PUBLIC ART & THE QUESTION OF PRACTICALITY
CONTRIBUTING WRITER: Molly Thomas, Cultural + Community Affairs Director, City of Cape Canaveral
When you think of public art programs, big cities like Philadelphia and San Francisco come to mind – with generations of sculptures and statues of nameless community benefactors, murals dating back to the Works Progress Administration and impromptu amazing street installations that pepper your social media feed.
Your left brain admires the ingenuity and wonders at the scale, but your right brain questions its value, its practicality… What purpose does public art serve? Art is subjective and thus, public art, its functions and its abilities follow suit. But there are a few general observations that are difficult to refute when it comes to the capacity of public art… it brings people together and provides for a sense of place.
Collaboration /kəˌlabəˈrāSH(ə)n/
noun
The action of working with someone to produce or create something
Public art happens in the public sphere. Like other forms of art it is a thought, but in a public space it becomes a statement made out loud. Like words spoken in a room full of people, it invites a response, which becomes dialogue and a means of open engagement. It inspires conversations about perception, perspective and memory. An artist working in a public space not only brings their own ideas into the piece, but the ideas and concepts brought to them in the process of creating it, those too become a part of the overall composition. Public art brings people and ideas together as a means of creating something larger than itself and contributing to a collective or community identity. It can both express and inspire a sense of pride that members of a community share in regards to a particular event, achievement or set of values. Public art cannot, by its very definition, exist in a vacuum. It’s accessible and it’s inspiring – one way or another – and for all that have the opportunity to experience a work of public art, that is in itself a shared and collaborative experience.
Placemaking /plāsmākiNG/
noun
A partnership between public, private, non-profit and community sectors that strategically shapes the physical and social character of a neighborhood, town, city, or region around arts and cultural activities to improve livability and economic outcomes for all stakeholders.
Public art does not define a community, a community defines public art which contributes to an overall sense of place. When you consider the weight of this statement, the easiest and biggest examples are the Eiffel Tower or the Gateway Arch. How is it now, decades after their construction, that people see an image of one of those monuments and say “That’s St. Louis!” or “That’s Paris!”? While today those works help us define or identify those cities, at the time of their construction, it was the character and values of these individual communities that informed the creation of their monuments. Both revered as engineering marvels of their day, they encapsulated the heritage and aspirations of their respective communities, and arguably their countries as a whole. The Eiffel Tower was built at the end of the 19th century – it commemorated the centennial of the French Revolution and highlighted the nation’s innovative and growing industrial market. The Gateway Arch was completed in 1965 and reflects on St. Louis’ legacy as the ‘gateway to the West’ – the proverbial ‘last stop’ for settlers embarking into the uncharted Western territories. Despite the fact that it was originally conceived in the 1930s, it exemplifies the standard of mid-century modern design and the futuristic, progressive outlook that permeated American culture in the 1960s. These icons continue to represent the places they serve and as a by-product, do their part in encouraging economic activity in those communities. Both monuments have evolved into spaces for recreational and civic engagement with visitor attractions, storefronts and greenspace. While these are very large and notable examples, the underlying idea is that when a place makes the art, that art then has the capacity to make or improve that place.
So what do both of these concepts have in common?
Progress /ˈpräɡres/ or /prəˈɡres/
noun
Forward or onward movement toward a destination
verb
Move forward or onward in space or time.
While some would argue this to be a vague, Utopian perspective, even the most practical realist cannot deny that a strategic investment in public art presents an opportunity for growth. Whether it be a mural that beautifies a blighted corner of town or a sculpture that becomes a tourist attraction, collaboration and placemaking serve as means to move a community forward culturally, developmentally and economically. It is not a cure-all, and nor will it change anything overnight. When cultivated properly, valued and maintained, public art can be a monumental investment in a community’s future.
While undoubtedly a far cry from metropolises like Paris or St. Louis, Cape Canaveral is a relatively young city, incorporated in 1963 on the same mid-century modern wave that inspired the Gateway Arch. Despite our youth as a community, the City has a remarkable heritage and unequivocable character that has given rise to its own Civic Scenery program. This summer saw the installation of three new murals located at Canaveral City Park. South Florida muralist Ivan Roque envisioned three of the City’s taglines as vibrant, high energy images that now grace the formerly benign ball field buildings. What once blended in now stands out proudly, showcasing our community’s unique position as The Space Between® – Sun + Sea®, Oceanside + Riverside®, and Waves + Wonder®.
