Home is Where the Art Is
Sorry about the lack of blogs in the past two months.
Anyway, I just wanted to say a little about public art. I only realized that public art it was such a huge facet of the art world recently. I was meeting with Arthouse, a really cool visual arts organization in Austin, and we were discussing liability insurance. They told me there was a huge need in the public art arena for low-cost liability insurance for artists commissioned to do public artworks. Hmm… interesting. So, I started to compile more information. And I started to think about all of the public artworks I’ve come into contact with. I thought back to the days I lived in D.C. and went to American University. They had these two huge public art displays that wound up on our campus in one way or another. I don’t remember which came first, but we had scores of life-sized sculptures of pandas across D.C. in honor of the pandas at the National Zoo followed by (or preceded by) similarly-sized (though definitely not life-sized) sculptures of donkeys and elephants (I guess most D.C. art has to have a political bent). These sculptures were a lot of fun… especially when you had one two many margaritas and chose to ride the donkeys (I, of course, abstained from such activities!).
So, okay, I get it…. public art… statues around town. Right? Sure. But, there’s so much more.
If you live in New York, you already know about all of the artwork that decorates our subway stations. We even have “talking” subway grates (public art using soundscapes)! If you live in Chicago, you have the most incredible public art in Millennium Park — between the Cloud Gate sculpture and this huge video/water/architectural display adjacent to it.
Basically, every major city commissions public art. But, some of the time, you might not even realize it’s art! Take a gander at this article that was on the cover of the Wall Street Journal on 10/1/07, about a public artwork that resembled grasslands located outside of Yahoo’s compound in California. Unfortunately, Yahoo decided to mow the very lawn that was the artwork, but it still proves to be a very interesting article about public art in general. And, as it’s dealing with contracts and lawsuits, it gives me a good segue to point you in the direction of Fractured Atlas’ new Public Art Insurance program. Thanks to Arthouse, as well as some city Percent for Art organizations, we’ve devised this program exclusively for Fractured Atlas member artists. The most exciting thing about it is that it’s the first program of its kind (that we know about). It is completely artist-friendly in terms of understanding what you’re applying for and what you’re getting and the rates are extraordinarily low. It’s one of our newest programs and I’m quite proud of it.
So, for all of you artists who already participate in the public art world, I can’t wait to work with you. And, to all of those who think they have never seen a public artwork before, just look down your street or around the corner. I promise you, there’s something there…. and hopefully, somehow, it’s improving your day without you even knowing it.
(And, as a side note, I want to congratulate public artists and Fractured Atlas members Mark & Diane Weisbeck, who are only two of only 8 American finalists to be selected to add their public artworks to those that will be displayed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.)
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