The other day, half a million plastic balls bounced down the Spanish Steps, one of Rome's most visited and historic public places. Many visitors, picture-takers and members of the media were caused to wonder 'what's up with all these balls?'
Public Art
Make Public Art Public
Pubilc art should be guided by public input, according to this commentary.
The Guardian
Street Signs And Traffic Islands As Art?
A Los Angeles activist and artist has taken to placing street signs mimicking the city's no parking signs on traffic islands, declaring them parks.
The Los Angeles Times
The New Graffiti
Using laser technology, two artists have created a new type of "temporary graffiti" -- light shows that use public places as canvasses for their laser art.
Time
The Fiscal Power of Public Art
The upcoming public art project by artist Olafur Eliasson that will place free-standing waterfalls in the waters around New York City highlights the power public art has to generate economic development and revenue for cities.
The Christian Science Monitor
Is a Bronze Fonz Public Art? Aaaaay!
A proposed public art piece featuring a bronze statue of the "Happy Days" character Arthur "the Fonz" Fonzarelli has many up in arms about the process creating and approving public art.
The Next American City
Public Art Succeeds in Inspiring Consideration of Public Spaces
A public art exhibit in a Baltimore park has elicited complaints and compliments from various voices in the city. But like it or not, the art is good for the city's consideration of and connection to its public spaces, according to this editorial.
The Baltimore Sun
Public Pianos Beckon Musicians in Suburban England
Pianos have popped up in random public places in Birmingham, England -- a public art installation that passively invites passersby to take a seat and tickle the ivory.
The Guardian
Public Art Prompts Protests as Phoenix Faces Tight Budget
Phoenix's public art program is widely touted as one of the best in the country. But a proposed floating sculpture has elicited criticism from an otherwise uninvolved public, mainly due to the fact that the city is facing a large budget deficit.
The Arizona Republic
Public Buildings with a Side of Art
Included in the budget of any new county building in Los Angeles County is a 1% line item for the creation of public art -- part of a public art program initiated in 2004. The first building to utilize this line item has just been completed.
The Los Angeles Times
L.A. Erasing Murals
Murals are under fire in Los Angeles, as city officials are painting over what they see as "illegal signs".
Which Way, L.A.?
Art, Access, and History on Seattle's Waterfront
Thu, 08/30/2007 - 18:39
Last month, the Mayors’ Institute on City Design hosted a regional session in partnership with the University of Washington, and we were fortunate that the session’s organizers were able to secure meeting space in the entry pavilion to the Seattle Art Museum’s Olympic Sculpture Park.
Car Kabob Kibosh
Thu, 07/12/2007 - 15:00
In the Chicago suburb of Berwyn, Illinois, an iconic piece of public art featuring a 40-foot spear stabbing through a pileup of eight cars will soon be replaced with a Walgreens pharmacy.
