see the actual work." 1 Holt draws a clear line between the sculpture in its original context and its secondary representation. While documentation accurately records the work for prosperity and allows others to learn of it, it is not the same as experiencing the piece directly. Imagining through vicarious connection to a photograph is no substitute for the real thing. This distinction parallels the traditional division between a photograph and its referent: the perennial conundrum that photography both materially testifies to the factual existence of its subject and irrevocably reduces, transforms, and displaces its subject. At its heart is a fundamental contradiction: Photography is physically analogous with its subject matter, connected through the effect of atoms and light on sensitized material, and altogether other. Compared to life, a photograph is two-dimensional, silent, and discontinuous in space and time. Still, photographs are how most of us do experience some kinds of art. Rather than give us pause, artists and viewers alike recognize the dilemma of making work that, aside from a select few, can only be known after the fact. Purists might refrain from documentation, either choosing to keep their practice private or restricting access to a handful of people. But most artists choose to communicate more broadly, and the camera is a convenient tool for this. Artists such as Holt, who situate their works in out-of-theway locations, rely on photography as a record of an other-

wise autonomous event. Other artists work in a way that inextricably links the original event with the act of documenting it. They stage things—nontraditionally photographic things— for the camera. For example, between 1995 and 1997 Martin Kersels made a series of images in which he recorded himself tripping and falling in public places. The photos capture the pratfalls in all their funny, embarrassing glory. Viewing them, one thinks about the random passersby who witnessed his fall, whether they laughed or stopped to help or discretely walked on by. Part of the pleasure in looking is that we are left off the hook, safely removed from the live event and whatever slight moral dilemma it may have introduced. Artists Gregory Crewdson, fames Casebere, and Thomas Demand set up elaborate sculptural installations, which are photographed and then dismantled, their sole purpose to be transformed into an image. Even pictures as hurried and raw as those of Bas Jan Ader jumping off a house roof, Chris Burden getting shot in the arm, or Vito Acconci following strangers in the street—photos whose mediocre formal quality suggests an offhand intent and conceptual authenticity—are understood as produced for the camera. In all these situations, the original impetus for the photos is a singular performative moment, often made in relative isolation or anonymity. Such artists deploy a host of visual and conceptual strategies that involve photography to record some kind of behavior, be it performance, site intervention, sculptural prop, or ephemeral gesture. In most cases, we would not know of the work other than by its photographic record, but the degree to which a work needs photography for its existence varies. The dynamics at play here—between the documentation and the event, between the work and its reception, between art and its own record—become integrally associated with the meaning of the work. Making art that few people can experience directly, and the decision to document and share that work via photography, result in a multilayered experience that turns on photography's ability to be in two places at once: the past of the event and the present of here and now. Having a creative practice that mirrors this doubling allows for privacy and publicity at the same time. JAN ESTEP is an aiiist, writer, and philosopher who teaches art at the University of Minnesota. Her artist book Ad Infinitum and Desert Maps is available from Printed Matter, Inc. 1 Nancy Holl. "Sun Tunnels (1977)," in Theories and Documents of Contemporary- Art, ed. Kristine Stiles and Peter Selz (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1996), 540 pages.

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CAPTIONS & CREDITS All photographs copyright the artists, unless otherwise noted. All use restricted. Pepon Osorio I have a story to tell you... (Casita), 2D03, Philadelphia, Penn. Detail of interior and exterior view at night. Photographs by James B, Abbott ÂŠ 2004. Fabricated by Derix Art Glass. David Goldes, Bound Hearts Wisdom, 1985, part of ArtSide Out billboard project, Minneapolis, Minn. Harrell Fletcher, The American War Billboard Project, 2006, Los Angeles, Calif. Photograph by Lesley Moon, courtesy LAX Art. Edward Steichen, Bodio-Le Penseur, 1905. Courtesy The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the William Hood Dunwoody Fund. Sheila Levrant de Bretteville, Biddy Mason: Time & Place, 1989, Los Angeles, Calif. Photograph by Jim Simmons.

Constants Brancusi, Endless Colomn, 1938, Targu-Jiu, Romania, restored in 2000. Photograph by WMF / Kael Afford.

Berenice Abbott, Custom House Statues and New York Produce Exchange, Bowling Green, Manhattan, 1936. Douglas Levere, The National Museum of the American Indian Statues and MTA Headquarters (same location), 1997. Courtesy The Museum of the City of New York and Douglas Levere. Chris Faust, My History and Memory olMinnesota, 2004, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Photo assemblies by Dan Prosinski.

Lee Friedlander, Siamlord, Monuments series). Courtesy Fraenkel Gallery.

ol Liberty ( M A Auguste Frederic Bartholdi), 1883. Courtesy New York Public Library.

The Seattle Art Museum (artist Jonathan Borofsky), 1991. Courtesy Benham Gallery, Seattle.

Mike Mandel and Larry Sultan, Pool, 1993, DeFremery Pool, Oakland, Calif.

Wing Young Huie, Beach-Out Thrilt Store on 4th Avenue East, 2000, Minneapolis, Minn. Part of Lake Street OSA, a six-mile exhibit featuring 675 images. Robert Cassilly, Turtle Park (detail), 1996, St. Louis, Missouri. Photograph by Jack Becker, 1997.

Berenice Abbott, Father Bully, Times Stioare, 1937. Federal Arts Project Collection. Courtesy The Museum of the City of New York.

William E. Williams, 1st tastern Shore Monument, 1990, Gettysburg National Military Park.

Albert Fernique, Construction ol

Steve Gilbert, Hammering Man JoAnn Verburg, BETWEEN NOW MO THEN, MINNESOTA, M l 2003, Mill City Museum, Minnesota Historical Society, Minneapolis, Minn.

Maya Lin, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, 1982, Washington, D.C. Photograph by Rob Wilkenson/Art on File, 1998.

Joel Meyerowitz, The Arch: St. Loois, 1977. Courtesy Edwynn Houk Gallery.

Mike Baur installing his concrete and steel sculpture Untitled ti Pier Walk 1999, the international sculpture exhibition at Navy Pier, Chicago, 1999. Photograph by Glenn Gordon.

Robert Rich, Mark Balma creating the ceiling Iresco at the University olSt. Thomas, Minneapolis, 1998.

A. Wasil, computer rendering of proposed Spirit ol the Seas sculpture for San Diego, 2004 (rendering by Todd Stands). Ruben Ochoa, proposal sketch for Freeway Extraction, 2006, Los Angeles, Calif.

Barb Nei, Feel Happy, 2005, (one of a series of projected images), Minneapolis, Minn. Bob McDermott installing a work by Norwegian artist Egil Bauck-Larsen at Pier Walk 2000, the international sculpture exhibition at Navy Pier, Chicago, 2000. Photograph by Glenn Gordon.

John Clement installing Gunnar Theel's Hit/hi Angles # 1 1 at Pier Walk 1999, the international sculpture exhibition at Navy Pier, Chicago, 1999. Photograph by Glenn Gordon.

Oilier Scofidio + Renfro, Travelogues, 2001, International Arrivals Terminal 4, John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York. Photograph by Josh Bolchober. Lucky Vegas, 1999,35mm film shown on the 1,500-foot LED Viva Vision screen in Las Vegas, Nevada. Courtesy Fremont Street Experience.

Gianfranco Gorgoni, Spiral Jetty (artist Robert Smithson), 1986. Courtesy Jim Kempner Fine Art.

Spencer Tunick, Chile 2

David Maisel, Terminal Mirage 15,2003.

2002. C-print mounted between plexi, 71 x 89.25 in. Courtesy I-20 Gallery, New York, NY.

Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty© Estate of Robert Smithson/ Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. 38

Anne Chauvet, Tilted Arc (artist Richard Serra), 1982, Federal Plaza, New York, NY. Jilleil/lrc was installed in 1981 and remained on site through 1989, when it was removed by the General Service Administration. Courtesy Richard Serra Studio.

Atta Kim, The Museum Project #001, from the Field series, 1995.

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•

Acknowledgements - George S l a d e , guest e d i t o r & c u r a t o r I'd p e r s o n a l l y like to t h a n k t h e c o n t r i b u t o r s to t h e front s e c t i o n o f t h e m a g a z i n e : L u c y R. L i p p a r d , G l e n n G o r d o n , Jan E s t e p , and t h e d o z e n s o f artists a n d a r c h i v e s w h o a s s i s t e d u s in a c q u i r i n g a n d r e p r o d u c i n g t h e s e images. M y c o l l e a g u e s at t h e M i n n e s o t a C e n t e r for P h o t o g r a p h y ( M C P ) — i n c l u d i n g Laura B o n i c e l l i , Jes S c h r o m , K a i a H e m m i n g ,

Li Wei, Mirroring: On Coal Hill, 2000, Beijing, China.

C o l e Sarar, a n d a h o s t o f i n t e r n s — d e s e r v e e n o r m o u s c r e d i t for t h e i r d e d i c a t i o n to t h i s e n d e a v o r a n d for b e l i e v i n g in the v a l u e o f s u c h i n v e s t i g a t i o n s as t h i s o n e that l i n k p h o t o g r a p h y w i t h o t h e r f a c e t s of c r e a t i v e activity. I l o o k f o r w a r d to the e x h i b i t i o n

U.S. Marines place an American flag on a statue of Saddam Hussein, Wednesday, April 9,2003, in Baghdad, Iraq. AP/Wide World Photos.

at M C P in N o v e m b e r 2 0 0 8 . I'd a l s o like to t h a n k R e n o - b a s e d p h o t o g r a p h e r P e t e r

Zhang Huan, My Hen M : M2002.

G o i n for h i s e x p l o r a t i o n o f i m a g e r y from a r e g i o n a l p e r s p e c t i v e for t h e Artist Page. I ' v e k n o w n a n d a d m i r e d Peter's w o r k for m a n y y e a r s a n d w a s gratified by h i s i m m e d i a t e grasp o f t h e p r o j e c t a n d h i s

Bentley Kassal / World Monuments Fund, Bamiyan Buddha, A.D. 507, Afganistan (during restoration in 2003).

e a g e r n e s s to p a r t i c i p a t e . T h a n k s to Art Review's

Public

Nichole Goodwell, who

d e s i g n e d a n d o r g a n i z e d this b e a u t i f u l p u b l i c a t i o n . F i n a l l y , I'd like to e x t e n d

m y c o n t i n u e d g r a t i t u d e to J a c k B e c k e r ,

Tom Biihler, Bed Broadway Crawler, 1985, New York City. Photograph by A. Kayser, © Tom Biihler.

Zhang Dali, Demolition: Forbidden City, Beijing, 1998.

w h o s e r e l e n t l e s s f a s c i n a t i o n w i t h the i m p l i c a t i o n s o f p u b l i c art a n d h i s p a s s i o n for s e e i n g p r o j e c t s t h r o u g h to c o m p l e t i o n h a v e w o n m e o v e r as o n e o f m a n y s t e a d f a s t a d m i r e r s . I ' m p l e a s e d that w e c a n c e l e b r a t e F O R E C A S T ' S 3 0 t h a n n i v e r s a r y by h o s t i n g t h i s e x h i b i t i o n at M C P n e x t fall.

About M C P : F o u n d e d in 1 9 9 0 as an artist-run g a l l e r y

Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Banning Fence, 1976. Photograph by Wolfgang Volz.

Peter Haakon Thompson and David Pitman, irtShanty Projects, 2007, Medicine Lake, Minn. Photograph by Robert Marbury. www. artshantyprojects.org

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Andy Goldsworthy, a tree, December 28, 1995, Glen Marlin Falls, Dumfriesshire. Courtesy Galerie Lelong, New York.

The NAMES Project, AIDS Quilt installation in Washington D.C., 2002.

Terry Peck, Youth in Arts San Balael, Calil. Coordinating Artist: Tracy Lee Stum. Panel Artists: Chris Bennett & Gary Bennett, Erin Tajime Castelan, Evan Bissell, Julie Kirk, Genna Panzarella.Tomoteru Saito, Arnold Shimizu, Melanie Stimmell, Rod Tryon, Mark Wagner, Joel Yau. Architectural Team: Anthony Cappetto, Jeanne Carlson, Lisa Jones, Charlene Lanzel, Tim Steele. www.Y0UTHinARTS.org

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Mule Era performing in the Vista Shanty A U 2007 4/7 Shanty Projects, Medicine Lake, Minn. Photograph by Sean Smuda. Krzysztof Wodiczko, Tijuana Projection, 2001, Tijuana, Mexico, as part of InSite 2000. Courtesy Galerie Lelong, New York. Krzysztof Wodiczko, irco de la Victoria, 1985, Madrid, Spain, as part of the Arco de la Victoria in conjunction with the exhibition "El Suevo Imperativo." Courtesy Galerie Lelong, New York.

f e a t u r i n g l o c a l a n d r e g i o n a l m e d i a artists and photographers, the Minnesota Center for P h o t o g r a p h y h a s b e c o m e a r e g i o n a l h u b for p h o t o g r a p h i c artists a n d t h e i r a u d i e n c e s . Its m i s s i o n is to s u p p o r t a n d p r o m o t e t h e c r e a t i o n a n d a p p r e c i a t i o n of p h o t o g r a p h i c arts. A s the o n l y s u c h o r g a n i z a t i o n in t h e U p p e r M i d w e s t , M C P ' s p r o g r a m features innovative exhibitions, education, access, and outreach.

If you are interested in hosting the "Multifaceted Lens: Public Art & Photography" exhibition:

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mcp

165 13th Avenue NE Minneapolis, MN 55413 612-824-5500 / www.mncp.org

About F O R E C A S T :

F O R E C A S T Public Artworks has published Public Art Review

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is the o n l y j o u r n a l in t h e w o r l d d e v o t e d e x c l u s i v e l y to the field o f c o n t e m p o r a r y p u b l i c art. F o r i n f o r m a t i o n a b o u t o r d e r i n g back issues, subscriptions and advertising, p l e a s e visit w w w . f o r e c a s t P U B L I C a r t . o r g .

B J Katz, SPIRIT OF SERVICE

Desert Breeze Police & Fire Community Facility, Chandler, AZ,

2,3: Hung Liu, GOING AWAY, COMING HOME

Photo by: Mark Skalny Photography

Oakland International Airport, CA, Photo credit: Courtesy of the Port of Oakland Photo by: Jack Fultoi

4,5: Lutz Haufschild, EMERALD LAMINATA Rapid Transit Station, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

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'/////// PHOTOGRAPHIC PRACTICE ///////////////^^^^^

Atlanta's Big Picture CATHY BYRD

After decades of fervent advocacy on its behalf, the photographic image may have reached a global high as fine art. At the same time, our mediated culture seems intent on exhausting photography's potential for immediate gratification. Every minute of the day—via cell phones, digital cameras, and laptops—billions of images are captured and transmitted, viewed and discarded. Enter a picture you might want to hold onto: the grassroots photo festival. Framed in modern and contemporary art history, photo fetes take place around the world in places such as Aries, Toronto, Montreal, Houston, San Antonio, Berlin, and Bangladesh. Each one presents an array of photography, video, film, and transdisciplinary projects through exhibitions, lectures, and special events designed to educate and stimulate the public. Some work with funds exceeding a million dollars a year. Others, with a fraction of that budget, produce their festivals with homegrown energy. Atlanta Celebrates Photography (ACP), among the newest of these community-based initiatives, is nine years old this year. Corinne Adams and Susanne Katz, with a handful of other local photographers, hatched the idea of an Atlanta photo festival in 1997. By October 1999, ACP was incorporated and its officers staged their first month of photo-based exhibitions in fifty galleries, educational institutions, and other public spaces. When a year later ACP added a lecture series, the city's visual arts community started paying attention. A hundred art spaces were involved by 2003. In 2004, Anne Dennington became ACP's first full-time executive director, and the festival added public film screenings, the Collector's Series lectures, and a formal public art program. The festival had already demonstrated a commitment to public art in 2002, when ACP, in collaboration with Atlanta's Metropolitan Public Art Coalition (MPAC), presented The Big Picture. For this project, an ACP review panel sent out a call for works by Atlanta artists and selected three videos for outdoor screenings. The two-night event was staged in a downtown parking lot and adjacent three-story brick wall with the assistance of Central Atlanta Progress and the Fairlie Poplar Task Force. The audience brought its own seating or stood in the street to view Gadget Addict, by Teresa Brazen and Annie Langan; We're Here, by Benita Carr; and Thumb Wrestle, by Gretchen Hupfel and Helena Reckitt. Carr's site-specific work focused on the struggle to revitalize and humanize the city center. Waving and smiling en masse, the pith-helmeted hospitality corps of Olympics ambassadors reflected Atlanta's determined efforts to provide security, information, and a welcome to the district. Though it could have been a bigger, better picture—light from surrounding street lamps competed with projected images that didn't cover the entire wall—getting art out of the galleries and into the street was a kick for the arts community. ACP had not planned for the public art project that took shape in 2004. Atlantan Peter Bahouth volunteered his own work-in-progress. His Post No Bills presented a perfect opportunity to engage the passerby in a conversation about photography. Bahouth stationed some forty stands with stereoscopic

ABOVE: Amy Landesberg, Urban Reverb, 2005. BELOW: Peter Bahouth, Post Ho Bills (viewing stand and stereoscopic image), 2004.

viewers in the pedestrian environments of Atlanta's Midtown and nearby Decatur during October. "Pssst!" signage and a walking map lured viewers to peek into the comic dramas of the self-taught artist's dog, vintage family photographs, and quirky landscapes. By 2005, the ACP board decided that the public art program would be a permanent part of the festival and established a $10,000 fund with the support of the Fulton County Arts Council Public Art Program and the new Atlantic Station commercial

BELOW: Matt Haffner, Serial City (from the top: Scuffle, Derek, and Remllltonirfi, wheat-paste photographic murals, black and white, various sites throughout Atlanta, 2006. See more at www.matthaffner.com and www.acpinfo.org.

and residential district. A committee of public art experts from the community, the ACP director, and ACP board members selected two projects. Amy Landesberg's sly Urban Reverb was installed in the windows of the Rhodes Center building on Peachtree Street just north of Midtown. For this work, the Atlanta-based artist architect took a four-by-five-inch photograph of the view across from the building. She scanned the image, then digitally mirrored and enlarged it for printing on an adhesive-backed vinyl that was applied to the exterior of the windows. Though challenged twice by graffiti artists, with the continued support of building owner Dewberry Capital, the trompe l'oeil reflection of moving traffic has been on view ever since. ACP commissioned New York-based Paul Kaiser and Shelley Eshkar to create the second, more ethereal, 2005 project. Hide-and-Seek, their site-specific animation of children playing in popular Atlanta neighborhoods, was projected on the wall of a building at Atlantic Station for a month that fall. Again allocating $ 1 0 , 0 0 0 (5 percent of the year's budget) for public art in 2006. the ACP board selected Atlanta native Joey Orr, a former ACP public art project review panelist, to serve as the first guest curator. Orr chose local artist Matt Haffner to produce Serial City, thirteen black and white photographs ranging from seven to thirty feet high that were wheat-pasted onto buildings along a loop of back streets and alternative commuter routesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;urban insider spots virtually unknown to tourists and out-of-towners. His past marked by anonymous graffiti-style artmaking, Haffner found it a bit strange to have the work sanctioned. (Dennington secured permission for each site.) "But I learned that something doesn't have to be illegal to be subversive," he admitted. Chris Downs of TUBE, together with ACP, Orr, and Haffner. produced a Serial City DVD, the first formal documentation of the festival's emerging public art program. Dennington considers the public art program a unique ACP initiative. "While the organization presents a growing number of programs that support exhibitions presented at other venues, we don't have our own physical space," she said. " S i n c e the entire city has become our venue, public art makes sense for Atlanta Celebrates Photography." Perhaps photography as public art will become more than a fleeting experience for Atlanta. Some locals foretell a radiant future. Considering the amount of concerted redevelopment in process, remarked Landesberg, both an ACP artist and current cochair of MPAC. "public art will expand exponentially as a cultural current. Though the focus will be large scale and permanent, we should also see more temporary work, as concepts for larger projects are being tested and developed." Whether or not the "capital of the S o u t h " becomes the next Seattle or Chicago, it seems that Atlanta Celebrates Photography has its own mind about public art that dreams, comes true, and doesn't need to last forever. CATHY BYRD is an Atlanta-based art critic and curator who directs the gallery and teaches at the Georgia State University Ernest G. Welch School of Art and Design.

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PHOTOGRAPHIC PRACTICE ///////////////^^^^^

Archiving Art: from the Garage to Gaudi SUE PETERS

In 1982, Rob Wilkinson and Colleen Chartier were looking for new careers. Wilkinson's word-processing business had just gone up in flames—literally. After a fire destroyed all his equipment, his employees left for another little local startup named Microsoft. Chartier was a talented fine art photographer juggling a new baby. So the two colleagues decided to team up and take photos of local public art—a mutual interest—and see if they could sell them. Chartier taught Wilkinson photography, and Wilkinson handled the computer end of the business.

Eiffel Tower, Paris, France.

forward shot of the Eiffel Tower. There is a pleasant camaraderie between the two artists, along with hints of a well-tested relationship. The affably irreverent Wilkinson, 59, and the feisty independent Chartier, 54, rather evoke Howard Dean and Gloria Steinem. Asked if it isn't a bit of a crapshoot to take photos and hope someone will want them, Wilkinson replies, "Yes, it's kind of an educated crapshoot." "An informed crapshoot," adds Chartier.

Antony Gormley, Learning to Think, 1991, Charleston, South Carolina.

For the past twenty-four years they have operated out of their tranquil Montlake neighborhood in Seattle, sometimes with their respective kids in tow (the two are married to other people), often confused as a harried family on bizarre holidays. Together, they've hung out of helicopters for aerial angles, awakened before dawn to catch the perfect lighting, and protected their gear from marauding Barcelona pickpockets. The result is an immense portfolio of roughly 10,000 images of some of the world's most significant public art scapes and architecture. Based in Wilkinson's backyard studio, this little enterprise has "morphed into Art on File, a sort of garage operation that has taken us all over the world," he says. Sample subjects include Barcelona: Modernisme and Gaudi; Focus on Sixties Modernism; Tropical Art Deco: Miami Beach, Florida; Pocket Parks; Paris; Functional Public Art. The two initially thought their market would be art commissions needing photographs of public art projects. Instead, their primary clients are universities that buy their collections for their architecture and art history research libraries. A few are bought for publication, mainly textbooks and encyclopedias. Their most requested series is Contemporary Monuments and Memorials. The most requested single image is a straight-

Indeed, some are images only an architect or landscaper could love: mundane close-ups; the backs of things, showing construction of a building or armature of artwork; an array of grasses growing along a public path. But in other images, Chartier's fine-art aesthetic and Wilkinson's appreciation for urban design seep through. The elliptical silver egg of British artist Anish Kapoor's 110-ton Cloud Gate in Chicago's Millennium Park looks like it's floating away in one shot. In another, the tumultuous Chicago sky vies with the urban skyline and the artwork itself for center stage. Chartier says her objective is "to make people feel they are there." Ephemeral art perhaps benefits the most from such endeavors. One of their series is Temporary Exhibits of Public Art. It includes photographs of the 1991 Spoleto Festival, "Places with a Past," in Charleston, South Carolina, where artists created site-specific public installations delving into various controversial issues, on display from May to August of that year. In one powerful example by British sculptor Antony Gormley, realistic dark forms of naked men made of fiberglass and lead hung stiffly in a former cell in the Old City Jail, their heads submerged into the ceiling. Without documentation, such work would never be seen by most people.

v/////////////////////////////^^^^

Originally a traditional camera-and-slide affair with an extensive mail-order catalogue, Art on File was transformed by the Internet in the mid-1990s. Almost all their photos are online now (www.artonfile.com). This change was recently followed by the introduction of another art- and career-transforming technology: the digital camera. About a year ago they switched entirely to digital and now shoot with a Canon Mark II DS. "Colleen was kicking and screaming and whining. I dragged her along," says Wilkinson with a smile. Chartier ad-

and preservation of the natural world. For example, we've photographed projects like Lorna Jordan's project in Renton IWashington], Waterworks Garden, that is actually a runoff treatment facility." Chartier was recently invited by Maya Lin to be among the first photographers to capture Lin's work on the Confluence Project commemorating the Lewis and Clark expedition. A highlight is Lin's stone fish-cutting table at Cape Disappointment in Washington, which honors the significance of fishing

Maya Lin, Continence Project (with detail), 2006, Cape Disappointment, Washington.

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mits to being a bit of a purist but is clearly being seduced by the flexibility of the new technology. "It mixes light really well," she says. And they no longer have to grapple with the quirks of real filmâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the reddish inclinations of Kodak, the cool greenish tints of Fuji. They resist, however, some of digital's temptations: to add more saturation or "brush out" a streetlight or traffic cone that's impairing a view of the art. "That's a slippery slope that runs counter to the reality of public art that is accessible, well-used, unprotected, and sometimes located in some pretty sketchy parts of town," says Wilkinson. They whisk litter from public art with an actual broom rather than Photoshop it out. "Fidelity is our objective," says Chartier. How they decide what to shoot is based on research, the dictates of art history, and if something exciting happens in the art and architecture world. They are also interested in sustainability. " T h e projects that we find most compelling are the ones that integrate art, design, and architecture together," says Wilkinson. "We're particularly interested in public art projects that examine or challenge accepted notions of natural resources protection or that enhance the appreciation

to Native Americans and the intricate culture that predates the white explorers' arrival. How to capture the subtlety of an artist like Lin is one of the many challenges the pair face. "It's hard to convey the details as well as the context," says Chartier. Other challenges arise from being a lean, two-person operation. For example, they take turns watching out for their expensive equipment while the other focuses on a shot. "There's a lot of money strapped on our back," says Wilkinson. They have also faced classic photographer's bugaboos like unpredictable weather, which can make for a wasted trip, and for a while, two young children tagging alongâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;though often useful as props in the photos to indicate scale. (Their boys have become good friends over the years. Colleen's son Bryce. now 24, was best man at the recent wedding of Rob's son Caleb, 31.) Money is also an issue. Grants have cycles and university purchases are seasonal. But the Art on File team manages to make a living. The job also offers some obvious advantages. "One of them is to go to the wonderful parts of the world and see great stuff," says Wilkinson. "It's, as they say, a good gig!" S U E P E T E R S is an art critic for the Seattle Weekly.

*/////// PHOTOGRAPHIC PRACTICE ////////////////^^^^

Emerging Technologies JOANNA B A Y M I L L E R

In its early incarnations, some of what we now call public art was not made to be permanent, especially anything involving images. So if wind and water eventually dimmed or obliterated those images, there was little sense of loss. Today, new technologies in photography are affecting public art by enabling large, highly durable pieces, opening the field to artists whose imaginations long for a larger canvas and a more lasting impact on public space. Artists who want to apply photo images to public artworks now have access to an evolving range of technologies that promise high-quality reproduction and durability, enabling them to explore new media that both transmit and transform the message and the meaning of their work. Some of the more interesting and versatile materials and methods include porcelain enamel, photo-engraved concrete, and glass. PORCELAIN ENAMEL High-resolution photographic reproduction in porcelain enamel was developed by Winsor Fireform (www.winsorfireform.com) and is also available from PG Bell (www.pgbell. com). T h e treatment has long been applied to industrial and commercial signage because it is resistant to rust, moisture, salt spray, and even fire. Porcelain enamel processing requires original photographic images or a digital fileâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;ideally 300 dpi at full size, identical to normal magazine publishing requirements. A similar technique, using screen printing and photo processes, is used by PG Bell/Enameltec. Their computers break down artwork into its basic components and fuse each element separately, layer by layer, to a porcelain panel. Fourteen artists commissioned by the LA Transit Authority for its light rail stops had their work produced in porcelain enamel for various visible and potentially vulnerable locations. William Wegman employed the technique for two round photographic panels depicting his famous dressed-up dogs for the L'Enfant Plaza station of the Washington, D.C. Metro. Another example of this process is the new centerpiece of a $90 million renovation of the Griffith Observatory in Los Angelesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a 20-foot-tall, 150-foot-long combination of 114 photo enamel panels, each 6 feet, 8 inches tall and 4 feet wide. The manufacturer will work with artists to make and install the panels. The process involves creating a backing and a finished enamel panel in which the photo images are embedded. Sixteen-gauge enamel steel is used as a substrate for the enamel panels. This substrate is coated in two layers of ceramic and a primer, and the entire piece is fired at 1470 degrees. It comes back as a base color that the additional graphic images are built upon, and then the entire piece is fired again for durability. California-based artist and professor of art Catherine Wagner, whose work has been described for its "crisply defined forms, meticulous attention to detail, and seemingly infinite tonal gradations," has relied on photo enamel panels for several permanent photographic installations, including one of highly magnified cells installed in an outdoor courtyard at the University of California-San Francisco Medical School.

ABOVE: William Wegman, Howdy, 2003, L'Enfant Plaza Station, Washington, D.C. BELOW: Richard Law, James Maloney, and Claudia Kath with Persimmon Design, Jeffrey Open Space Trail (detail), 2005, Irvine, California, owned by Eileen Boniecka.

PHOTO-ENGRAVED CONCRETE An Arlington, Texas, company called Intaglio Composites (www.intagliocomposites.com) has developed a process that allows a structural material such as concrete to have a permanent embedded image on the surface. Using "self-consolidating concrete," this process creates material that is denser, stronger, and less permeableâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and thus more versatile for image transmission. According to Robert Beverly, Intaglio's president, the process draws the actual aggregates in the concrete to the surface of the material to create a duotone image;

y///////////////////////^^^^

no i n k is involved at all. T h e t h i c k n e s s of the material can range from o n e - a n d - a - h a l f to t w e l v e i n c h e s , and p a n e l s c a n hold a single image or m u l t i p l e images using m u l t i p l e tiles c o m b i n e d to m a k e a single panel. O n e e x a m p l e of this pro-

LEFT: Catherine Wagner, Pmegrmte

cess is an Irvine, California, project, Jeffrey

RIGHT: Linda Beaumont, Shsiowtoxes (one of a series of panels during installation by Derix

Open

Space

Trail,

w h i c h e m p l o y s h i s t o r i c photographs r e p r o d u c e d as s m a l l e r tiles a s s e m b l e d to c o m p o s e large p a n e l s o f a h i s t o r i c t i m e l i n e

Will (with detail), 2000, San Jose Museum of Art.

Art Glass), 2004, Seattle Biomedical Research Institute.

marker c o n s t r u c t e d o f c o n c r e t e .

GLASS LIGHT B O X E S

Images in glass h a v e c o m p e l l e d artists for c e n t u r i e s but

S t a n d a r d light b o x e s are m a d e by D S A / P h o t o t e c h (www.

have not generally e n t i c e d photographers. At the A m e r i c a n of-

d s a p h o t o t e c h . c o m ) , a California-based c o m p a n y that s u p p l i e s

fice of Derix Art Glass, based in T a u n u s s t e i n , G e r m a n y (www.

both i l l u m i n a t e d and n o n i l l u m i n a t e d presentation s y s t e m s i n

d e r i x u s a . c o m ) , c o n s u l t a n t s focus on d e v e l o p i n g projects with

a w i d e range of standard sizes and styles. Originally designed

artists. Derix e n c o u r a g e s painters and p h o t o g r a p h i c

for retail and advertising, the b o x e s are made of a l u m i n u m in

w h o h a v e had little e x p e r i e n c e w i t h glass to e x p l o r e the m e -

depths of two to five i n c h e s . Either b l a c k and w h i t e or color

d i u m b e c a u s e they b e l i e v e n e w c o m e r s are less likely to feel

prints c a n be inserted in the b o x e s and then backlit with fluo-

restricted by t e c h n i c a l or c o n t e x t u a l c o n s i d e r a t i o n s that c a n

rescent lamps.

u n c o n s c i o u s l y limit established glass designers.

artists

C a t h e r i n e Wagner's eight-by-forty-foot i l l u m i n a t e d , free|

standing, curved arc Pomegranate Jose M u s e u m

of Art,

uses

Wall,

large-scale

installed at t h e S a n transparencies

em-

Costs o f t h e s e t e c h n i q u e s vary c o n s i d e r a b l y , a n d b e c a u s e e a c h w o r k is a u n i q u e u n d e r t a k i n g , m a n u f a c t u r e r s are r e l u c -

b e d d e d in acrylic p a n e l s and e n c l o s e d in an armature. T h e

tant to give general e s t i m a t e s . But as B r y a n S t o c k d a l e ob-

w o r k of Eliot A n d e r s o n , using t w o - i n c h - t h i c k light b o x e s , is

s e r v e d of p o r c e l a i n e n a m e l , w h i l e i n i t i a l c o s t s are h i g h , over

featured in an e x h i b i t i o n through M a y at S a n F r a n c i s c o ' s De

the long t e r m s u c h w o r k w i l l h a v e m i n i m a l m a i n t e n a n c e c o s t s

Young M u s e u m . A n d e r s o n used software to select a range o f

b e c a u s e it h o l d s up so w e l l . He c i t e d a m a j o r fire at Y e l l o w -

s n a p s h o t s u p l o a d e d on the Internet by amateur photographers

s t o n e National Park, w h e r e p o r c e l a i n e n a m e l p a n e l s s i m p l y

and m a t c h e d t h e m with l a n d s c a p e paintings in the m u s e u m ' s

r e q u i r e d c l e a n i n g and r e m o u n t i n g . After all, t h e y ' d a l r e a d y

c o l l e c t i o n . He created t r a n s l u c e n t film images, then c o m b i n e d

taken m u c h m o r e heat than t h i s blaze.

t h e m into a single c o m p o s i t e photograph that was inserted

in a light b o x in order to m a k e visible the layering of images,

JOANNA B A Y M I L L E R , a freelance

Â°

the aggregation o f w h i c h is i n t e n d e d to represent an " a v e r a g e "

in New

v i e w p o i n t of the original works.

architecture,

York

City and design,

rural

and dance

writer

who lives

Connecticut, for the past

has

and

written

thirty

works on

vears.

art,

^ ^

PHOTOGRAPHIC PRACTICE //////////////////^^^^

Photographing Public Art KEVIN F E N T O N

U < f l

| S g 3

When someone photographs a work of public art, all sorts of questions suddenly come into focus: What does it mean to say that art is public? What does it mean to say that art is owned? Who is the public? The answer to the last question— with a nod to Pogo—is that we have met the public and he is not precisely us. Consider this example. In 2005, security guards at Millennium Park, a public park in Chicago, removed a professional photographer from the grounds, first claiming to be enforcing the copyright of the sculptor who created the park's famous " B e a n , " then asserting that they were enforcing permit laws. Later, the city attempted to prevent a private gallery from selling postcards featuring images of the Bean. But what about the argument, often heard in online forums, that taxpayers have a right to photograph public art—that the very essence of public art is citizen access? After all, the very term public art suggests a liberation of art from the close control of private individuals, a dissolution of the restrictions of ownership. But despite these suggestions, true enough in other contexts, the ownership of public art is not diffused among all people. Rather, it is concentrated in a particular institution such as a city government or a university. For these purposes, public art is more accurately called governmental art. The government may not even be the owner of the relevant rights. As Minneapolis attorney David Koehser points out, "There's a distinction between owning the tangible art object and owning the copyright to that artwork." Among other rights, a copyright includes the right to reproduce, distribute, and create new works derived from the original. Even when it comes to private works, the sanctity of intellectual property rights has been implicitly questioned by the first Internet generation. The rise of search engines, Napster, YouTube, and other sites has contributed to a sense of culture as potlatch, where anyone can grab anything. Some of the glibness about copyright stems from increased access to the tools of expression. It is easier than ever to cut and paste, post, burn. Previously, the people in a position to appropriate images benefited from copyright protections themselves, and so were more likely to respect the copyrights of others. They were also more likely to be familiar with the relevant law. But cluelessness is not a defense against copyright infringement, nor is a vague sense of entitlement—nor good intentions. Minneapolis attorney Aimee Bissonette tells of an actor who loved art and hung original paintings on the set of a television show. After a legal challenge, a licensing agreement

was worked out. Bissonette has straightforward advice to anyone thinking of reproducing copyrighted artworks: "When in doubt, get permission." Getting permission usually means contacting the copyright holder. The artist holds the copyrights and can waive some or all of those rights. The first party to negotiate for these rights should be the institution that purchased the art. In the example above, the city of Chicago purchased reproduction rights from the artists who created the Millennium Park sculptures. By negotiating the rights to public art, the custodians of that art can tap an important source of revenue. If you cannot get permission, some broad guidelines suggest what you can and cannot do. Bissonette points out that "there's a fairly useful bright line: commercial use." Technically, you cannot "reproduce" any copyrighted work, and a photograph is a reproduction, but the trouble usually starts when you resell images of copyrighted work. And the more commercial the use, the more trouble you're going to be in. A limited number of prints? Maybe, but why not offer the photographer a print for a limited waiver of rights? A press run of for-sale posters? Save the proceeds to pay your lawyer. The logic here is quite simple: Artists deserve to make a living from their work. When the framers wrote the Constitution, they planted the seed that became American copyright law. "[The Congress shall have the power] to promote the progress of science and the useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive rights to their respective writings and discoveries." The framers considered the starving artist—or at least the artist who starves while others profit—a pernicious myth. Much noncommercial use, and some commercial use, falls under what is called the "fair use" exception. But Koehser cautions, "It's sometimes said that 'fair use is only a defense.'" In other words, you have to use the art and see what a court decides. In general, a fair use is a limited use that transforms the work in question by commenting on it, criticizing it, or parodying it. The idea is that authors should not be able to use their copyright to stifle criticism of their work. That's why your first move in any shaky case is to contact the artist. And that contact may lead to a private collaboration that may further the deepest purposes of public art.

the very term

art suggests

a liberation of art

from the close control of private individuals, a dissolution of the restrictions of ownership.

KEVIN FENTON has written for numerous publications, is the founder and editor of the cultural journal Two Cities, and now authors the literary Web log www.unprintableversion.com.

II â&#x20AC;˘

Traditionally, four factors determine fair use: 7. Is your use transformative? Are you adding

3. How m u c h did you use? T h i s factor was

something newâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;aesthetically or intellectually?

developed to allow snippets for quotations

For example, if you are writing a history of

from copyrighted books, but it applies to all

public artworks, you may be adding enough new

copyrighted material. Small borrowings fuel

value that you have legitimately transformed the

commentary; large borrowings are plagiarism.

original. T h i s is especially true if the purpose of your work differs from the purpose of the original. W h i l e a parody may incorporate a large portion of the original, its parodic intent can

4. What is the effect of your use upon the potential market for the original work? Koehser says, "Photograph a piece of public

protect even substantial borrowings.

art on vacation and present it in a slide show

2. How creative is the original work? Developed

of public art and put it on a thousand coffee

for literature, this guideline favors fiction and

mugs and that's probably not fair u s e . " But, he

poetry over nonfiction. Commissioned artworks

adds, "all these determinations are fact-based

are by their nature highly creative.

and case-by-case."

what a r t

and you're probably okay. Photograph a work

makes

p u b l i c ?

cm I

h o w

success w h o g r e a t

p u b

pro j e + defined?

â&#x20AC;˘4 a

a f f e c t s

art?

janet kagan, principal chapel hill nc usa 919.942.8835 jkagan@nc.rr.com percentforartcollaborative.org

cm d

The Percent for Art Collaborative is an interdisciplinary consulting group. We create design teams to help communities initiate and refine public art policies, programs, and projects. Our efforts establish a context for all types of public art to fully engage aesthetic sensibilities and physical environments. The Collaborative includes artists, government representatives, public art administrators, architects, writers, historians, landscape designers, and urban planners. We each bring expertise in contemporary expressions of public art, thoughtful discussion, strategic planning, critical discourse, and innovative program and project development. We are committed to strengthening the field of public art, expanding opportunities for communities to experience the broad reach of artists, and for artists to create successful works of public art.

J i OfcTW

â&#x20AC;¢

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OFFICE OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS

Government & Community Affairs City of Las Vegas

For more information and upcoming events visit w w w . a r t s l a s v e g a s . o r g or call 702 | 2 2 9 - 4 6 1 1

ART(ISTS) THRIVE HERE gallop-a-pace

S i

(CHARLES

GINNEVER)

engagement

(DENNIS

OPPENHEIM)

( D E B O R A H B U T T E R F I E L D ) bridged leaves ( J A C K M A C K I E ) you should have been here + lumir eeds ( C O R K (VICKI

MARCHESCHI)

perforated object #27 ( M I C H A E L

S C U R I ) road totems of fish ( R O B E R T O

SALAS)

HEIZER)

parking gallery art elements

in search of equilibrium ( M I K E L

LERTXUNDI)

u ntitled r retrac bench #1 + #2 ( R A N D A L L S H I R O M A ) untitled retrac bench + community, diversity and independence Â« ( B E N J A M I N V I C T O R ) creatures of nevada ( J O H N B A T T E N B U R G ) inhale exhale ( N A N C Y D W Y E R )

awa-pai-shone-tribute to washoe paiute and shoshone ( P E T E R W O L F T O T H ) idlewild kiddyland ( L I S A

KASLOW)

i aim ( C E L E S T E R O B E R G E ) playground sculptures ( M A R Y F U L L E R ) mountaintop ( B R A D R U D E ) alfresco ( J O R G E B L A N C O ) vw spider ( D A V I D F A M B R O U G H ) songbirds ( P A M P A R E N T I ) tribute to paiute tribe + granite sculpture and kiosk + mira loma skate park sculpture ( C H R I S A T C H E S O N ) peavine elementary mural

( L A U R E N G A N D O L F O ) swimming bench ( M A R C E L L A Y E A T E S / M E G A N Y E A T E S ) arts district banners ( D A V I D B O Y E R ) redirect red five retrac bench ( B O K E M P F ) feather retrac bench ( J E F F E R I C K S O N ) in the chips retrac bench + call of the panther ( E I L E E N G A Y ) untitled retrac bench ( J I M Z L O K O V I C H / J O E grimes point rock + buffalo mother ( V I C C H E V I L L O N )

veletas ( C H R I S T I E

BENISTON)

ZUCCARINI) society + svirgol

( D O M I N I C P A N Z I E R A / D A N I E L A G A R O F A L O ) s u n wind, water, l i f e ( C A R O L F O L D V A R Y - A N D E R S O N )

www.cityofreno.com/res/com_service/publicart/

CREATIVE TIME: THE BOOK 1362 ARTISTS 313 PROJECTS 33 YEARS OF TRANSFORMING NEW YORK CITY

MAY 2007, BOOKSTORES EVERYWHERE PUBLISHED WITH PRINCETON ARCHITECTURAL PRESS

WWW.CREATIVETIME.ORG

R E N O

ART

F U N D E D BY T H E CITY O F R E N O

iv a l

eva From

the fiery collaborations towering

campus

Fambrough's

packs

and

attention Nevada's draws

David

the kind of quirky

prostitution.

ARTIST PAGE (previous): Peter Goin Narrative Phatogram

at the annual

C l o e s Oldenburg's

wallop

The problem

a dozen

visitors

public each

Burning

Man

festival

in Black

F l a s h l i g h t o n the University

you'd

number artwork, month.

expect

the public of good

from the only state to look away pieces

Michael Then again,

in Reno, in the union

from the casino

on offer. Case

Heizer's perhaps

Rock City to

of Nevada-Las

Volkswagen-turned-giant-arachnid

is getting

to the respectable best-known

pop-art

earthwork Heizer

in point:

Vegas public with

art legalized

glitz and Despite

pay being

D o u b l e N e g a t i v e only prefers

it that way.

-J.K.

2005-2006. From a series of 20" x 24" and 40" x 60" contact-printed photograms. The images reflect the idea of a journey, focusing on the passages and memories tl

define human existence. The series has been exhibited in numerous public art forums, including CEPAs Transit Art series, a billboard for the Atlanta Arts Festival, and the lightbox series for LA METRO in Los Angeles.

FEATURED STATE

Nevada has bragging rights to two major earth art projects by Michael Heizer. Double Negative [pictured at left], two trenches fifty feet deep and thirty feet across, became a classic example of contemporary environmental art, along with Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty (in Utah) and Walter de Maria's Lightning Field (in New Mexico). In a remote desert, Heizer is still working on City, an immense array of concrete and dirt rectangles with irregular surfaces that somehow come together as magical invocations of eco-spirits. Slated by the Dia and Lannan foundations to be finished sometime in the not too distant future, City is arguably the largest piece of contemporary sculpture ever attempted. -R.T.

Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen created Flashlight for the Fine Arts Corridor at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas in 1981: 74,000 pounds of black Cor-Ten steel became an impish emblem of light as knowledge. Flashlight was to be pointed skyward, projecting a beam of light, but van Bruggen decided to flip it so that it would resemble a cactus. (Local lore has it that the FAA complained that a lit Flashlight would interfere with air traffic at Las Vegas's McCarran Airport. Twelve years later the Luxor Casino opened directly across the street from the airport with a spotlight of 41.5 giga-candlepower—and not a word from the FAA.) -R.T.

Risks & Rewards: Nevada's Public Art JARRET KEENE and ROBERT TRACY

The New York-based public art organization Creative Time and Turkish video artist Haluk Akakge enjoyed success with Sky Is the Limit. Akakge created Sky specifically for Viva Vision, a canopy suspended 90 feet in the air and stretching 1,500 feet down the length of Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas. Tourists wielding plastic footballs filled with beer were treated to a dance involving two figures—one natural, the other technological—as they staged what Creative Time characterized as "a confrontation between artificial and organic life" every night last November. A publication is available at www.creativetime.org/akakce. -J.K.

Located at 1603 Aultman Street in the hamlet of Ely, Basque Mural, by Don Gray and his son Jared, was commissioned by the Ely Renaissance Society in 2000. The image of a grizzled shepherd stands for the major role that Basque immigrants played in taming the last open range in Nevada in the early twentieth century. Launched in 1999, the Ely Historic Mural Project is responsible for this and nineteen other murals and sculptures that have helped transform a dying mining town into a cultural oasis. Having hosted the 2004 Global Mural Conference, Ely has more artworks planned. -J.K.

One monument of Nevada public art that draws thousands of visitors every year but suffers from a lack of recognition for its aesthetic contributions is Hoover Dam. The dam's English-born architect, Gordon Kaufman, transformed an unpromising initial design into a flowing work of Art Deco streamline modernism. Denver artist Allen True used Acoma and Pima Indian motifs in the interiorâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;for example, in black, white, green, and dull-red terrazzo floors. And Oskar J. W. Hansen, a Norwegian immigrant artist, created the Winged Figures of the Republic on top of the dam: two thirty-foot bronze statues that for Hansen represented "that eternal vigilance which is the price of liberty." -R.T.

In 1984, Belgian sculptor Albert Szukalski (born in a German prison camp) fashioned The Last Supper, an eerie adaptation of Leonardo Da Vinci's famous painting, in the ghost town of Rhyolite. Szukalski's white silhouettes of Jesus and his disciples (made of plastic and fiberglass) now anchor what is called the Goldwell Open Air Museum, established by an artist couple after Szukalski's death in 2000. A nonprofit outdoor sculpture garden, Goldwell also includes Hugo Heyrman's Lady Desert: The Venus of Nevada (a cinder-block rendering meant to resemble computer pixels), among other pieces. It doesn't get more oddly enigmatic than Goldwell. More at www.goldwellmuseum.org. -J.K.

Occasionally, controversy erupts, as it did in late 2005 with Los Angeles artist Alexis Smith's Scarlet Letter. Commissioned for the Las Vegas Centennial and displayed next to the Sahara West Library, this thirtv-foot-tall mural consists of a giant red "A" (a reference to the novel The Scarlet Letter) hovering above Smith's rendition of eighteenth-century artist Thomas Lawrence's Pinky. The piece almost got the ax when centennial commissioners objected to the impropriety of an "A" standing for adultery. A few newspaper articles later, the uproar dissolved and was quietly installed. Nathaniel Hawthorne, meanwhile, rolled in his graveâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;with laughter. -J.K.

The mega-resort trend of the 1990s, when Las Vegas hotelcasinos (New York-New York. Paris) began letting their structures serve as signage, weakened the local industry's reliance on gas-injected tubes. The Neon Boneyard. a dusty downtown parking lot, is where old signs (like the Desert Inn's famed cactus marquee and the original Binion's horseshoe display) go to die. Back in December, the nonprofit Neon Museum transplanted the historic La Concha motel lobby to the Boneyard, where it will serve as a visitor's center. Still, even with neon's decline, there's pleasure to be had in strolling through the sleek, hypermodern excess of a twenty-first-century casino. -J.K.

There are few public artworks as ominously enjoyable as David Fambrough's VW Bug Spider, which looks ready to scuttle from its home (atop an abandoned building on Morrill and Fifth streets) to devour neighboring Carson City. The winged scarabs of ancient Egyptian art inspired Fambrough to fashion legs with irrigation drainpipes and to paint everything black. The piece has an equally startling sister, 1928 Dodge Tarantula, which, according to one newspaper, had been intended for another downtown building. One insect auto was enough for Reno, however, and Tarantula was sold to a private collector. Spider remains a hit among children (and adults) in the Biggest Little City in America. -J.K.

Thanks to the deep pockets of Las Vegas's major industry, casino visitors can see major art. For example, at the Bellagio, there is significant work by Dale Chihuly (Fiori di Como), two large paintings by Robert Rauschenberg flanking the reception desk, and important Picassos on the walls of Picasso, a haute-couture restaurant. The Rio All Suite Hotel commissioned regional artists, most notably Robert Beckmann, to create works for the hotel's public spaces. Over decades of growth and refinement as a Roman-themed resort, Caesar's Palace has acquired a number of impressive copies of antique statuary, of which the most popular is the much-visited David. And the Sunset Stations Casino's Gaudi Bar undulates like Antonio Gaudi's biomorphic Casa Mila in Barcelona. -R.T.

JARRET KEENE has published stories, essays, and verse in numerous literary journals, anthologies, and textbooks, and has contributed entertainment writing to BBC Radio, Life & Style, the New York Post, People, and Spin. He edited The Underground Guide to Las Vegas. Contact him through www. jarretkeene.com.

ROBERT TRACY is an associate professor of art and architecture history and criticism at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. Dr. Tracy has curated over one hundred exhibitions in galleries and museums in Nevada, California, Utah, and Iowa, as well as in London, Manchester, Bolton (England), and Edinburgh (Scotland).

FEATURED STATE

Burning Man Photographers LOUIS M. B R I L L

Photographing Burning Man art is a tricky experience. The art is situated on the playa of the Black Rock desert in Nevada, a vast and barren plain that extends to the distant mountains surrounding it. The event encompasses a fivesquare-mile temporary community known as Black Rock City, where attendees camp, socialize, and interact with the art that surrounds them. Many of the installations are measured in many tens of feet, and in some instances hundreds of feet. These artworks are larger than anything found inside most art galleries. The playa is sprinkled with so much art that Burning Man is acknowledged as the largest outdoor art installation event in North America. The enormity and varied locations of Burning Man's 3 0 0 installations make it impossible to see all the art during the event. The most comprehensive exposure is afterward, when everything has been photographed to within an inch of its life and made available for viewing on the event's Web site (http://images.burningman.com). The photographs become a historical record of what has transpired. T h e art itself is temporaryâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;all brought to the playa, set up, and either dismantled for return to its original studio or destined to become a funeral pyre. Burning Man includes sculpture, art cars, fire art, fine art, multimedia art, light art, and performance art. Burning Man art is visceral: touchable, interactive, and, in some instances, climbableâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;making the idea of "hanging out with the art" more than just a phrase. The viewer's experience is subject to the whims of the weather, with dust storms and white-outs, but also sweet moments of sweeping sunlight that illuminate the art in all its magnificence. Dan Das Mann & Karen Das Woman, Leaping Giants, 2006 Photo by Gary Wilson Eacb fiyure-the tallest measuring thirty feet-is in a different pose of worship. After dark, the figures glow with fire.

Arne Quinze & the Belgium build team, llchronia, 2006 Photo by Ryan Williams A team of fifty Belgian artisans used over 100 miles of wooden beams to build tbis fifteen-story multicbamber dance hall.

Patrick Sheam, Abundant Sugar and the DoLab, Hope Flower, 2006 Photo by Steve Fritz A boom truck is transformed into a giant mobile flower, complete with a real garden at the base of the truck. The flower roams the desert, creating playful interactions with passersby and performers.

Gerad Minakaw, Starry Bamboo Manila, 20D6 Photo by Scott London This fifty-five-foot bamboo structure forms a mandala and frames the dawn of a new day. Because of the open vistas, documenting Burning Man art is a photographer's dream. With the varied landscape and weather conditions, the golden illuminations of dawn and dusk, one could take numerous photographs of a single artwork and create a range of images that would look like many different pieces of art. But Burning Man's desert can also be a photographer's nightmare. The average sunny day is 117Â° F. (batteries hate heat), and the magical desert dust that creates such intriguing, Twilight Zone images is total hell on a camera. And capturing

DESERT

DREAM

the "golden hour" of sunrise (5 a.m.) means getting up even earlier and staking out a position. Shooting at Burning Man, as anywhere, requires skill, luck, and being in the right place at the right time. Living inside a Fellini landscape doesn't hurt, either. Nevada's Black Rock Desert will never be the same again. LOUIS M. BRILL is a student of cultural catalysts and is writing a book on Burning Man. He can be contacted at louisbrill@ sbcglobal.net.

DESERT TO DREAM: A Decade of Burning Man Photography Barbara Traub San Francisco: Immedium. 2006 160 pages, $29.95 (hardcover) Officially labeled the Black Rock Arts Festival, Burning Man draws up to 40,000 people to the Nevada desert each summer during the week preceding Labor Day. This book attempts the impossible: summarize the people, performances, and gestalt that make up one of the most multifarious cultural phenomena of our time. There's no substitute for being at Burning Man. but Barbara Traub's remarkable photographs are a tribute to the laudable effort of art attempting to capture art. Photographs from the book are available to view and purchase at www.desert2dream.com.

I I W i !

FORT

Interchange

W O R T H

PUBLIC

Intersections:

ART

Ripple Dew

Drops

N o r i e Sato A conceptual proposal for Southwest Parkway (SH 121) under consideration.

www.fwpublicart.org

Beth Galston "Colorwalk", Arts Canter, Mesa, AZ

Terry Braunstein "Illuminations 2006", City of Cerritos, CA

Franz Mayer of Munich, Inc.

Architectural Art Glass and Mosaic

Ellen Driscoll "The View From Here", Forest Park Metro Station, St. Louis, MO

w w w . mayer-of-munich.com

The Master of Public Art Studies Program at the USC Roski School of Fine Arts offers three professional degrees in the field of Public Art. Graduates acquire essential foundation knowledge, skills and experience to pursue careers as community art leaders, cultural planners, public art administrators, urban policy makers and art advocates dedicated to strengthening communities, furthering civic identity, and advancing the field of public art. APPLICATIONS FOR FALL 2008 ADMISSION

M A S T E R O F P U B L I C ART STUDIES M A S T E R O F P U B L I C ART STUDIES/ MASTER OF PLANNING M A S T E R O F P U B L I C ART STUDIES/ M A S T E R O F ARTS IN J E W I S H C O M M U N A L SERVICE

http://roski. use. edu/pas

ARE DUE FEBRUARY 1, 2008.

USC UNIVERSITY

O F SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Master o f Public Art Studies U S C Gayle Garner Roski School o f Fine Arts W a t t Hall 104 | L o s Angeles, C A 9 0 0 8 9 - 0 2 9 2 Tel. 2 1 3 . 7 4 0 . 2 7 8 7 |

pasprog@usc.edu

ARTS & SCIENCE COUNCIL Charlotte-Mecklenburg

ASCPUBLICARTPROGRAM > S E R V I N G C H A R L O T T E , M E C K L E N B U R G COUNTY, NC + P R I V A T E P A R T N E R S > C O L L A B O R A T O R A N D C A T A L Y S T IN B U I L D I N G A M E M O R A B L E CITY

7 0 4 . 3 7 3 . 2 A SC

www.artsandscience.org FOSTER

KIRKLAND

PHOENIX OFFICE OF ARTS AND CULTURE P U B L I C A R T P R O G R A M

PAN 2006 YEAR IN REVIEW

HELMICK + SCHECHTER

Summer Residency in Public Art 4 undergraduate credits; $1,875 June 11 - July 20 This intensive seminar series brings together some of New York City's renowned artists, architects, public administrators and critics for an intensive interactive experience. Participants complete a proposal for a public art project while experimenting with ideas in an environment that is conducive t o creative exploration and supportive of logistical issues involved in public art pursuits. Lectures and walking tours will expose participants t o a variety o f considerations involved in the conception and fabrication of these artworks, including site, proposals, engineering, budgeting, installation and presentation. Participants receive access t o a wide range o f facilities. Residency faculty and guest lecturers have included:

C o m p l e t e d projects, current events, opportunities, information

publication

milestones

requests and

www.phoenix.gov/ARTS.

ABOVE: Sine Waves, Buckeye Road at Sky Harbor Circle, Phoenix, Arizona. D e s i g n e d and f a b r i c a t e d by Al P r i c e . P h o t o by Erin F l i n t o n .

Michele Cohen

Kendal Henry

Barbara Segal

Andrew Ginzel

Barry Holden

Meryl Taradash

Anita Glesta

Anne Pasternak

Nina Yankowitz

School of VISUAL ARTS 209 East 23 Street, New York, NY 10010 Tel 212.592.2188 Fax 212.592.2060 E-mail: kmoscovitch@sva.edu www.sva.edu/residency

FROM THE HOME FRONT

notes from

FORECAST

Public

Artworks

THE T W I N CITIES PUBLIC ART SCENE R E M A I N S VIBRANT, THANKS TO A HANDFUL OF ORGANIZATIONS AND PUBLIC AGENCIES C O M M I T T E D TO E N H A N C I N G THE PUBLIC REALM.

Minnesota Citizens for the Arts (MCA) and Americans for the Arts recently released a report that explored the economic impact of and access to health care for Minnesota artists. The impressive findings include $295 million in artist spending, and activity that supports almost 6.000 full-time jobs. Not surprisingly, artists are also very engaged in their communities, volunteering and voting to a higher degree than the rest of the population. In light of their findings, MCA recommends that the public support increased government funding for individual artists (and the organizations that employ them), and demand that public art be a greater part of new building projects. To view the full report, visit www.mtn.org/mca. Beginning in late May, the Science Museum of Minnesota —as part of their 100-year anniversary—will unleash 100 dinosaurs on the streets of the Twin Cities. This latest incarnation of plastic figurines—Snoopys and Charlie Browns were featured in St. Paul for five consecutive years (see PAR 35)—features "accurately" designed dinos, as approved by a professional paleontologist. At four and a half feet tall and eight feet long, these artist-modified creatures will no doubt attract kids, inspire climbing, and require lots of picture-taking. In early fall, some of the dinosaurs will be auctioned off to benefit the museum. Two neighborhood associations, Seward Redesign and Seward Neighborhood Group, found themselves in the middle of a love-it-or-hate-it quandary with residents last summer. To cover up unwanted tagging on the vacant Riverside Market, soon to be redeveloped by the Seward Co-op, the two groups hired local artists to put temporary art on one of the walls. Once the word got out, they were approached by local graffiti artists wanting to paint the whole thing—more than 20,000 square feet. Within one weekend the entire building was transformed, much to the delight—or disgust—of Seward neighbors.

ABOVE: Storefront window installations by JAO, Michael Wong, and Richard Bonk, 2007. BELOW: Graffiti-covered walls in the Seward Neighborhood, Minneapolis, 2006.

New ideas are being developed for temporary, and eventually permanent, public art in the area. FORECAST Public Artworks recently launched Spontaneous Storefronts, a series of window installations in downtown Minneapolis. The first projects were created by artists Michael

FROM THE HOME FRONT Wong, Richard Bonk, and JAO. They developed works to fit within the enormous windows of the long-vacant Stimson Building, located at one of the busiest intersections in the area. JAO's "speed painting" of flying figures filled the second floor. Bonk's digital mandalas were created from computer-altered photographs he shot inside the space. Wong's digitally enlarged black-and-white drawing depicts the creation of the universe, as directed by the Chinese cosmic architect Pan Gu. Following the three-month installation, three more artists will take over. Support for the series comes from the Carolyn Foundation, the Beim Foundation, COMPAS, the Koch Group Minneapolis, Big Print, Denny Hecker, and Todd Shakman. Artist Benjamin Jose, one of nine artists who received a 2006 FORECAST grant through its annual Public Art Affairs program, recently completed a roof-top steel sculpture entitled Industrial Celluloid, recognizing the past and present of the Borchet-Ingersoll building on University Avenue in St. Paul. Originally a display showroom in 1929 for heavy equipment (tractors, caterpillars, etc.), the building now houses Tagteam Video Productions. Jose describes the sculpture as abstract but symbolic. "The neon line, which could be a belt or film, connects the 'hydraulic mechanism' with the 'film reel,' the old with the new." Major support was provided by Nordquist Sign Company and Ericksen Roed Engineering Company. Recipients in the 2007 grant program were announced in February. Four R&D grants of $1,000 were awarded to Craig Campbell (for Light Road, a project designed to reveal a progression of light forms to motorists as they travel along Highway 52 between the Twin Cities and Rochester); Mayumi Amada (for researching sites for her Ice Field at Night project, incorporating her recurrent doily images on a frozen lake or skating rink using candle lanterns); Mickey Smith (for Unaccompanied Minor, a project exploring the physical and emotional transition for children of divorce shown through large-scale photographs at transit sites); and David DeBlieck (for the development of a series of public dance performances at selected sites in St. Cloud). Project grants of $4,500 were awarded to photographer Michael J. Allen (for a series of triptychs featuring photographic portraits of homeless people, their panhandling signs, and alternate panhandling signs that will be designed by local graphic artists); Olive Bieringa and Otto Ramstad, a.k.a. The BodyCartography Project (for Holiday House, a performance set in and around Bieringa's house in Minneapolis incorporating dance, music, and to-scale video projections); Barbara Keith (for a glass mosaic on the window panels at St. Paul's Rice Street Branch Library incorporating traditional tapestry patterns of the community's cultures); and Marcus Young (for a collaborative Earth Day event on St. Paul's Harriet Island featuring 1.000 handmade kites and symbolizing 1,000 wishes to remind people "of the interdependence of life within ecological and social systems, of the connection between a hopeful mind and a clean earth, and ultimately of harmony and peace for our world"). FORECAST also awarded a special grant of $9,000 to former billboard painter Scott Murphy to produce an exterior mural on the Major Tire Building on University Avenue in St. Paul. Inspired by Art Deco transportation posters, the mural honors the rich history of transportation on the avenue and anticipates the advent of the coming light rail transit corridor on University Avenue. Public Art Affairs is funded by Jerome Foundation. Artists from Minnesota may download a grant application at www.forecastART.org. PAR

ABOVE: Benjamin Jose, Industrial Celluloid, 2007, St. Paul, Minn. BELOW: The BodyCartography Project, Holiday House, 2007. Marcus Young, Wishes tor the Shy, 2007, Harriet Island, St. Paul, Minn.

CONFERENCE REPORT

A N DREW PAUL

Woo

SCAPE Biennial • Christchurch, New Zealand September 30 - N o v e m b e r 12, 2006

New Zealand is a former British colony in the South Pacific with a population of approximately four million and is presently most internationally famous as the backdrop for Peter Jackson's Lord of The Rings. Regrettably, this emphasis on our natural landscape overshadows our cultural achievements. Christchurch—the main urban center (population around 350,000) of New Zealand's South Island, notable for its perceived Englishness, Gothic revival architecture, and formal gardens—is also stereotyped as being somewhat conservative regarding its public spaces and what goes in them—an urban Miss Havesham. In 1999, the Art & Industry Biennial Trust was established to address this perception by bringing together local industry, public funders, and national and international artists with the goal of establishing sustainable sponsor partnerships and hosting a wide range of contemporary art in public space. The majority of these works were to be temporary, with one permanent work being donated to Christchurch each biennial. Two curators were selected for the 2006 biennial: Natasha Conland (New Zealand), curator of contemporary art at Auckland Art Gallery, and Dr. Susanne Jaschko (Germany), a Berlinbased former curator of the Transmediale Festival for Art and Digital Culture. In addition to leading New Zealand artists such as Ronnie van Hout, David Clegg, and Et Al, contributors were invited from Australia, Canada, China, Finland, France, Germany, South Korea, Mexico, Singapore, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. The theme was "don't misbehave!"— an ironic trope on the problematic relationship among public art, public space, and the public itself. Obviously the more challenging the artwork, the more complex the public reaction, ranging from bemusement to outright hostility (the so-called "turd in the plaza" syndrome). SCAPE sought to deconstruct this dynamic in four ways: (a) works scattered throughout the city's "cultural precinct," mostly variations of impermanent materials, temporary interventions, and works with performance elements; (b) an indoor exhibition hosted by the Christchurch Art Gallery of work about the relationships between public space and the public; (c) a seminar series featuring national and international speakers; and (d) a permanent kinetic public sculpture by leading New Zealand artist Phil Price. Price has rapidly risen to become a significant figure in Australasian public sculpture. Nucleus is the latest of his wind works—a candy orange-red, quartered ovoid that moves balletically at the top of a sweeping thirty-three-meter mast. The 2006 works ranged from the relatively prosaic, such as Australia-born, New York-based James Angus's Soccer ball dropped from 35,000 feet (a cast metal simulation of the title), to top British artist Martin Creed's entirely Beuysian Work no. 165, a planting of shrubs. German-based Canadian Michel de Broin constructed Encircling, a circular road to nowhere in a city park, complete with center line. Otto Karvonen (Finland) and Jeroen Jongeleen (Netherlands) made Benjaminian arcadelike interventions in civic space, and Johannes Gees (Switzerland) dematerialized the public art object entirely with Christchurch Memetekel by inviting the public to send text messages, which were then laser-projected onto the side of a building.

ABOVE: Phil Price, nucleus, 2006, Christchurch, New Zealand. BELOW: Michel de Broin, [circling, 2006, Christchurch, New Zealand.

ANDREW PAUL WOOD is a lecturer, art writer, and curator based in Christchurch, New Zealand.

freelance

MARIA N. STUKOFF

CONFERENCE REPORT

National Public Art Conference â&#x20AC;˘ Liverpool, England N o v e m b e r 17 -18, 2006

With a belated start, courtesy of the national railway system, the second annual National Public Art Conference, part of Art and Architecture Journal's The Urban Picture series, got under way with a zestful keynote opening by Loyd Grossman, Chairman of the Board of Trustees at National Museums Liverpool. Hosted in partnership with the Liverpool Biennial, the City in Transition conference addressed place-making and the role of artist-led practice in the built environment, guided by a walk through Liverpool Biennial's public artworks the following day. A nominated City of Culture for 2008, Liverpool presented an ideal location to connect well-documented urban regeneration projects between Liverpool and Newcastle. The conference offered a platform from which to examine regional art commissioning and the productivity of the Northern Way economy. By pronouncing Liverpool as not "just some place," Grossman set the tone for the conference. Four sessions covered the influence of public art on social and cultural growth, regeneration infrastructure, perspectives on artist-led developments, and visions for master planning. Speakers represented leading commissioners, funding agencies, and civic councils, attracting an audience from equally important creative industries.

Speakers examined social attitudes and regional identity in Britain's urban renaissance, shaped by new perspectives and cultural practices in the built environment. Up for discussion were the new partnerships emerging among artists, developers, and planners. A common plea was for improved civic planning incorporating art and cultural production into urban design strategies, as an instrument of good practice in urban regeneration. Artist and director of Civic Works Ltd., Dan Dubowitz, observed, "A cultural transformation in society rarely occurs through rebuilding alone." Integrating artists at the initial planning stages proved a winning concept throughout, he said,

ensuring ongoing commissioning opportunities that involve the artist on all levels of the urban design phase. In most talks, the artist's role was advocated as a catalyst for resolving the difficulty of quantifying the emotions good public space radiates. Lewis Biggs, Liverpool Biennial's director, argued that changing the public mindset could be a significant contribution to awakening place identity and fostering social attitudes. Charles Quick, lead artist on Preston's Tithebarn development, concurred that the artist's ability to engage with local communities can become a "vehicle for their concerns and aspirations." Several speakers reiterated Quick's sentimentâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; that artists' ability to employ social knowledge can be instrumental in rethinking the built environment. This notion was deemed central to encapsulating and reinvigorating regional identity, influencing future visions of Britain's cities. Although the event was stimulating, for a conference focusing on artist-led environments, only a few artists presented or were in the audience to share their experience. International perspectives contributed to the conference, offering a wider vision of how art in the public realm prompts

LEFT: Jeppe Hien, Appearing Rooms, 2006, Preston City Center, Liverpool, England. RIGHT: Preston Market past and present: 1950s and 2005.

social and economic benefit and public well-being. With that in mind, the Urban Picture series will next engage the role of art, architecture, and creativity in hospital infrastructure. MARIA N. STUKOFF is an Australian artist conducting a Ph.D. research project at Manchester Metropolitan University into "Mobile Media as Public Art."

BOOK REVIEW

PATRICE CLARK

KOELSCH

The Murals of John Puerh BEYOND TROMPE L'OEIL

OVERLOOK

exploring the internal fringes of America with T H E C E N T E R FOR LAND U S E I N T E R P R E T A T I O N

OVERLOOK: Exploring the Internal Fringes of America Matthew Coolidge and Sarah Simons, editors New York: Metropolis Books, 2006 264 pages, $34.95 (paperback) In this book the militantly nonpartisan Center for Land Use Interpretation takes a "just the facts, ma'am" approach to documenting some of this country's weirdest, loneliest, and most disturbing and dangerous real estate. These are "internal fringes" in multiple senses—geographically isolated or obscured or simply humming below the radar of ordinary consciousness. Many of these sites are (or were) developed for some commercial, military, or scientific scheme. The three "miniaturizations" documented range in size from fifteen acres to two football fields. In an effort to understand and manage flood control, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built elaborate hydraulic models of the Mississippi River, the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento River, and Chesapeake Bay. Now supplanted by digital simulations, the Mississippi and Chesapeake models have become miniature ruins. However, the San Francisco model is still useful in recreating tidal forces and conditions that aid in retrieving people who jump from the Golden Gate Bridge, Water management also necessitated intentionally drowning six towns photographically disinterred for posterity by the center. Located in North Dakota, California, New York, Massachusetts, Tennessee, and Nevada, they represent the hundreds of towns sacrificed to satisfy agricultural, recreational, hydroelectric, and other consumer desires. The transformation of show caves from the sensational to the playful to the educational speaks to evolving tastes in tourism and conservation consciousness. The nation's only drivethrough cave, Fantastic Caverns, maintains that restricting visitors to carts minimizes environmental impact. In other notes from the brave new world, suburban Potemkin Villages enable law enforcement and emergency responders to practice dealing with violent or dangerous situations, from hostage taking to raiding meth labs. And the vast geographic reach of Federaland, with its restricted military bases and ominous industrial sites, makes paranoia a reasonable response. The surprise or even queasiness of seeing one gigantic wrecked model, tarted-up cave, deluged town, faux sniper's alley, or bombing range is—paradoxically—both amplified and undercut by seeing many. The banal photographs resist aesthetic amelioration. This is how it is, again and again. Overlook offers a disconcerting tour of the American outback: underground, underwater, and under your nose.

THE MURALS OF JOHN PUCH: Beyond Trompe L'Oeil Kevin Bruce Berkeley, Calif.: Ten Speed Press, 2005 155 pages, $35 (hardcover) Western epistemology and metaphysics pretty much got up and going over the disparities between appearance and reality. Can we trust our senses? Is the seen the known? In his introductory essay, Kevin Bruce cites a famous competition between two painters in fifth-century B.C.E. Athens to see who could fabricate the most realistic illusion. Although birds attempted to eat the grapes painted by Zeuxis, Zeuxis himself attempted to remove the cloth curtain painted by Parrhasius. So, too, viewers of John Pugh's large and meticulous murals have sometimes tried to hold conversations with his painted onlookers, or place wineglasses on two-dimensional ledges, or alert authorities that a broken wall needs to be fixed. Pugh's best-known piece is one of his earliest. Academe (1981) covers the outside wall of the building on the Chico State campus that housed the Art Department. The mural depicts a crumbling concrete wall exposing graceful Greek columns edging a dark and mysterious interior. It is as if an earthquake had broken open the shell of the building. A chunk of concrete and rebar appear to obstruct an emergency exit door. The contemporary building materials, boxy style, and lack of adornment contrast with the previously hidden, now revealed, history of art and architecture. Among interior spaces, Pugh's especially luminous creations for medical settings depict reflecting pools, plants, and sculptural forms. They are meant to "inspire and comfort" and, inevitably, invite contemplation of mortality and immortality. In contrast, Technology of the Future Past, a piece for a Silicon Valley high-tech company, presents an unsettling glimpse of a possible future. Vines cover the ruins of a distant glassy building, and tendrils snake up a sphere enclosing a glowing circuitboard cube in the ruin of the foreground. There's a teasing resonance between the vitality of the all-consuming greenery and the green glow of the cube. Gorgeous and foreboding, it's a stage set for viewers to create their own stories of "was" and "will be." A dazzling feat of imagination and execution, Pugh's trompe l'oeil oeuvre brings us back to the original—and pleasurable—puzzles of philosophy. PATRICE CLARK KOELSCH is a Minneapolis-based and critic.

writer

BOOK REVIEW

SOCRATES SCULPTURE PARK Alyson Baker and Ivana Mestrovic, editors Robyn Donohue, photography editor New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 2006 240 pages, $50 (hardcover) Socrates Sculpture Park, in Long Island City. New York, is known as a vibrant catalyst for sculptural ideas. This book's unspoken message is the equal boost of inspiration it gives to photographers. A big, handsome record of the first twenty years of the most user-friendly sculpture park yet thought up, for both artists and viewers, the pictures dominate the book the way the sculptures dominate their plot of land. The photographs are interspersed with comments and essays from curators, critics, visitors, staff members, and the artists themselves. The bulk of the photos are by Stephen L. Cohen (day job: research scientist), whose avocation has been photographing Socrates Park since its inception. Others are by curators, artists, and other sources, including anonymous wonders from the park's own files. Socrates Sculpture Park is a terrific story in which the neighbors come to see the shows, just like in the movies. They are also seen by high-powered art world denizens, architects, collectors, and the major of New York (Rudolph Giuliani), who moves in when developers threaten, in 1998, and makes the place a city park. All this would be so much schmaltz, except that the art itself is often first-rate and the park provides many artists the opportunity to work outdoors on a scale they've not previously experienced. Most of all, Socrates Park fosters an interweaving with the neighborhood in a way invited since sculpture stepped off the pedestal but often defeated by the aloofness of galleries and museumsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;or the art itself. The Socrates Park setting takes the "precious" out of the art experience. Here you can touch the pieces, climb on them, look at them from any angle, and have as backdrop the shimmer of the river lined off at its far side by the Manhattan skyline. Some of the essays are repetitious, but it's good to have the thoughts of critic and founding board member Irving Sandler and others, including artist John Morse, who gives a vivid picture of openings in the early years. Sculptor Mark di Suvero, in his introduction to the book, writes, "In a place where the inner-vision, the dream, and the realization come together, there is a feeling of wonder.... Socrates said, 'Wisdom begins with wonder."' Hence, Socrates Sculpture Park.

A SCULPTURE READER: Contemporary Sculpture Since 1980 Glenn Harper and Twylene Moyer, editors Hamilton, N.J.: ISC Press, 2006 290 pages, $29.95 (paperback) Sculptors, having decided some decades ago that their art was more than statuary, have been digesting and redigesting that idea ever since. Their immensely varied responses have been noted in Sculpture Magazine since its founding, in 1980, by the International Sculpture Center. A Sculpture Reader recognizes the magazine's twenty-five year history and inaugurates the ISC Press, which will release its second publication, Conversations with Sculptors, later this year. A Sculpture Reader presents forty-two essays on individual artists in a representative rather than comprehensive selection of emerging and well-known sculptors, many of whom fit the classification "public artists," that is, producing works displayed publicly rather than privately. The editors' decision to open with articles from 1992 rather than 1980 is too bad. Contrasting attitudes of the 1980s with the 1990s and on could have been revealing, but space constraints no doubt contributed to the choice. As it is, the book weighs as much as a small sculpture. Figurative sculpture, tossed onto the scrap heap by the first of the modernist iconoclasts, has come thundering back, albeit in forms to startle. Karen Wilken. in the book's introduction, points out that the term sculpture now "can seem a baggy monster...everything that cannot readily be termed 'painting'" and that a survey's difficulty is compounded by the artists being "globally dispersed, often geographically mobile." The book, she says, is meant to document "a broad sampling of this unclassifiable, wide-ranging group." The baggy monster, pulling new things out of its hat every whipstitch, often requires interpretation. The role of the writer on art has of necessity increased. The writers here generally avoid cant and often include material on the artists themselves that expands readers' understanding. Michael Brenson's supple prose illuminates the work of Giuseppe Penone in an essay that appeared in 1992, Elaine A. King discusses Czech artist Magdalena Jetelova in 2000, and Alice Aycock's "combination of erudite and accessible sources" is explored by Brooke Kamin Rapaport in 2003, to mention three particularly outstanding pieces. The book is meant to be a reference work and an introduction to that slippery section of art that "isn't painting." It succeeds on both counts. Cincinnati-based JANE DURRELL writes on visual arts, and travel for a variety of publications.

books,

BOOK REVIEW

JAY W A L L J A S P E R / M E L I S S A C O N S T A N T I N E

CREATIVE COMMUNITY BUILDER'S Handbook THE

PUBLIC ART IUSIUMS

THE CREATIVE COMMUNITY BUILDER'S HANDBOOK

DIMIMNTIY

PUBLIC ART: Thinking Museums Differently Hilde Hein Lanham, M.D.: AltaMira Press, 2006 167 pages, $26.95 (paperback)

Tom Borrup (with Partners for Livable Communities) St. Paul, Minn.: Fieldstone Alliance, 2006 261 pages, $34.95 (paperback) All too often the arts (and artists themselves) are dismissed as frivolous, irrelevant, or some kind of luxury when it comes to thorny social and political problems. Even many people who care deeply about creative expression discount the power of art projects when it comes to urgent issues such as urban decline and the fraying of our social fabric. Fixing problems like these calls for pragmatic and sensible solutions, like a new shopping center or youth programs. Thankfully, Tom Borrup—longtime director of Intermedia Arts in Minneapolis and now a consultant, teacher, and writer about community development—buries this widely mistaken belief with an avalanche of real-world evidence. This wellwritten, impeccably organized volume is the bible for everyone everywhere with a vision—modest or grand—of how cultural programs can make a difference in the place they call home. Borrup opens with a thorough survey of leading researchers in sociology, community development, and urban planning, reporting their unanimous conclusion that artists and cultural institutions play a vital role in fostering prosperity and social stability. The book then lays out ten practical social and economic aims, from revitalizing neighborhoods to diversifying the local economy and enhancing public spaces, that artists and cultural organizations can promote. One example is Boston's Artists for Humanity. They enlist scores of underprivileged kids each year to apprentice with working artists so they can learn skills and explore their own artistic ideas. They are paid for their help and receive a fifty percent commission on any of their own work that sells in the organization's gallery. Follow-up studies show that youth involved with the program do better in school and hold higher aspirations for the future than their inner-city peers. In the book's last half, Borrup offers invaluable tips, lessons, case studies, and step-by-step advice on how to initiate an arts program and help it grow in a way that delivers maximum reward to the community. The Creative Community Builder's Handbook is more than a valuable resource; it's a heartfelt and persuasive call to recognize how the goals of great art and good towns or neighborhoods can cross-fertilize one another.

Museums have undergone significant change over the last forty years. While once exhibits centered solely on objects and conveying knowledge in a hierarchical, authoritarian manner, now visitor experience is paramount. Many exhibits and museums focus on interaction and creating a dynamic relationship with constituents. In an attempt to persuade museums to continue this trend towards relevancy, interaction, and temporality, Hilde Hein offers public art as a model. This book is intended for the museum professional or student, or at least someone with a general knowledge of public art themes and issues. Hein uses Dewey, Danto, Habermas, Kracauer, and other thinkers to illuminate concepts such as "experience," "public," and "private" with respect to the museum. She then expounds knowledgeably on the histories of museums and public art. The first part of the book is reasonably objective, even when Hein is criticizing, for example, the "bland" corporate public art that for many is representative of the whole genre. In the final chapters, however, her bias shows, there are inconsistencies in her voice, and she loses focus. This is distracting and unfortunate. Where her two major trajectories should have converged, Hein instead spins off into anecdote after anecdote. Moreover, the book fails to make a compelling argument for why, exactly, museums should model their behavior on public art. Hein fails to describe or analyze everyday financial and administrative practices and necessities, choosing instead to give a more impressionistic and anthropomorphized view of museums. There are no practical suggestions about how museums might make the monumental transformation Hein calls for, how they might sustain it, or how it might affect their communities. It is not enough to say that a museum should change without suggesting ways to do so. Invoking public art as an example does not by itself suggest realistic or motivating options. Many have waxed philosophic about how museums should change, but this discourse needs to be supplemented with qualitative research that yields a pragmatic, perhaps radical, approach to change. Ideally, Hein's philosophical approach will pave the way for a practical one, thereby provoking paradigmatic transition.

JAY WALLJASPER is a senior fellow at Project for Spaces and executive editor of Ode magazine.

MELISSA CONSTANTINE lives and works in the Twin Cities. She is interested in museums, architecture, and urbanism.

Public

R O B B M I T C H E L L / PATRICIA B R I C C S

BOOK REVIEW

WHO CARES

CREATI VETtME

W H O CARES Essays by Anne Pasternak and Doug Ashford New York: Creative Time, Inc., 2006 191 pages, $15 (paperback)

[SITUATIONAL] PUBLIC > PUBLICO [SITUACIONAL] Osvaldo Sanchez and Donna Conwell, editors San Diego, C.A.: Installation Gallery, 2006 4 4 0 pages, $35 (paperback) Borders are psychologically charged nation-state abstractions or, as coeditor Donna Conwell states, "spaces where distinct modalities or mobility and immobility, place and nonplace, flux and rest converge." Most acutely, border is a continually changing nexus of encounters and transactions with state power, political fear, and emotional security. inSite_05 (www.insite05.org) is a network of artists and cultural institutions assembled to explore creative experiences in the border zone between San Diego and Tijuana. Here is a radical concept: to transform the border, usually thought of as an edge, into a binational center and explore the constructs of frontier, political belief, and myths of unity. The soft-cover catalogue documents the thirty-two projects or "interventions" of two dozen public artists and another dozen collaborators involved in urban sculpture and documentation, site-specific installation, and nonobject situations and time-based processes. The voluminous text and expansive photography comprise artist scenarios, research, production notes, and themed essays on public domain, the urban grid, and demarcation fables in Spanish and English. Aernout Mik's film Osmosis and Excess shows Tijuana hills, abandoned cars, and a pharmacy stuck in polluted maquiladora mud. Judi Werthein's practical Brinco footware designed for undocumented workers is itself documentation, along with the highly visible One Flew Over..., a performancebased project by Javier Tellez, who, with permission, symbolically launched himself out of a cannon across the border. Tellez drew national attention from the Tonight Show's Jay Leno, who joked, "Immigration will let just about anyone over the border." inSite_05 extends the Situational Public dialogue to the Internet with documentation and links to projects like Low Drone: The Transnational Hopper, which promises viewers "aerial transgressions of the Mexico/U.S. border through the use of an unmanned airborne low-rider," and Dentimundo: Dentists on the Border, an overview of Mexican dentists providing inexpensive procedures to border-crossing Americans. The photography, and illustrations in this large-format book are arresting. The richly layered text and multifaceted source materials invite the reader to rethink and reflect, rather than build walls and destroy us as a nation with neighbors. R O B B MITCHELL writes about art, photography,

and

film.

Many of us who came of age during the 1970s and 1980s, when art and social action were often intimately entwined, sense a decline in socially engaged art in recent decades. Although striking the posture of critical engagement may be " i n " at art schools today, linking activism and aesthetics appears less fashionable. Over the last decade, funding socially or politically engaged projects has become more difficult. Spurred by the perception of a decline in socially engaged art in New York City, Creative Time—an organization that supports artists who address timely public issues and controversial topics—developed the Who Cares initiative, which included four commissioned public artworks and three informal conversations among thirty-seven artists, curators, and scholars about the topic of art's relationship to social action today. Who Cares is a record of these free-wheeling conversations, loosely organized under three themes: Anywhere in the World. Beauty and Its Discontents, and War Culture. It opens with an essay by organizer Doug Ashford arguing that a necessary ingredient of any true counterculture is conversation carried on outside the sphere of professional competition, where playful, noninstrumentalist dialogue can take shape. That claim is illustrated in the conversations that follow, where divergent and sometimes clashing perspectives cluster around a series of issues: the efficacy of "relational aesthetics," the artist as global nomad for hire, the power of the Patriot Act to curtail personal freedom and censor artists, the role of the art school, the problem of spectacle-saturated culture and commodification of creativity by the media, and the bureaucratization of nonprofit arts organizations. Amid the voices of the well-known, we are also introduced to a cadre of younger artists who are clearly doing very interesting work. Who Cares successfully pulls the reader into the conversation by providing notes on every artist, project, or organization mentioned, making every reader a community insider. The book offers a great deal of information on the contemporary field of socially engaged art—so much, in fact, that it makes one reconsider the book's thesis. Perhaps socially engaged art is more prevalent than it seems. PATRICIA BRIGGS writes for Artforum International, Art on Paper, and Art Papers. She is assistant professor of liberal arts at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS £/> T H E A R T O F P L A C E M A K I N G : tJ

Interpreting Community Through Public Art

and Urban Design

ac. Ronald Lee Fleming New York: Merrell, 2007 384 pages, $49.95 (hardcover) Illustrated case studies depicting recent public art projects throughout the United States. D O U G AITKEN: Sleepwalkers Klaus Biesenback, Peter Eleey, Doug Aitken

A H O U S E O N IUNGMANNOVA: 4+4+4 Days in Motion, Prague 2006 Dan Senn

L O N D O N STREET ART

C J Alex MacNaughton

2 London: Prestel, 2006

96 pages, $14.95 (hardcover)

Beaverton: Newsense Intermedium, 2006 DVD, 37 minutes

150 photographs of contemporary posters,

Documentary reveals a house in the center of

stencil, and graffiti in London.

Motion festival held there in May of 2006.

OUTDOOR M O N U M E N T S OF MANHATTAN:

Prague and its influence on the 4+4+4 Days it1 A Historical Guide THE W O M E N OF NOSTRAND & GREENE Dave Reinitz

Dianne L. Durante

New York: NYU Press, 2007

Brooklyn: Artmakers Inc., 2006

302 pages, $18.95 (paperback)

176 pages, $39.95 (paperback)

DVD, 30 minutes

A description of Doug Aitken's Sleepwalkers, a

A documentary based on When Women Pursue

famous and obscure—in historical, cultural,

New York: MoMA/Creative Time, 2007

video installation projected on MoMA's outer walls during January and February of 2007. PANDEMONIUM janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller Philadelphia: Eastern State Penitentiary, 2005 47 pages (hardcover) + audio CD A description of the visual and auditory

Justice, a 3,3C>o-square-foot mural located in

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ninety women active in social justice in the

PHOENIX: 21st Century City

Brooklyn, New York. The mural celebrates

United States over the past 150 years.

Hugo Martinez

This fourth book in Edward Booth-Clibborn's

New York: Prestel, 2006

Penitentiary, which is now a historic site.

Showcasing photographs of New York City

New York: Public Art Fund, 2007 128 pages, $15.95 (paperback) Inspired by American Civil War reenactments, artist Allison Smith transformed Governors Island, a former U.S. military base, into a work of public art that addressed her question:

graffiti, this book is based on a conviction that graffiti is "a legitimate aesthetic and cultural

movement, born of a revolutionary spirit and a

will to resistance."

BATHROOM GRAFFITI Mark Ferem New York: Mark Batty Publisher, 2006 160 pages, $14.95 (paperback)

"What are you fighting for?"

A photo-essay on the author's self-styled

FROM VISION TO REALITY: Public Art at

what he calls, not chicken soup for the soul,

Carnival Center for the Performing Arts Brandi C. Reddick

Latrinalia Project, an attempt to document but "seafood gumbo for the mind."

Miami: Miami Dade Art in Public Places, 2007

TALK BACK: The Bubble Project

Surveys the impressive contributions of seven

New York: Mark Batty Publisher, 2006

44 pages (paperback)

commissioned artists to Miami's Carnival Center for the Performing Arts.

CAI GUO-QIANG: Transparent Monument Gary Tinterow and David A. Ross Milan: Charta, 2006

96 pages, $34.95 (paperback) A description of four works by Cai Guo-Qiang, commissioned by New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art for its roof garden.

SUPERVISION Nicholas Baume, editor Cambridge: The MIT Press, 2006 196 pages, $34.95 (hardcover) Accompanies the recent exhibition at Boston's Institute of Contemporary Art, in which contemporary artists in a variety of media explored both the ecstatic and threatening aspects of modern visual experience. 577,4 THE DISTANCE B E T W E E N

Weimar: Bauhaus-University, 2006

London: Booth-Clibborn Editions, 2006

240 pages, $49.95 (paperback)

152 pages, $19.95 (paperback)

Essays by Tom Eccles, James Trainor, Anne Wehr

Edward Booth-Clibborn, editor

GRAFFITI NYC

installation in Cell Block Seven at Eastern State

ALLISON SMITH: The Muster

Places fifty-four Manhattan monuments—both

Ji Lee 128 pages, $14.99 (paperback) Photographs of The Bubble Project, which places blank bubble stickers on street advertising, inviting passersby to fill them in. ^ M U D M A N : The Odyssey of Kim Jones Q . Sandra Q. Firmin and Julie Joyce, editors O Cambridge: The MIT Press, 2007 160 pages, $19.95 (paperback) A comprehensive survey of Kim Jones's performances, installations, and drawings from the 1970s to the present. ART A N D SURVIVAL: Patricia Johanson's Environmental Projects Caffyn Kelley, introduction by Lucy R. Lippard Salt Spring Island: Islands Institute, 2006 165 pages, $24.95 (paperback) Chronicles a pioneer in the eco-art movement. GRONK Max Benavidez Los Angeles: UCLA Press, 2007

international series of emerging cities features

painting, sculpture, architecture, urban design, graphic design, and fashion in Phoenix, AZ. G O I N G PUBLIC '06: Mediterranean Atlas Claudia Zanfi, editor

Milan: Silvana Editoriale, 2006

240 pages (paperback)

Documents the nine-month project of aMAZE

Cultural Lab, which explores the history of the

Mediterranean through its art and architecture.

SKULPTUR PROJEKTE MUNSTER 07 Hildegund Amanshauser and Brigitte Franzen Q I Koln: Buchhandlung Walther Konig, 2007 192 pages, €38 (paperback) u 00 In-depth interviews with twelve artists participating in Sculpture Projects Muenster 2007, which opens to the public on June 17. SCULPTURES: The Great Columns of Joliet Friends of Community Public Art Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2006 112 pages, $24.95 (paperback) Photographs of forty-one sculptures created between 1998 and 2006 by the Friends of Community Public Art in Joliet, III., accompanied by poetry commissioned for each piece. SLATE OF HAND: Stone for Fine Art & Folk Art Judy Buswick and Ted Buswick Victoria: Trafford Publishing, 2007 174 pages, $27.50 (paperback) A survey of slate carvings and sculpture by the famous (Barbara Hepworth, Andy Goldsworthy) and not-so-famous (anonymous Welsh and Maine quarrymen). TIN M E N Archie Green Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2007 216 pages, $20 (paperback) Labor folklorist Archie Green links tinsmith

95 pages (paperback)

132 pages, $60 (hardcover)

artistry to craft education, union traditions,

Documents a student collaboration involving

The first in a series of books on Latino artists,

labor history, and social class.

recalling the World War II occupation of Leuven

Gronk, who has created street murals, action

temporary sculptures, films, and performances

this volume features East Los Angeles-born

and the use of concentration camps.

painting, mail art, movies, and opera sets.

From

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publishers

The Ar I of Placemaking

Interpreting Community Through 1'iiblie \rl and1 rbi m Design

iBBv olfiEff'

April 2007, hardcover $49.95 384 pages 400 color illustrations ISBN 978-1-8589-4371-8

This book is an encyclopedic summingup of the best work on making places out of the anonymous anywhere. Nathan Glazer

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The Art of Placemaking: Interpreting Community Through Public Art and Urban Design A new and important book by awardwinning author Ronald Lee Fleming, founder of The Townscape Institute An art book and reference book in one authoritative publication Makes a compelling argument for public art and urban design that responds to community character and place identity. Beautifully illustrated case studies depict recent projects throughout the United States. Assessments of successes and failures provide pragmatic guidance for implementing public art, interpretation, and street furniture that both reinforce and reimagine community identity. The Art of Placemaking: Interpreting Community Through Public Art and Urban Design is available through fine bookstores everywhere.

THE POLITICS O F

URBAN BEAUTY N e w York and Its Art Commission

MICHELE

BOGART

"From controversies about newsstands, signage, and memorials, to debates over parks, public art, and major public buildings, The Politics of Urban Beauty candidly speaks of the dramatic circumstances under which projects get built or blocked. Along with the passion o f an engaged participant, former art commission member Bogart brings an historical perspective that edifies, clarifies, and excites any reader of the urban scene." —RICK BELL, FA1A, executive director of the American Institute of Architects, New York Chapter 352 p., 85 halftones • Cloth $55.00 The University of C h i c a g o Press

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Benefits: - T h e chancc to win any one of 15 awards totaling $25,000 - Sell your sculpture(s) - 34% o f sculptures have sold in 3 years - Receive up to $1,000 in transportation reimbursement per sculpture j j g j l l - Great visibility - sculptures viewed by over 300,000 people during the year - And More!

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Parks and Gardens

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See Seattle!

With too much to do in 2'/2 days we invite you to come the weekend before the conference for many exciting optional activities including tours of: • Western Washington University Campus Sculpture Collection • Dale Chihuly's Boathouse • Microsoft Corporate Collection • Plus more activities to be announced soon Or plan your own exciting weekend. Some nearby attractions: Space Needle, Seattle Center Amusement Park, Wineries Official Conference Hotel:

Please visit our website www.sculpture.org for the most up-to-date information. For more details or to join our email list contact: events@sculpture.org.

Online Registration to begin April 2, 2007. Funding provided in part by: Jon & Mary Shirley Foundation, Johnson Art and Education Foundation, Seattle Art Museum, Experience Music Project/Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame, Chihuly Studio r Experience Music Project | Science Fiction Museum and Hall ol fame

A ^

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V \

SCULPTURE PARK

Open Letter to public art administrators P u b l i c artists and public art administrators are

W h i l e we realize that narrowing a large pool of

equally c o m m i t t e d to creating work that is of art-

candidates is very difficult, we feel the best ap-

istic and civic worth, be it through site-specific

proach for agencies is to narrow the field to no

c o m m i s s i o n s , design team, or planning projects.

more than three finalists with one alternate. For

However, with 3 5 0 existing public art programs

optimal results, if the t i m e l i n e and budget allow,

and m o r e evolving, practices are emerging that

finalists' expenses would be reimbursed for a site

hinder artists' abilities to give administrators our

visit and interview/presentation. T h i s enables the

most productive efforts.

c o m m i t t e e to more easily determine w h o m might be the best fit for the project. T h e selected artist

We offer, by this letter, c o m m e n t a r y and recomm e n d a t i o n s that we b e l i e v e will make the partn e r s h i p b e t w e e n artists and administrators more effective and efficient, resulting in artworks that are m o r e evocative of our time and place. We do

would then be asked to develop a conceptual design. If the c o m m i t t e e is uneasy about committing to an artist without seeing his/her final design, it is c o m m o n to stipulate that the contract is contingent upon design approval.

agree

with all the points raised below. However, our c o l l e c t i v e e x p e r i e n c e has now taken a v o i c e that w e h o p e may speak to many c o n c e r n s within our industry.

artists need to retain the protections afforded to them under current federal copyright law as long as they agree not to reproduce the work for c o m mercial purposes. Recommendation:

Artists should retain

copy-

right to their work. T h i s includes full rights to reproduce images of the work in all media (books, magazines, promotional materials, etc.) without

T h e professional

should be free to reproduce images of the artwork

standards for p u b l i c

artists

today are s i m i l a r to t h o s e of a r c h i t e c t s .

The

p r o c e s s of s e l e c t i o n and proposal d e v e l o p m e n t

in any media for n o n c o m m e r c i a l and educational purposes as along as the artist is credited as the copyright holder.

n e e d s to reflect this. W h e n artists s i m p l y p l a c e d final-

Open Calls vs. C o n c e p t u a l Proposals

ist proposal was less b u r d e n s o m e . Now it is

Increasingly, agencies are soliciting artists through

c o m m o n l y e x p e c t e d that artists d e v e l o p origi-

requests for proposals (RFP) rather than requests

nal. s i t e - s p e c i f i c

conceptual

for qualifications (RFQ) at the open call stage.

ing

presentation

W h i l e it may seem like a good idea to narrow the

as boards, s a m p l e s , P o w e r P o i n t

field by asking for specific ideas and drawings,

a n i m a t e d c o m p u t e r renderings, b o o k l e t s ,

artist selection through R F P s is often counterpro-

m o d e l s . T h e s e r e q u i r e significant t i m e , out-of-

ductive. For the following reasons, we feel the

p o c k e t e x p e n s e s , and the hiring of other design

R F P process is not in an agency's self-interest:

p r o f e s s i o n a l s s u c h as e n g i n e e r s , a r c h i t e c t s , and

• Designing site-integrated art is a c o m p l i c a t e d

professional

designs,

involv-

materials

such

presentations, and

g r a p h i c designers.

If agencies wish to use the image of an artwork on a coffee mug, t-shirt, or other item for sale, this does not fall under "fair u s e . " T h e agency w o u l d need to negotiate a separate licensing agreement with the artist, including possible royalties or other usage fees paid to the artist. Detailed information on copyright can be found at: w w w . c o p y r i g h t . g o v / c i r c s / c i r c l . h t m l

VARA

process. It is difficult, i f not impossible to

T h e Visual Artist Rights Act of 1 9 9 0 (VARA) was

design site-integrated work without intimate

We ask a d m i n i s t r a t o r s to c o n s i d e r the n u m b e r

created to give artists the right to be credited as

k n o w l e d g e of the site, and this is impossible

of hours that an artist is e x p e c t e d to invest in

the author and to prevent destruction or altera-

with an R F P process.

a conceptual

tion of their work. S o m e states now have their

design

and

compare

it to

the

• T h e best design solutions are built in tandem

hourly rate of other highly trained profession-

own artists' rights legislation. Artists

with the art advisory c o m m i t t e e . T h e t i m e

als i n v o l v e d in the project s u c h as engineers,

site-specific

artists s p e n d in the c o n c e p t u a l phase is the

a r c h i t e c t s , and l a n d s c a p e a r c h i t e c t s . P l e a s e also

ognize that public sites sometimes change uses

most crucial part of the value we bring to

c o n s i d e r the a m o u n t of lead t i m e given to these

and that the protection of a work is different than

a project. Asking for a c o n c e p t without the

other p r o f e s s i o n a l s and set the d e a d l i n e s for art-

that in a m u s e u m setting. At the same time, the

benefit of the artist building trust and dia-

ists accordingly.

artist's reputation is based on that work and its

logue with the design team, c o m m u n i t y , and other stakeholders puts the artist outside of the process and results in generic solutions. • T h e odds of w i n n i n g do not justify the time and e x p e n s e required to develop a c o n c e p t

and site-determined

making

artwork

rec-

integrity. Recommendation:

Pay a fee for an artist's con-

ceptual design that is c o m m e n s u r a t e with that paid for other key professionals on the project, with similar lead times.

Recommendation:

T h e client must notify the art-

ist w h e n e v e r the work is to be altered, relocated, or removed. T h i s is in the agency's interest, as

at the open call stage. S u c c e s s f u l artists have

the artist may find a more creative solution for

busy project s c h e d u l e s and can rarely justify

Artists Rights

reintegration, give instructions for storage, or find

applying for RFPs. It's a poor gamble, espe-

An alarming number of contracts require artists

another buyer. If the piece is to be removed per-

c i a l l y without knowledge of the site or the

to relinquish all rights, including those of the

manently, the artist should be given the first right

aesthetic values of the c o m m i t t e e . U n l i k e ar-

Visual Artists Rights Act (VARA), copyright, and

to regain ownership, remove the artwork, or dis-

chitectural c o m p e t i t i o n s , the typical budget

Fair Use. VARA and copyright laws were estab-

claim authorship. A useful guide to VARA can be

for public art projects do not warrant open

lished as federal laws to recognize the unique

found at: www.nyartsalive.com/vara.htm.

c o m p e t i t i o n s for good results.

characteristic of artworks as distinct from worksfor-hire, and specifically to protect the rights of

Insurance

artists working in the public realm. A d h e r e n c e to

c h o s e n based on past work through an R F Q with

these laws remains an important u n d e r p i n n i n g of

Onerous insurance requirements more appropri-

Recommendation:

We propose that

finalists

a letter of interest or preselected from a registry.

• i

cated elsewhere. But as creators of the artwork,

credited. We also understand the client agency

C o n c e p t u a l Design

t h e i r e x i s t i n g work at a site, preparing a

It is appropriate for an agency, as owners of the artwork, to request that the work not be repli-

asking for permission, as long as the client is

not pretend to speak for all artists; indeed, m a n y of the undersigned may not necessarily

the very notion of public art.

ate for general contractors, architects, or engineers are being asked of artists. Insurance requirements

A l i c e A d a m s , N e w York

Con C h r i s t e s o n , S t . L o u i s

Steve Gillman, Oakland

Nina Karavasiles, Warner S p r i n g s , CA

W i c k A l e x a n d e r , S a n Diego

W i l l i a m C o c h r a n , F r e d e r i c k , MD

David Griggs, D e n v e r

Lisa Kaslow, Hibernia, NJ

David A l l e n , St. L o u i s

Z a c h a r y Coffin, Atlanta

Barbara Grygutis, T u c s o n

Brad Kaspari, M i n n e a p o l i s

S t e v e A p p l e t o n , Los A n g e l e s

S u s a n Cooper, E n g l e w o o d , C O

Mags Harries, C a m b r i d g e , M A

BJ Katz, P h o e n i x

M a r i a A r t e m i s , Atlanta

Dan C o r s o n , S e a t t l e

L a j o s Heder, C a m b r i d g e , M A

Stuart Keeler, C h i c a g o

Judy Baca, Venice, CA

F e r n a n d a D ' A g o s t i n o , Portland

Ralph H e l m i c k , N e w t o n , M A

G u y K e m p e r , Versailles, K Y

J u d y B a l e s , Fairfield, IA

Eloise Damrosch, Portland

C a s p a r H e n s e l m a n n , N e w York

Larry Kirkland, W a s h i n g t o n , DC

Lynn B a s a , C h i c a g o

Leila Daw, B r a n f o r d , C T

John Himmelfarb, Chicago

BJ K r i v a n e k , C h i c a g o

L i n d a B e a u m o n t , Langley, WA

L o u i s Delsarte, Atlanta

Barry H o l d e n , N e w York

L e s l i e K n e i s e l , Atlanta

Pam Beyette, Seattle

M a r y Lynn D o m i n g u e z , S a n Diego

W o p o H o l u p , Lyons, CO

Carolyn Law, S e a t t l e

Doris Bittar, S a n Diego

Ellen D r i s c o l l , B r o o k l y n

Gordon Huether, Napa, CA

Brian Borrello, Portland

Janet E c h e l m a n , N e w York

A n d r e w Leicester, M i n n e a p o l i s

S a r a h Hutt, B o s t o n

Christine Bourdette, Portland

Jud F i n e , V e n i c e , CA

H e l e n L e s s i c k , Los A n g e l e s

Carolyn Braaksma

Karen Fitzgerald, N e w York

C h r i s t o p h e r Janney, L e x i n g t o n , M A

Heidi L i p p m a n , S m i t h s b u r g , MD

Martha J a c k s o n Jarvis, W a s h i n g t o n , DC

D o n a l d Lipski, P h i l a d e l p h i a

Kristin J o n e s / A n d r e w G i n z e l , N e w York

Living L e n s e s :

R o b i n B r a i l s f o r d , D u l z u r a , CA

D i a n e Gage, S a n Diego

E d Carpenter,

Cliff Garten, Los A n g e l e s

Portland

Ned K a h n , S e b a s t o p o l , C A

L o u i s e B e r t s e l s e n , Berkeley, CA

NOVEMBER

need to be c o m m e n s u r a t e with risk and exposure,

on behalf of the artist as necessary.

contract size and scope.

should remove any reference to errors and omis-

•

2006

incurred w h e n agencies do not meet the instal-

Agencies

lation schedule.

errors

sion insurance in their contract language, except

• It is c o m m o n practice for design profession-

and omissions (not to be confused with gen-

as it applies to artists' subcontractors such as en-

als on a building project to charge for c h a n g e

eral liability insurance), is not available to

gineers or others w h o may be preparing c o n s t r u c -

orders. It is not u n c o m m o n , however, to re-

artists b e c a u s e they are not licensed under

tion d o c u m e n t s that require a stamp.

Professional

liability

insurance

peatedly ask artists to go back to the drawing board in the design phase or to r e s p o n d to

any state and their work does not inherently pose a risk to the public. T h i s insurance is

Contracts

available to those professions that are li-

We recognize that contracts will vary d e p e n d i n g

alterations in the site.

c e n s e d to prepare and sign construction doc-

on the situation of e a c h agency and project. In

Recommendation:

uments. T h e s a m e applies to bonding. If art-

general, however, contracts must be s y m m e t r i c a l

als, artists s h o u l d be paid for c h a n g e orders.

ists are subcontracting services such as these,

between artist and agency with mutual i n d e m n i -

those professionals may be required to have

ty and termination clauses. Here are a few issues

F o r an annotated s a m p l e contract, please see t h e

such insurance, and their fees to artists (and

frequently encountered by artists:

P u b l i c Art Network's " M o d e l P u b l i c Art C o m m i s -

subsequently to the client) will reflect this.

• Artists are usually held to strict t i m e l i n e s s ,

• Most artists do not have employees and so

but when construction is delayed the artists

do not need to provide workman's compen-

are left waiting to be paid a n d / o r having to

sation. Workman's compensation

Like other design profession-

sion A g r e e m e n t " : www.artsusa.org/pdf/services/ pan/annotated_contract.pdf.

insurance

pay for storage for their work. Most suppliers

C o m m i s s i o n i n g top quality art is a difficult task in

requirements are usually legislated on a state-

are paid within thirty days or begin adding

the best of c i r c u m s t a n c e s . We h o p e that this letter

by-state basis. Exemptions for sole proprietors

finance

will c o n t r i b u t e to a dialogue b e t w e e n our profes-

or single-member LLCs are usually available.

into artists' contracts.

charges. T h e same should be written

sions that will be ongoing and direct. Hopefully, through

Recommendation:

Agencies should review in-

Recommendation:

Artists should be paid inter-

surance requirements with their legal counsels

est when agencies do not c o m p l y with the pay-

and be prepared to make an informed argument

ment schedule, and c o m p e n s a t e d for e x p e n s e s

increased a w a r e n e s s ,

professionalism,

and mutual respect, the standards of both professions will be raised a n o t h e r n o t c h .

Post Script J A N E T K A G A N — February 18. 2 0 0 7 T h e PAN C o u n c i l looks forward to contribut-

T h e Open Letter to public art agencies, non-

best practices, PAN advocates for m a n y of the

profit

project

r e c o m m e n d a t i o n s i n c l u d e d in the Open Letter

ing ideas and r e c o m m e n d a t i o n s for t h e

managers, and artists is a klieg light illuminat-

with the caveat that e a c h situation is different

w h i c h could influence p u b l i c art p o l i c y . "

ing c o m p l e x policy issues that effect how art-

and may require a unique and

ists and agencies collaborate to realize mutual

response:

organizations,

administrators,

field,

nonformulaic T h e r e is c o n s e n s u s on the n e e d for t e n a c i o u s a d v o c a c y of the artist and their work as e a c h

objectives of artistic e x c e l l e n c e and creativity.

e x p e r i e n c e the pressures of p u b l i c

review:

Thirteen artists began drafting the Open Let-

1. RFQs are the preferred m e t h o d of selecting

ter during the s u m m e r of 2 0 0 6 . By the fall,

artists during the first phase of a c o m p e t i t i o n .

protection of the predesign phase of a c o m m i s -

fifty artists had contributed to its structure and

2. Artists should be paid for proposals. U n d e r

sion w h e n ideation and c o n c e p t u a l develop-

took it live onto the Pubic Art Network (PAN)

some circumstances, artists may submit a brief

ment of the project are most vulnerable; edu-

listserv for broader distribution. S i n c e then,

narrative as part of the initial application.

cation of elected officials and residents about

approximately 100 artists have endorsed many

3. Artists retain all copyrights associated with

the creative process; and training artists and

of the issues it raises.

the work as the sole author of the artwork in a c c o r d a n c e with federal law. (See PAN An-

A m o n g artists, there is general agreement that

notated Agreement.)

the field would benefit from increased, uniform

4. Agencies should make a best effort to reach

standards for calls, contracts, and compensa-

and involve artist in d i s c u s s i o n s w h e n cir-

tion. S o m e have proffered the possibility of

cumstances

creating an Artists Bill of Rights, and others

modification of artist's work. (See PAN An-

suggest establishing an artist advisory c o u n c i l

notated Agreement.) T h e r e will be a panel at

through w h i c h to influence current and future

the upcoming A m e r i c a n s for the Arts (AFTA)

agenda items of the Public Art Network.

annual c o n f e r e n c e this June in Las Vegas

Directors of public art programs are c o n c e r n e d about

adopting a prescriptive approach

may require the alteration

program managers for the field. To that e n d . fundamental q u e s t i o n s c o n c e r n i n g the broad and n e c e s s a r y c o n d i t i o n s u n d e r w h i c h great art can be created, h o w t h e field can recognize and encourage emergent talent, and the i m p l i c i t e x p e c t a t i o n s of the arts facilitator and the artist are n o w in focus. S a r a h Hutt is organizing the n e x t steps that artists may w i s h to take; s h e can be r e a c h e d at 6 1 7 - 5 9 4 - 9 8 1 1 .

dedicated to the artist selection and c o m m i s -

O n l i n e resources are free to d o w n l o a d from

sioning process. We hope to see you t h e r e . "

PAN: w w w . a m e r i c a n s f o r t h e a r t s . o r g / s e r v i c e s / public_art_network/default_004.asp

public art, given the enormity of variation in

T h e timing is coincidental, but perhaps fortuitous:

project funding and execution unique to every

According to Liesel Fenner, manager of Public Art

J A N E T K A G A N is a principal

municipality. Jill Manton, chair of the PAN

at Americans for the Arts, " A F T A is embarking on

Percent for Art Collaborative

Council, states, "With the goal of promoting

a strategic plan, and public art is on the agenda.

the PAN

member of the and vice chair of

Council.

Carol Nye, S a n Diego

Carol S a l m a n s o n , B r o o k l y n

Don T h o m a s , Louisville

Dana Lynn L o u i s , P o r t l a n d

T h e O p e n E n d e d Group

Norie S a t o , S e a t t l e

A m y Trachtenberg, San Francisco

Barbara M c C a r r e n , V e n i c e , CA

M a r c Dovvnie, C h i c a g o

Jeffrey S c h i f f , B r o o k l y n

R i c h a r d Turner. O r a n g e , C A

Michael Machnic, Chicago

S h e l l e y Eshkar, New York

Vicki S c u r i , Lake Forest Park. W A

Lisa Tuttle, Atlanta

lack M a c k i e , S e a t t l e

Paul Kaiser, New York

Benson Shaw, Seattle

Ken vonRoenn, Louisville

Aida M a n c i l l a s , S a n Diego

Valerie, Otani, Portland

Shan Shan Sheng, San Francisco

Clark W i e g m a n , S e a t t l e

Mike Mandel, Watertown, MA

M a r c Pally, Los A n g e l e s

Buster Simpson, Seattle

Bill Will, Portland

John McEnroe, Lakewood, CO

E l a i n e Parks, Tuscarora, NV

Laura S i n d e l l , S e a t t l e

David Wilson, South N e w Berlin, NY

Don Merkt, Portland + Los A n g e l e s

Peter R i c h a r d s . S a n F r a n c i s c o

A l i s o n Sky, N e w York

Susan Wink, Roswell, NM

Deborah Mersky, S e a t t l e

M a r i l y n Ines Rodriguez. S a n F r a n c i s c o

Survilla Smith, Dorchester, M A

Joy W u l k e , S t o n y C r e e k . C T

R o s s Miller, A l l s t o n , M A

J o h n Rogers, Portland

Ellen Sollod, Seattle

Nina Yankowitz. New York

M a r y M i s s , N e w York

Koryn Rolstad, Seattle

Mark Spitzer, Seattle

l o h n T. Y o u n g , S e a t t l e

Marsha Moss, Philadelphia

Rafe Ropek, C o l o r a d o

Michael Stutz, Fallbrook, CA

Suikang Zhao. New York

A n n e M u d g e , S a n Diego

W e n d y M. Ross, B e t h e s d a . MD

Ginny Sykes, Chicago

Bob Zoell, Los Angeles

Anna Valentina Murch, San Francisco

Sandra Rowe. Riverside, CA

M a y S u n , Los A n g e l e s

G i n n y Ruffner. S e a t t l e

A n i t a T h a c h e r , N e w York

P o S h u Wang. Berkeley, C A

G w y n n M u r r i l l . Los A n g e l e s

NEWS

TAMPA'S KODAK MOMENT Tampa's Public Art Program embraces photography in a big way. Since 2003, their annual Big Picture Laureate Project has connected the photographs of renowned artists with public spaces throughout the city. This July, the works of Stephen Gregory will be unveiled at the Tampa M u s e u m of Art. His digitally altered landscapes dramatically transform everyday scenes. The program was inspired by the Burgert Brothers Photographic Archive, Farm Security Administration photographers, and the National Endowment for the Arts photographic project of the 1990s. The city hopes to build an archive and resource for the citizens of Tampa, enhance city facilities with images that are reflective of the life and character of Tampa, and build a portable works collection. Details at www.tampagov.net/dept_public_art. fSunken Treasure courtesy the artist.]

ONE MAN'S GARBAGE... Artist Nome Edonna is the newest artist-inresidence at San Francisco's recycling center. Wearing gloves and work boots, he uncovers private letters written in Spanish, crystal sherbet dishes wrapped in newspaper, and a tattered pink lampshade. "If you like digging through stuff, it's like a dream come true," said Edonna, 33, who is thinking about making a hand-built phonograph and a skull sculpture out of forsaken computer monitors during his four-month stint. "I can't think of another residency I'd rather have." San Francisco may be the only city where artists are paid to create masterpieces from the raw material of people's lives. For sixteen years, NorCal Waste Systems, the private company that runs the city's recycling program, has provided Bay Area artists with a $1,900 monthly stipend, fully equipped work space, and an end-ofterm public art exhibit, along with access to a

DEVELOPERS CO PUBLIC

Beginning in January 2007, private developers

in Santa Monica, Calif., are required to allot 2 percent of their building permit valuation to on-site arts and/or cultural uses, or to make a contribution of 1 percent of the project costs to a new Cultural Arts Trust Fund. Intended to preserve and improve the city's quality of life, the ordinance passed unanimously. While most municipal programs are funded at a level of l percent and rarely include private developer buy-in, Santa Monica's program raises the bar nationally. Program manager Jessica Cusick states, "It is essential that we find new ways to provide cultural activities and venues in our community."

first-class assortment of castoffs. According to residency coordinator Paul Fresina, the purpose of the competitive program is to reduce waste that would otherwise end up in a landfill by showing how it can be creatively reused. About sixty artists apply for the program each year, and between four and eight are selected. Besides pledging to work at the dump for a certain number of hours per week, artists are required to donate three finished pieces to the dump.

LOITERING ENCOURAGED

O n e of the most subversive things a woman can do in India is occupy public space. Recently, more than sixty women, part of the Blank Noise Project in Bangalore, India, lingered outside a shopping mall for more than two hours. The tradition of purdah— keeping women secluded inside the h o u s e — is no longer in effect. But as women hit the streets in greater numbers, often in Western clothing, their vulnerability to street harassment, including physical assaults, has increased. Project founder Jasmeen Patheja sought to address sexual harassment by organizing a blog-a-thon that asked women from all over India—and the world—to post their own experiences with harassment. "In ten days, we had more than 300 bloggers sign up," Patheja said. "There was a mass catharsis happening on the Internet. That is when Blank Noise became participatory and public." The goal of the street occupation was simply to engage people in a public discourse. Blank Noise now has chapters that conduct their own street actions in the Indian cities of Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, and Hyderabad. The project's most powerful effect may be the changes it inspires in the women who participate. Participant Yamini Deen said that simply "standing by the railings, without any fear, has changed the way I feel. Even if men are staring at me, I don't feel threatened. I don't blame myself. Even when I'm walking alone on the road, I feel confident now."

NEWS MONEY FOR SCULPTURE...

Des Moines philanthropists John and Mary Pappajohn recently donated a collection of outdoor sculpture valued between S20 million and $30 million for Western Gateway Park. The donation is believed to be the largest single public gift in Des Moines history. " W e love [the sculptures] but we're both getting old and we're both moving along, so we thought it was appropriate for that space," John Pappajohn, 78, said in an interview with the Des Moines Sunday Register. The initial gift of sixteen sculptures will be featured in a new sculpture garden for the city, putting Des Moines on the art world map. Among the notable artists are Barry Flanagan, Louise Bourgeois, joel Shapiro, and Mark di Suvero. The sculptures, which will be owned by the Des Moines Art Center, are expected to draw visitors and spur economic development.

...SCULPTURE FOR MONEY

SEATTLE'S NEW JEWEL

Twenty-two huge outdoor sculptures featured

Occupying a former desolate brownfield

in the Vancouver International Sculpture

bordering Seattle's Puget Sound waterfront

Biennale were sold on March 2 by Christie's.

and ringed by the city's skyline is the eight-acre

Raising almost $3 million, the eighteen-month

property now hosting the Olympic Sculpture

display included such notables as Dennis

Park, a lush, panoramic space for public

Oppenheim, Yoko Ono, and Vietnam sculp-

art designed by Weiss/Manfredi Architects.

tor Khang Pham-New. John Henry's Jaguar,

Founded by the Seattle Art M u s e u m , the park

a monumental red sculpture that became a

opened on January 20 and features twenty-

favorite among Vancouver residents, sold for

one sculptures by renowned artists, including

Si million, a record for an art sale in Vancouver.

Richard Serra and Alexander Calder. Pictured

Five works that did not sell will be offered to

above is Teresita Fernandez's Seattle Cloud

the city. The money raised will help support the

Cover, a glass bridge that incorporates images

next biennale, scheduled for 2009.

of Seattle's changing skies, as seen through saturated color photographs sandwiched between layers of glass. The bridge provides

MORE SCULPTURES FOR CSU

safe access over the railroad below and, on

Governors State University in University Park

colored light. The $85 million park and another

The Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park at

sunny days, the park's path is illuminated by

(thirty-five miles south of Chicago) celebrated

much-heralded project—an $86 million

a major expansion on October 22. Three new works were completed in 2006 by Christine Tarkowski, Tony Tasset, and Richard Rezac. They join an impressive collection featuring works by Mark di Suvero, Mary Miss, Bruce Nauman, Richard Hunt, and Martin Puryear, among others. The park was developed in 1978 by Lewis Manilow in honor of his father, one of Chicago's leading postwar housing developers. More information is available at http://webserve.govst.edu/sculpture.

expansion of the Seattle Art M u s e u m that is

CHICAGO HOSTS SCULPTURES

Two internationally renowned artists will be featured in temporary displays in Chicago beginning this spring. A year-long display of Mark di Suvero's large outdoor sculpture is planned for Chicago's Millennium Park. Di Suvero worked in the Chicago area in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The works to be installed include Orion, which di Suvero apparently has not yet completed, and Johnny Appleseed, which is coming from the Frederik

HOMELAND SECURITY EYES ART

Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan (www.millenniumpark.org).

A December 20, 2006, Chicago Tribune article

Coming to the Garfield Park Conservatory and

reported that a pair of security cameras—part

grounds May 4 through October 31 are more

of a $52 million Department of Homeland

than thirty fanciful, monumental outdoor

Security grant to Chicago—were mounted

sculptures by Niki de Saint Phalle. Entitled

atop the now-famous Jaume Plensa fountain

Niki in the Garden, the exhibition includes Saint

in Millennium Park. Due to "uneasiness over their aesthetic impact" and complaints posted on blogs, the city removed them within a few weeks. Another source of security in the park comes from highly visible private security guards, on foot and riding Segway scooters. The city says they plan to reevaluate their security plans and make adjustments as needed.

Phalle's enormous animals, mythical figures, totems, sports heroes, and, most famously, her Nanas—oversized,

often dancing, powerful

women celebrating life. S o m e of the pieces reach as high as eighteen feet and as long as twenty-five feet. More information is at www. cityofchicago.org/Tourism. [Photo by Kristin Alexander, © 2007 Niki Charitable Art Foundation.]

to open in M a y — a r e byproducts of a local explosion of wealth that has seeded major private collections and a growing passion for the arts. Bequeathed to the city by local collectors, including Bill Gates's mother, the works came with a $20 million conservation endowment. "It was an opportunity that presented itself, and we seized it," Ms. Gates said. Inspired by this achievement, the International Sculpture Center will host a three-day forum starting October 15, 2007, in Seattle, focusing on sculpture parks and gardens. Plans call for lectures, panels, tours, and special events. Details on the forum are at www.sculpture.org. To learn more about Olympic Sculpture Park and take a virtual tour of the art, visit www.seattleartmuseum.org/ visit/OSP. [Photo of Teresita Femdndez's Seattle Cloud Cover (with Alexander Calder's Eagle in the background), by ART on FILE/2007.]

NEWS

GLOBAL W A R N I N G

In January, the 175-ton Spaceship

Earth

mysteriously fell to pieces at Kennesaw State University in Atlanta. Finnish-born sculptor

Eino vows to rebuild the monumental globe,

topped by a bronze figure of Sierra Club leader

David Bower. The engraved phrase "our fragile

craft" was still visible amid the debris. The

cause of the stone sculpture's breakup is unknown. [Photo (before)

courtesy

at left (after collapse) Kennesaw

State

and

right

University.]

SKY'S THE LIMIT

Mandan, North Dakota artist Ric Sprynczynatyk

and crew are creating a roughly five-acre mural,

reportedly the biggest in the world, at a Venetian resort hotel in Macau, China. The mural, to be

completed in June 2007, will fill over 252,000 square feet of ceiling space throughout the

building with blue sky and scattered clouds.

Sprynczynatyk, 51, the project's lead painter, is

employed by Sky Art, a Denver-based ceiling

ART O N CAMPUS GOES WI-FI

The University Museums at Iowa State University in Ames recently unveiled their new Digital Art on Campus Project (DAOC), a study of how Web-based media content can enhance the physical landscape and the interpretation of public art. Representing an innovative departure from traditional signage, DAOC utilizes Wi-Fi to offer content that can be viewed over the Internet. To experience a virtual tour of fifteen pieces of the Art on Campus Collection, visit www.museums. iastate.edu. The project can be downloaded to iPods or other MP3 players. The release of DAOC coincided with the opening of the Christian Petersen Art Museum on March 22, 2007. Located in the newly renovated Morris Hall on central campus, the museum will be home to the Christian Petersen Art Collection, the Art on Campus Program, the Visual Literacy and Learning Program, and contemporary changing exhibitions.

mural company. The project requires him to

hold a paint can and spray gun above his head

for nine hours a day. The Sky Art crew is training Chinese artists to help complete the ceilingâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a

challenge with the language barrier. According to Sprynczynatyk, they have been filmed by National

Geographic

to chronicle "the cooper-

ation and the problems that arise during a project of this magnitude and bicultural extreme."

KING IN STONE

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Project

recently announced the commission of artist Lei Yixin to create the central feature of the

memorial: a twenty-eight-foot-tall carved granite Stone of Hope.

The overall project was designed

by San Francisco-based ROMA Design Group.

Yixin was brought to the memorial project as a result of his participation in Minnesota

Rocks!,

an international stone-carving symposium

produced by Public Art Saint Paul in 2006.

PUBLIC ART IN AISLE SIX The first Wal-Mart with a public art installation opened in February in Winston-Salem, N.C. The new store will be the first local "big box" store built since last year, when the WinstonSalem City Council passed an ordinance to reduce the visual and community impact of such retail outlets. In order to get around the ordinance, builders have a list of design requirements to choose from, one of which is public art. "We are very excited that this is the first in the United States, and that's appropriate for Winston-Salem, which is the city of the arts," said Milton Rhodes, president of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Arts Council. Sculptor Brad Spencer created two outdoor pieces of art: a brick sculpture (To Build a Community) and an arch ( D o m e of the Sky). "I had to think about the fact that the public that's going to be coming here is going to be repeatedly coming here," said Spencer. "So I tried to create two areas that people would feel comfortable in and want to come back to, and see new things, and just hang out, take a break, and look at sculpture."

MUENSTER SPOTLIGHTS SCULPTURE

Sculpture Projects Muenster 07 will take place June 17 through September 30, 2007, parallel to documenta in Kassel. The exhibition will present the works of thirty-five artists from all over the world, including Francis Alys, David Hammons, Mike Kelley, Bruce Nauman, Martha Rosier, Thomas Schiitte, and Silke Wagner. Curated by Kasper Konig, Brigitte Franz en, and Carina Plath, this year's program seeks to examine the character of contemporary sculpture, its self-positioning in as well as its capacity to change the appearance of public space. The artists will produce works that part with traditional monumentally and "subtly enter niches and chinks in the urban environment where they unfold their explosive force." Details at www.skulptur-projekte.de. See page 80 for information on the catalog.

Y O U N G AT ART

Getting youth involved in public art is a growing trend in New England. In Cambridge, Mass., the Arts Council has established the first Public Art Youth Council. Thirteen Cambridge high school students will be selected to design activities and events, and invite youth to discover and explore over 150 public artworks in the city's parks, pools, libraries, schools, bus stops, and other spaces considered teenagers' stomping grounds. The project is supported by the City of Cambridge and the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Details at www.cambridgeartscouncil.org/ public_education_PAYC.html.

NEWS VIETNAM'S M O N U M E N T S CHALLENGED

At the foot of the newly installed monument Ready to Die for the Motherland

Hanoi,

NOTES FROM THE BIG APPLE

On March l The New York Times reported that someone has been methodically defacing

vendor Nguyen Thi Thu sells tea and cigarettes.

dozens of pieces of street art in Brooklyn

But the heavy-handed social realism of most

in strategic locations were accompanied by

That's where everyone comes to take pictures.

and Manhattan. Large paint splatters applied

of the country's monuments falls flat in the

messages printed on paper pasted nearby

aesthetics department. Complaints from artists

condemning the "commodification of art."

and architects throughout Vietnam lament

One read "Destroy the museums, in the streets

the purpose of memorializing. At a seminar on

the perpetrator's identity.

May at the Fine Arts Institute, architect Ngo

Ironically, a few months earlier some of the world's best-known graffiti and street artists were invited to take over five entire floors— some 30,000 square feet—of the nineteenthcentury brick building at 11 Spring Street in Manhattan. The exterior had already become a showcase over the past two decades, but now that the building is slated to be converted to condominiums, the new owners, Caroline Cummings and Bill Elias, wanted to find a way to bid an appropriate farewell to its past. With the help of Marc and Sara Schiller, managers of the graffiti archive woostercollective.com, artists were invited to converge on New York, some of them traveling thousands of miles. Some were flown in and housed at the developer's expense. After two months of work by forty-five artists, the building was opened to the public on December 15 for three days.

that artistic principles are being sacrificed for outdoor statues and monuments held last

Huy Giao blamed sculptors, architects, and

relevant authorities for their lack of careful

planning in constructing artwork for outdoor public spaces. Sculptor Dao Chau Hai from

Hanoi Fine Arts College added that a shortage

of advanced curricula limits the training of sculpture students.

PUBLIC ART G R O W S O N L I N E

Artsjournal.com has launched a new blog

on public art and public space. Glenn Weiss, senior planner for the city of Coral Springs,

Florida, will post twice a week. PAR readers are invited to send story ideas and comments to

gw@glennweiss.com. Visit the blog online at

www.artsjournal.com/aestheticgrounds.

And if you're looking for more art online, dozens of photographers, both amateur and professional, post photos of their work on Flickr™ (www.flickr.com). Search the phrase "public art" to find images of sculptures, murals, and temporary installations.

and everywhere." At this time, no one knows

recent international E V E N T S From September 16 to November 25, 2006, the BUSAN BIENNALE in Seoul, Korea, featured the Sea Art Festival

under the title "Everywhere." Directed by

Byoung-Hak Ryu, an independent curator

based in Germany, the theme was Art in Life. Presenting 120 works from sixteen

countries, the festival presented street

furniture, observatory towers, crosswalks,

trash cans, and benches. www.busanbiennale.org From October 26, 2006, to January 8,

2007, the 2ND INTERNATIONAL

BIENNIAL OF C O N T E M P O R A R Y ART OF

SEVILLE (Spain) included public venues and installations. Under the theme of "The Unhomely," one of the exhibition venues was the Reales Atarazanas, an impressive shipbuilding structure dating to the midthirteenth century, as well as balconies, shop windows, and other urban spaces. Invited artists included Olivo Barbieri, James Casebere, David Hare, Tony Labat, Liz Larner, Fred Wilson, and many others.

www.fundacionbiacs.com

According to a February 16 Associated Press story, an estimated 30,000 New Yorkers are about to put personal stamps on the city's cabs by painting bold floral decals, destined to be plastered on taxis from September through December, marking the centennial of the city's metered vehicles for hire. The project—Garden in Transit (www.gardenintransit.org)—was organized by brothers Ed and Bernie Massey, founders of a Santa Monica art-therapy organization called Portraits of Hope. In total, the taxi decals will comprise 800,000 square feet (the size of seventeen football fields) and will be preprinted with outlines of oversized, six-petaled flowers. Children and adults will paint the decals at schools, hospitals, and the project's new studio in the one-time ballroom of the Hotel Pennsylvania.

N E W SITE, NEW LIFE FOR IRWIN PROJECT Gallery is reconstructing and reinstalling

Robert Irwin's Nine Spaces Nine Trees. Irwin will

personally assist with the project, scheduled

for completion this summer. The city of Seattle (which originally owned the work) has recently

torn down the building to which the work was

attached. The new site is adjacent to the Henry

Art Gallery on a lawn above a parking garage.

In its revised configuration, five of the planters

will be octagonal, with seats facing in, leaving four of the original planters for other spaces.

The trees will be Winter King hawthorns and the fence "scrim" will be deep purple. These are changes that reflect the artist's refined understanding of plant materials and his

after-the-fact desires for the original piece. [Photo

during

installation

by Kurt

Kiefer.]

NEW PUBLIC ART CURRICULUM IN LOWELL

The always innovative Revolving Art Museum in Lowell, Mass., has launched a series of

art education programs designed to provide

opportunities for youth. The programs include the Visionary School, a public art curriculum at the museum for high school freshmen;

Teen Arts Group (TAG), an after-school

Record numbers of visitors attended

the recent SCULPTURE O N THE G U L F exhibition on Waiheke Island, New

Zealand. The free, seventeen-day outdoor January 26 to February 11, 2007, featured

twenty-six larger-than-life, site-responsive

sculptures displayed amid the magnificent surroundings of the Hauraki Gulf. Over 21,500 visitors experienced this third

biennial exhibition, which is based on the

concept of art escaping the confines of the plinth and white walls of a gallery setting.

www.sculptureonthegulf.co.nz.

initiative involving the creation of public

art to foster civic leadership; and Artbotics, a collaboration with UMASS that teaches

computing, technology, robotics, and art, resulting in experimental floating kinetic

installations, robotic sculptures, and other magical artwork. Check out their Web site;

www.revolvingmuseum.org

S | —

89 j® S

From November 27, 2006, to February 10, 2007, the seven Canary Islands hosted the first ARCHITECTURE, ART & LANDSCAPE BIENNIAL OF THE CANARIES. Seventy "artistic actions" addressed the future of the islands, limits to sustainable growth, scarcity of natural resources, cultural diversity, and public space. The biennial included artists juan Carlos Batista, Regina Galindo, Alexis W., Alfredo Jaar, Attia ObraKader, and Javier T£llez. www.bienaldecanarias.org

public event, which took place from

The University ofWashington's Henry Art

Send your public art N E W S and RECENT PROJECTS to: info@publicARTreview.org

U.S. RECENT PROJECTS

Initiated in 2001, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's

METRO ART LIGHTBOX PROGRAM places

the work of photo-based artists in illuminated boxes at Metro train stations (along the Red

Line). The most recent additions to the series,

installed in 2006, include creations by artists Sam Erenberg, Colette Fu, Laura London,

and Peter Goin. Pictured above is Erenberg's The Complete

Works of Roland

Barthes,

which

consists of digitally-altered photographs of seven Los Angeles artists holding books by

Barthes. According to Erenberg, "The seven

artists I chose (from twenty-two in the series) represent a cross-section of the Los Angeles

art community, as well as the city at large." Fu's Photo

URBANFORESTPROJECT ORG

Binge is a collage of various binge

activities: eating, exercising, shopping. London's Couples,

Croups

and

Friends

comprises seven images depicting teenagers

tc<

in social environments, urban landscapes, and

dream settings. Goin's Narrative

Photograms

are designed to reflect the journeys, passages,

thresholds, and memories that define daily life (see page 58 for Goin's "Artist Page").

The program has drawn submissions from

hundreds of photo-based artists nationwide.

Liz Larner's sculpture 2001 was installed at the

Doris C. Freedman Plaza in New York City's

Central Park on November 29, 2006, and

Past displays have included work by Robbert

remained on display until May 1, 2007. The

Belle, and Andrew Z. Glickman. Images of

fiberglass, and automotive paint to create the

From August 17 to October 31, 2006, New

Yorkers could view DESIGN TIMES SQUARE:

Los Angeles-based artist used stainless steel,

THE URBAN FOREST PROJECT, a collection of

the installations are online at www.metro.net/

artwork, whose contour and color change with

and designers. The works, all inspired by trees,

[Photo

sculpture is twelve feet high, wide, and deep. It

Flick, Eileen Cowin, Paul Groh, Charles La

about_us/metroart/ma_photol ightboxes.htm. courtesy

Transportation

Los Angeles Authority.]

County

Metropolitan

light conditions and the viewer's angle. The

is based on the cube and the sphere, and was

designed with a computer animation program. [Photo

by Seong Kwon, courtesy

Public Art

Fund.]

banners by an international roster of 175 artists

were on display on street poles throughout

Times Square. The exhibit was organized by the AIGA NY Chapter, the Times Square Alliance, and Worldstudio Foundation. [Photo

courtesy

Times Square

Alliance.]

U.S. RECENT PROJECTS

The team of Artlumiere and Casa Magica created G R A N D C E N T R A L T E R M I N A L K A L E I D O S C O P E , which was on display in the station's main concourse from December 1, 2006, through January 1, 2007. Photographs of Grand Central and other well-known New York City landmarks were used as a template for designs that were projected onto the station's walls and accompanied by classical music. The seven-minute show was performed at the top and bottom of each hour from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day. [Photo by Friedrich Forster.]

Vail, Colorado is the world's first host city for Patrick Marold's T H E W I N D M I L L P R O J E C T , a sprawling sculpture that converts wind into light. Displayed March 20 through May 6, the $94,000 installation was sponsored by Vail's Art in Public Places program. Marold's traveling sculpture features 2,700 custom-made, tenfoot-tall windmills on a hillside designed to be viewed at night, when movements of the wind stir the columns to life, suggesting living bodies of light that move in dramatic waves T I M E / M O T I O N , by Laura Sindell, graces the entrance to the Federal Way Community Center in Federal Way, Washington. The eleven-foot-high by twenty-three-foot-wide mural consists of digital photographs on vitreous-enamel-on-glass panels fabricated by Franz Mayer of Munich. The images of the athlete were captured at night with multiple strobe lights and digitally reassembled by the

across the hillside. Plans are in the works to move the project to Sante Fe and Chicago. More at www.artinvail.com. [Photos by Peter Fredin.]

artist. [Photo courtesy the artist./ Philadelphia's Manayunk Canal Towpath is the site of Diane Pieri's M A N A Y U N K S T O O P S : H E A R T A N D H O M E â&#x20AC;&#x201D; n i n e mosaic "stoops" inspired by the area's flora, fauna, and industrial heritage. Made of Venetian glass tesserae on concrete forms with stainless steel edging, the stoops serve as seating areas at five sites along the canal. The work was commissioned by the Fairmount Park Art Association, in conjunction with the Manayunk Development Corporation. Learn more at www.fpaa.org. [Photos o/The Mill Stoop and The Children's Stoops ÂŠ 2006 by Wayne Cozzolino.]

U.S. RECENT PROJECTS

Michael Somoroffs ILLUMINATION I was on display from November 2006 through January 2007 outside The Rothko Chapel in Houston. The work is a sculptural translation of light falling through the ruins of an imaginary mosque. Somoroff" used photographs taken inside various mosques and digitally combined the light patterns to create this three-dimensional form. He states that the project presents "the radical idea that it is possible to extend the medium of photography from the figurative into the realm of sculpture." Constructed of fiberglass, pulverized marble, and cement, Illumination I is twenty feet high, thirty-seven feet wide, and twenty feet deepâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; large enough for viewers to venture inside and experience the artwork as a contemplative space. [Photo by Joe Aker.]

PERSISTENCE OF VISION, by Ralph Helmick and Stuart Schechter, was dedicated on February 9, 2007, at the Mecklenburg County Courthouse in Charlotte, N.C. This $480,000 kinetic sculpture consists of 3,200 two-anda-half-inch cast pewter heads sculpted in the likeness of actual Mecklenburg residents. Together the smaller heads are mechanically controlled to morph from a cloud-like shape into a large face, representative of the community as a whole. There are fourteen large faces (seven men and seven women) in the series, set to change on a weekly cycle. The work is powered by 1,600 motors, controlled by a customized software program. "What we try and do is harness the human impulse to coax meaning out of abstraction," says Helmick. See more of the team's work at www.handsart.net. [Photo by Ralph Helmick.]

Inspired by a memorable scene from an Orson Welles film, Dan Witz titled the second installment in his annual New Year's prank series THE THIRD MAN. Near the end of the film, a fugitive war profiteer, played by Welles, is being pursued by the police through Vienna's sewers. Trapped, he reaches his gloved hand through a sewer grate. Witz used real gloves, which he modified and installed in sewers around his Brooklyn neighborhood. The project marks a departure from the artist's usual trompe I ' o e i l graffiti (see cover of Public Art Review Issue 33). The Third Man series took less time for Witz to install, which reduced the risk of getting arrested. "Street artists have had to become ninjas, devious shape-shifting characters hiding in improbable places." More at www.danwitzstreetart.com. [Photo courtesy the artist.]

U.S. RECENT PROJECTS

Matthew Geller's AWASH, part of New York City's Department of Parks and Recreation Temporary Public Art Program, was on display through December 24, 2006, in Manhattan's Collect Pond Park. The installation was inspired by the sidewalk sheds that are a ubiquitous feature of the city's construction projects. Unlike an actual sidewalk shedâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;associated

with noise, disorder, and delaysâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Awash was designed to create a respite for passers-by. Up to eight people could sit on swinging benches beneath a clear roof onto which water cascaded. The project was made possible by the Foundation for Contemporary Arts and the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. [Photo courtesy the artist.]

During January and February 2007, Los Angeles-based video artist Doug Aitken projected SLEEPWALKERS onto the exterior of New York City's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Commissioned by MoMA and Creative Time, Sleepwalkers consisted of five thirteen-minute 35mm films, projected simultaneously on seven sides of the building. Each film followed the trajectory of a character: a bicycle messenger (played by Ryan Donohwho), an electrician (Seu Jorge), a postal worker (Chan Marshall), a businessman (Donald Sutherland), and an office worker (Tilda Swinton) making their way through nocturnal New York. The $1 million project explored Aitken's key recurring themes: broken and recombined narratives, the rhythm and flow of information and images, and the relationship

of individuals to their environment. Both inspired by, and offered in opposition to, the densely built midtown environment, the project integrated itself onto the surfaces on which it was projected, and it challenged viewers' perceptions of architecture and public space. "The piece is an experiment in making architecture fluid," said Aitken, "where information and meaning run across facades like a river." Pedestrians participated involuntarily, becoming part of the work and of Aitken's personal landscape. Creative Time created a companion publication with an overview of the artist's work to date (see page 78). To view video clips, interviews and more, check out www.moma.org/aitken and www. creativetime.org/aitken. [Photo by Fred Charles. Natalie Kovacs assisted with this piece.]

From October 15 to November 15, 2006, the BIG RED T H I N G project invited the public to contribute photographs of Alexander Calder's La Grand Vitesse, which was installed in 1969 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The images are archived at www.BigRedThing.org, a Web site created by University ofWisconsin graduate student J.G. Mikulay and Grand Valley State University art professor Paul Wittenbraker, whose students in the Civic Studio course provided assistance. According to Wittenbraker, the project "aims to document a range of experiences with the Calder, from 1969 to the present." The project's title was inspired by a common nickname for Calder's sculpture, which is a popular site for festivals, performances, and ceremonies. [From the top: Photos by William H. Hill, J.G. Mikulay, and Tami Coyne.]

INTERNATIONAL RECENT PROJECTS Last November, Media artists Holger Mader

and Alexander Stublic, along with architect Heike Wiermann, created REPROJECTED,

a site-specific light project in Munich. The

work was created for the new Seven Screens

installation, designed by Osram (www.osram.

com) for presenting light-based artworks in

public space. Seven double-sided masts stand

six-meters high on the green space in front of Osram's headquarters. Each stele is covered in 55,296 high-intensity LED lights capable

of projecting static or moving images. In reprojected,

light appears to strike the seven

steles from an external spotlight. Computer-

generated figures appear in front of this virtual light, reproduced as silhouettes, which move

across the screens and disappear into the

surrounding darkness. According to the artists,

the work "transfers and reworks the actual

spatial situation of the piece's site. In contrast

to common filmic language, reprojected

takes

a distanced point of view, which exclusively

focuses on the shadows of computer-simulated people. They attain visibility only by means of

a light source, which is moving in virtual space between and across the steles." See more of

the team's work at www.webblick.de. The site's curator is Diana Ebster. Twice a year, selected artists will be invited to develop new work

specifically for the Seven Screens installation. [Photo

REVOLUTION, that ran from September 2006

through March 2007 and spanned five South Essex districts. Five artistsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Lucy Harrison,

Andrea Mason, Milika Muritu, Hayley Newman, and Jane Wilbrahamâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;created work designed

to invigorate neglected open spaces. The

project was initiated by the Thames Gateway

South Essex Partnership, funded by the East of

Mader/Stublic/Wiermann.]

In the summer of 2005, the artist team

Renegade artists Bob &. Roberta Smith curated

an exhibition, ART U NEED: AN OUTDOOR

courtesy

Steinbrenner/Dempf "delettered" a street in

TOUCH, an interactive installation by the

Vienna's Neubaugasse. DELETE! involved

ran from December 26, 2006, through January

and logos for a period of two weeks. All written

Belgian digital design and art group LAb[au],

15, 2007, at Eexia Tower in Brussels. The

covering advertising signs, company names,

signals, except those necessary for road safety,

project involved lighting some 4,200 windows

were covered with yellow foil. Delete!

viewers on a touch screen. Once a composition

shapes the aesthetic experience of public

in the tower, using configurations created by

was created, it could be sent as an electronic

raised

awareness of the extent to which advertising space. According to the artists, the interest

postcard and/or uploaded to a Web site.

of businesses and shop owners, who by their

England, East, and managed by visual art

snapshots were taken, 1,451 e-cards were sent,

was surprisingly strong. More on this project

[Photo

England Development Agency and Arts Council

agency Commissions East. by Martin

Figura.]

During the course of the installation, 1,459

and 32,011 visits to the Web site were recorded. courtesy

the

artists.]

participation became actors in the art project,

and others at www.steinbrener-dempf.com. courtesy

the

artists.]

INTERNATIONAL RECENT PROJECTS

Chicago artist Conrad Bakker created UNTITLED PROJECT MARKET [GENEVA] for the Planipalais Flea Market in Geneva on November 29, 2006. The artwork consisted of a carved and painted vending table used to sell carved and painted luxury watches and theoretical texts. The project was intended to reference the Geneva-based Rolex Corporation and the common practice of selling luxury watch replicas on the street, as well as particular facets of Geneva's history, epitomized by carved and painted versions of Max Weber's The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, Karl Marx's Capital, and Henri LeFebvres's The Production of Space. Objects were priced at twenty Swiss francs each, and several were sold. Following the flea market performance, the table and remaining objects were moved to Galerien Analix Forever, where it was part of the exhibition Project Placement. [Photos courtesy the artist.]

From April through December 2006, the group Mega 5 staged a series of exhibitions, 8 POSITIONS O N 8M2, in Vienna's Brunnenmarkt, the largest daily market in Europe. Originally planned for eight locations, the project ended up encompassing six "positions." Ten artists created a series of interactive artworks designed to use the various features of a mobile market stand. [Photo courtesy the artists.]

British artist Matt Baker created S H I N G L E H O O K , a permanent installation at St. Mary's Loch in the Scottish Borders, U.K. On the south shore of the loch is an area called the Gravel Spit, where gravel is slowly deposited by the river (Megget Water) flowing into the loch. Eventually, these deposits will create an alluvial bridge bisecting the loch. The artwork consists of several parts. Plaques sited along the walk to the spit are inscribed with words describing natural forces that have shaped the landscape. Four cast bronze "floats," attached by cable in the loch and anchored by timber anchors on the shore, point from the Gravel Spit across to Megget Water. Baker conceived Shinglehook as more of a place than an object: a place to "wait for geology." It is estimated that the completion of the alluvial bridge across St. Mary's Loch will take another 10,000 years. [Photos by Allan Devlin.]

As part of the September 23, 2006, Noche en Blanco festival in Madrid, Daniel Canogar projected images of larger-than-life bodies ascending the Puerta de AlcalS, perhaps Madrid's most emblematic monument. Canogar described CLANDESTINOS as an evocation of the storming of the Bastille, or an escape to higher ground. He said it also referenced the period in the late eighteenth century when Puerta was a functioning gate, sealed at night to protect the sleeping city from undesirables. Clandestinos, then, served as "an homage to individuals who are shut out and only become citizens after surmounting great obstacles." [Photo courtesy the artist.]

PUBLIC PRACTICE A\

/A\

new!

O n e enrolling s t u d e n t w i l l receive a $ 2 0 , 0 0 0 " B o a r d of G o v e r n o r s " tuition f e l l o w s h i p ( r e n e w a b l e for o n e additional year)! O t h e r financial aid is available to qualified s t u d e n t s .

Otis' n e w M F A program in

Public Practice offers opportunities for close study with internationally known artists and theorists, field internships with professional artists, and teaching assistantships in the College's innovative Integrated Learning curriculum. Led by Suzanne Lacy, the renowned artist, educator, theorist of socially engaged public art, and author of the influential Mapping

the

Terrain: New Genre Public Art, the program exploits L.A.'s unique position at the center of an emerging, creative world culture.

Contact: Otis Admissions

310 665 6800, 800 527 OTIS (6847)

or a d m i s s i o n s @ o t i s . e d u

jm|| M

Fine Arts 310 6 6 5 6 9 3 8 W 3

www.otis.edu/gspp

Otis College of Art and Design 9 0 4 5 Lincoln B o u l e v a r d Los A n g e l e s , C A 9 0 0 4 5

SPHEROID 20'H X 1 6 ' W X 1 8'D 6 1 0 Clematis W e s t P a l m B e a c h , FL

The National Academy Fellowship Competition

FLAME 42'H x 7 ' W X 7'D The R e g e n t Arlington. VA

www.RAYKING.nu

LIGHT W I N G S 19'H > 3 5 ' W • 13 D Weill Greenberg Center New York. NY

National Academy Museum

Advanced Studies in Public Art July 9 - A u g u s t 3, 2007

3L-

APPLICATION DEADLINE: MAY 1, 2007 For information and an application, email: khartwyk@nationalacademy.org SPONSORED BY THE

Edwin Austin Abbey Memorial Fund for Mural Painting in America

1083 Fifth Ave, NY, NY 10128 • 212 369 4880 • www.nationalacademy.org TIMES SQUARE MURAL © ESTATE OF ROY UCHTENSTEIN, DESIGNED 1990. FABRICATED 1994. INSTALLED 2002. TIMES SQUARE-42N0 STREET. A, C. E. N, 0- R. S. W, 1. 2. 3, 7 LINES. COMMISSIONED AND OWNED BY METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY ARTS FOR TRANSIT. PHOTO: ROB WILSON.

PUBLIC SPACES \ WOULDN'T BE \ * THE SAME x WITHOUT ART

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I The death of photojournalist foe Rosenthal in 2006 prompted attention to his enduring image of Marines planting a flag atop Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima in February 1945. This image has been transformed into multiple statues, in Washington, D.C., and elsewhere, to celebrate patriotism and heroic valor in combat. What, then, will become of the firemen in Lori Grinker's image, flying Old Glory amidst the wreckage of the World Trade Center in September 2001? Will their photographed heroism gain three-dimensional immortality as a public artwork? - George Slade

sf I

1 t I% ! 1

Valarie Maynard: Proposed " O r n a m e n t a l Gates 1 Baltimore, M D Cheryl Foster: " E m e r y , You Light U p My L i f e " E m e r y Recreation Center Washington, D . C . 2006 Acrylic action figures ( 2 4 " x 6 0 ' ) and etched portrait c o l u m n s ( 1 6 " x 10') edge lit with multi-color c h a n g i n g L E D lighting. Original c o m m i s s i o n by the D . C . C o m m i s s i o n on the Arts and H u m a n i t i e s and the District o f C o l u m b i a D e p a r t m e n t o f Parks and R e c r e a t i o n .

J a n e t Z w e i g and Edward del Rosario: Details from " C a r r y i n g O i l " 2004 1200* frieze o f 194 stainless steel figures, with marble and slate accessories, for the Prince Street subway station, N e w York City. E a c h figure is approximately 9 inches high. C o m m i s s i o n e d by the Metropolitan Transit Authority.

surbeck waterjet company, LLC Ray King: "Northern Cascade" | Brookdale Regional Library in Minneapolis, M N 2005 »

21'h x 12'\v x 12'd suspended sculpture c o n s i s t i n g o f hundreds o f d i c h r o i c glass discs strung on cables and woven into a complex cross weave o f three d o m e s

E and suspended from the lobby's rotunda. S t o m u Miyazaki " A Tapestry o f N e w R o c h e l l e " >

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—

N e w R o c h e l l e Transit C e n t e r , N Y 2006 4 ' x 10' x 1 / 8 " stainless steel panels C o m m i s s i o n e d and o w n e d by t h e City o f N e w R o c h e l l e . Photograph: Greg Morris

j[ Mel B o c h n e r and Michael \an Valkenburgh: j " T h e Kraus C a m p o " ^

2005 f 12" x 12" Porcelain T i l e ^ ^ Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA ^ * Photograph: T i m Kaulen and Annie O ' N e i l l