In the twentieth century, public sculpture has changed almost beyond recognition. Works inspired by classical and Renaissance traditions - imposing equestrian monuments and triumphal arches - have been replaced by works such as Claes Oldenburg's Clothespin and Christo's Running Fence. This break from tradition has led to radically different approaches to public sculpture - but not without bitter controversy within both the art community and the general public. Contemporary Public Sculpture offers the first comprehensive look at this highly diverse and often controversial branch of modern art. Beginning with the revival of public sculpture in the 1960s, with the work of Picasso, Calder, Moore, Nevelson, and others, Senie traces the developments that defined a new civic art: one which substituted the artist's fame for public content and sparked debates about cost, the role of government, and the place of public art in a democratic society. She shows how the growing irrelevance of traditional memorials resulted in a new approach to the genre defined by Maya Lin's Vietnam Veteran's Memorial, which set out to "heal a nation" rather than glorify a military event by honoring victims rather than heroes; and how dissatisfaction with modern "glass box" architecture and its surrounding barren urban spaces led architectural firms like Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill to use art to enliven both. Senie discusses how the earthworks of Robert Smithson and others inspired public sculpture that brought various landscape elements into urban sites; and she explores works by George Sugarman and Scott Burton that combine sculpture and furniture, changing the very idea of public art by creating a stage for publiclife. Finally, she examines the controversies that arise when citizens (including the press and politicians) confront publicly funded work - such as Joel Shapiro's "Headless Gumby" or Serra's Tilted Arc - that defies their sense of what public sculpture should be. Illustrated with over one hundred halftones, this overview of contemporary public sculpture provides a clear understanding of why it is there, why it looks the way it does, and what is really at stake in the continuing public art controversy.

The Everyday Practice of Public Art: Art, Space, and Social Inclusion is a multidisciplinary anthology of analyses exploring the expansion of contemporary public art issues beyond the built environment. It follows the highly successful publication The Practice of Public Art (eds. Cartiere and Willis), and expands the analysis of the field with a broad perspective which includes practicing artists, curators, activists, writers and educators from North America, Europe and Australia, who offer divergent perspectives on the many facets of the public art process. The collection examines the continual evolution of public art, moving beyond monuments and memorials to examine more fully the development of socially-engaged public art practice. Topics include constructing new models for developing and commissioning temporary and performance-based public artworks; understanding the challenges of a socially-engaged public art practice vs. social programming and policymaking; the social inclusiveness of public art; the radical developments in public art and social practice pedagogy; and unravelling the relationships between public artists and the communities they serve. The Everyday Practice of Public Art offers a diverse perspective on the increasingly complex nature of artistic practice in the public realm in the twenty-first century.

"Can a sculpture be a river? Can contemporary art unite conflicting systems of belief? Do other species appreciate culture? And can public art revive communities and ecosystems? Cristina Iglesias' horizontal fountains, submerged rooms and tropical mazes bring together language, architecture and botany to create immersive spaces of contemplation. In this publication an international roster of curators, art critics, philosophers, architects and scientists discuss the social and ecological potential of art in urban and rural space. Spanish artist CRISTINA IGLESIAS (*1956) creates profound spaces of the imagination. Renowned for her sculptures woven, cast or constructed from metal, wood and alabaster, Iglesias also creates outdoor structures and installations using water. Her work can be found in inner cities or remote islands, as a site of pilgrimage for humans or as a habitat for animals."--Page 4 de la couverture

Examining the changing attitudes toward the city as the site for public art.

This exciting new collection of essays by practicing artists, curators, activists, art writers, administrators, city planners, and educators offers divergent perspectives on the numerous facets of the public art process. The volume also includes a useful graphic timeline of public art history.

In this groundbreaking anthology, twenty-two artists, architects, historians, critics, curators, and philosophers explore the role of public art in creating a national identity, contending that each work can only be understood by analyzing the context in which it is commissioned, built, and received. They emphasize the historical continuum between traditional works such as Mount Rushmore, the Washington Monument, and the New York Public Library lions, in addition to contemporary memorials such as the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Names Project AIDS Quilt. They discuss the influence of patronage on form and content, isolate the factors that precipitate controversy, and show how public art overtly and covertly conveys civic values and national culture. Complete with an updated introduction, Critical Issues in Public Art shows how monuments, murals, memorials, and sculptures in public places are complex cultural achievements that must speak to increasingly diverse groups.

Sculpture parks and gardens, whether woodland sanctuaries or urban retreats, sprawling sites or intimate oases, offer sculpture lovers and artists alike unique ways to experience the outdoors, sculpture, and the intersections between nature and culture. Since the mid-20th century, these venues have become important tourist destinations and essential aspects of public life in cities such as Chicago, Minneapolis, and Seattle and regions such as Yorkshire in England and the Hudson Highlands in New York. Landscapes for Art: Contemporary Sculpture Parks surveys a wide range of sculpture parks and gardens that focus on contemporary art--from well-established, museum-type institutions to small-scale, non-collecting, experimental programs. The book includes profiles of sculpture parks in the U.S., U.K., Japan, Australia, Lithuania, China, Italy, Canada, the Netherlands, Belgium, India, Latvia, Sweden, and Finland (among others). There are articles on key topics by art critics, landscape architects, and sculpture park professionals and interviews with Isamu Noguchi, Martin Friedman, and Alfio Bonanno.