New Genre Public Art and Social Policies

Paper Summary:

This paper reviews and discusses a new genre public art, which developed as a result of artists becoming interested in addressing social issues and changes through their artistic endeavors. According to the paper, the evolution of art began in the 1950s. The paper concludes by discussing how new genre public art has come to encompass various social issues over the years including racism, violence against women, AIDS and environmental damage.

From the Paper:

"Starting in 1974, the NEA began encouraging artists to develop artwork that was representative of the physical site on which it stood. This led to artists' differentiation between "public art" and "art in public places". "Public art" referred to sculptures occupying a public space that glorified one version of national history adhered to by members of the socially dominant group in society. The "cannon in the park" phenomena is an example of such art, in which America's military might and glory celebrated by its privileged members of society was put on artistic display in public spaces such as parks, plazas, shopping malls, and so on. In contrast to this, "art in public places" referred to artwork that sought to bring attention to the physical, visual, historical, and social properties of a particular site. This type of public art led to its burgeoning use in the seventies towards promoting social and historical concerns of groups traditionally under-represented in the art world, such as women and minorities."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Lacy, Suzanne. Nov. 1994. Mapping the Terrain: New Genre Public Art. Seattle: Bay Press

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