Public Art

Public Art Thrives in Hard Times in Manhattan

A public art park has sprung up on a corner in Manhattan on loan from a local developer waiting to build on the land.

September 18, 2009 - The New York Times

Art and Public Space Highlighted By New St. Louis Park

This post from The Architect's Newspaper looks at the park that just opened in St. Louis, and finds it effective at emphasizing the public art and public space that exist in the city -- even beyond the park's edges.

July 20, 2009 - The Architect's Newspaper

A Musical Experiment in Public Space

This piece looks at a public art project that placed 30 pianos in public places throughout London in an effort to encourage more public interaction.

July 13, 2009 - The New York Times

Nature Noises In NY Subway

The 96th Street Station of the New York Subway is a bustling, noisy place. Artists and MTA staff are hoping a sound installation of nature sounds will calm the urban scene.

July 6, 2009 - The New York Times

Rusting Robot Sleeps in Alabama

A public art piece at the University of Alabama represents the end of the iron industry in the surrounding region, portrayed a as a sleeping, rusted robot.

June 24, 2009 - University of Alabama

Suburban Home Comes to Venice

American artist Mike Bouchet constructed a full-sized replica of a standard American suburban home to float outside the Venice Biennale art exhibition. Instead, the house sank, suggesting new meanings for the artwork.

June 9, 2009 - AFP

More Nature in the City? Maybe, Via Public Art

San Francisco, Houston, and Indianapolis are featuring public art installations that mimic and highlight nature in urban areas.

May 16, 2009 - Next American City

Drive-By Art

Art 'on the scale of architecture' is cropping up in Los Angeles, enticing passing drivers out of their cars and onto the street. Chris Burden's 'Urban Light' installation at LACMA is a notable example.

May 5, 2009 - The New York Times

Parking As Art

A new parking garage opening in Ft. Worth is actually a full-scale public art project by artist/architect Christopher Janney. Janney's design includes a soundscape of Ft. Worth music and native animal sounds.

April 6, 2009 - Fort Worth Business Press

Burnham Memorial Planned, But Designs Are Secret

A memorial to famed planner Daniel Burnham will be built on the lakefront in Chicago, and three finalists were recently chosen to design it. The designs haven't been made public yet, to the frustration of some locals.

April 6, 2009 - Chicago Tribune

Art to Bring New York Plaza Back to the Public

In an effort to reclaim a public plaza at the foot of the Manhattan Bridge that was demolished in the 1960s by Robert Moses, artist Brian Tolle is reconstructing the statues that once adorned the plaza.

March 14, 2009 - Bloomberg

Art vs. Nature in the Rockies

Environmental artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, famous for the orange 'Gates' project in Central Park, are planning to run a 5.9 mile silver cloth over a whitewater river in Colorado. Environmentalists aren't happy about it.

March 13, 2009 - ASLA's The Dirt blog

Celebrating Public Art in Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh's public art program has resulted in a number of new, contemporary works in public spaces, ranging from a futuristic mural called 'Yesterday's Tomorrow' to a giant, seated rabbit.

March 12, 2009 - Pop City Magazine

Camouflaging Infrastructure

Artist Joshua Callaghan paints over utility boxes in his community to make them disappear into their surroundings.

February 2, 2009 - Joshua Callaghan

The White House, Reimagined

A recent exhibit invited artists to redesign the White House for the 21st century. Artists suggested painting it black, making it fly, and levitating the building. Many suggested making it literally transparent.

January 20, 2009 - The New York Times

Cities See The Light

Through festivals, lighting master plans, and creative integrations of artistic interpretations, cities across the world are harnessing the power of light to reinvigorate neglected areas and renew public interest.

January 12, 2009 - The Christian Science Monitor

Friday Funny: The Citywide Crossword Puzzle

A giant crossword puzzle has been painted on the side of a 100-foot tall building in Lvov, Ukraine. Clues to the puzzle are planted throughout the city, and the puzzle's answers are revealed at nighttime with the use of special lights.

January 9, 2009 - English Russia

Art Invades New Delhi, Comments On Changing City

Public art installations around New Delhi highlights the challenges of preserving India's heritage amidst development. 'We ask people to think about constructing a modern city and the accompanying extinction and loss,' says artist Ravi Agrawal.

January 5, 2009 - Washington Post

Public Art in 'The Big Potato'

Boise, Idaho and other cities in the region have adopted "percent for the arts" initiatives, and are looking to public art to reflect the region's 'maturity.'

January 2, 2009 - The Idaho Statesman

Concrete Poems

St. Paul, Minnesota's artist-in-residence has instituted a program where poems are imprinted into sidewalks throughout the city.

November 24, 2008 - The Christian Science Monitor

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.

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