Synopses & Reviews
Literary Nonfiction. Art History, Theory and Criticism. "In this wonderfully bold and speculative anthology of writings, artists and critics offer a highly persuasive set of argument and pleas for imaginative, socially responsible, and socially responsive public art.... This book will prove as valuable to art and cultural historians and critics as it will be to public policy makers, students and a diverse public audience"—Moira Roth, Mills College. "Energized by ideas and experiences in performance art, community art, installation, social history, and urban planning, artists are creating and invigorating new public art that imbues daily life with meaning and significance"—Richard Andrews, University of Washington.
Synopsis
In original essays, well-known critics and artists -- among them Lucy Lippard, Arlene Raven, Suzi Gablik, and Guillermo Gomez-Pena -- explore what happens when artists directly engage and address "real-world" audiences in various public sites and use public art as an instrument of public change. Included is a valuable illustrated compendium of ninety pioneering artists who, for nearly twenty years, have been perfecting an artistic aesthetic based not on similarities of medium but on shared methods, purpose, and intent.