Artistic Expressions

This Month's Poll - Is Public Sculpture Too Tame?

A couple months ago, the New York Times ran an article by Ken Johnson about how the focus of public sculpture in New York City has changed.  In the article, Johnson asserts that, "Outdoor art isn’t what it used to be. Once it honored heroic individuals and upheld values that whole populations could embrace. Today, excepting memorials like the Vietnam veterans wall, outdoor art serves rather to divert, amuse and comfort."

Johnson goes on to compare some of NYC's classical figurative sculptures with the newer, quirkier public pieces that are more popular today, such as Tom Sach's Hello Kitty figure in the Lever House plaza.  Johnson says that contemporary outdoor art offers "unobjectionable, mildly decorative or entertaining and relatively empty experiences."

But I think some would argue the opposite.  To me, contemporary public sculpture seems to be more provocative than the statues of heroic individuals that Johnson refers to.  Rather than serving to "divert, amuse and comfort," I think most contemporary public sculpture seeks to engage viewers to think about the art and form an opinion. 

But what do you think?  Has public sculpture gotten too "well behaved"?  Weigh in by taking our poll and clicking "Comment" below.

Photo:  DANCERS by Jonathan Borofsky.  Photo courtesy of the City and County of Denver.

Is Nudity Acceptable in Public Sculpture?

Recently, a sculpture called JOURNEY TO THE NEW by Itzik Asher has been making waves in Delray  Beach, Florida.  The abstract figurative sculpture depicts three nude figures, and represents Jewish refugees fleeing persecution in Ethiopia.  The problem:  the sculpture is visible from the entrance of a local middle school, and the school's PTA believes that the nude figures are inappropriate for their children. 

The sculpture is privately owned, and resides on the property of a private shopping center, but the PTA is petitioning the city to force the owner to move the sculpture.  You can read more on this issue in this article from the Palm Beach Post.

Nudity is nothing new in public art, but is it appropriate? 

Take our poll here and give us your comments below!

Photo courtesy of Brandon Kruse/Pam Beach Post

This Month's Poll - Does Satire Belong in Public Art?

Earlier this year, the Czech Republic commissioned artist David Cerny to create a monumental sculpture to celebrate the nation's six-month stint as president of the European Union.  The sculpture was to be a collaborative piece created by twenty-seven international European artists to celebrate the unity of the continent and was planned to be on display for six months at the European Council building in Brussels.

But when installation day arrived in January, the finished product, called ENTROPA turned out to be a politically incorrect nightmare and a headache for diplomats across Europe.  The vast sculpture is a pieced-together map of the continent, each country represented by a sort of stereotypical caricature of that country's people or history. 

For example, Germany is represented by a grey block intersected by autobahns that, some people say, resemble a swastika.  France is draped with a sign that says, "Grève," or, "Strike!"  One of the most controversial parts of the sculpture is Cerny's portrayal of Bulgaria as a Turkish Toilet. 

But perhaps the most outrageous part of the story is that, despite what the Czech Republic asked for, the sculpture was not at all a collaboration.  Cerny and a small group of friends created the entire piece as a hoax meant, according to Cerny, to "find out if Europe is able to laugh at itself."  Given the outcry against the piece, and its eventual early removal, the answer to that question seems to be a resounding NO.  You can read more about the controversial piece here, and there is a full list of countries and their portrayals on Wikipedia.

Looking at Cerny's other work, it seems that this sort outcome should've been predicted when commissioning the piece, but I think it raises a larger question.  This sculpture may have been intended to be satirical and humerous, but given the venue, not many people were laughing.  Most felt that it was just inappropriate.  Others would argue, however, that the sheer amount of attention the piece has gotten makes it successful.  It has forced people to talk about stereotypes and cultural perceptions, so how could it be a failure? 

My question is this.  Satire is often offensive by nature.  That being said, does it have a place in public art?  Should the knowledge that a piece of public art will offend someone prevent it from being commissioned?  What do you think?

TAKE OUR POLL NOW!

Controversial Public Art - The Big Red Rabbit

Last month we talked about Luis Jimenez's controversial BLUE MUSTANG sculpture at Denver International  Airport.  Our reader poll was split right down the middle between the sculpture's supporters and detractors, which just goes to show you how divided opinions can be when it comes to public art.  Thanks to all who participated!

This month, we'll talk about a piece of public art that's still in the development stages.  If you've been to Denver in the last couple years, you've no doubt seen Lawrence Argent's I SEE WHAT YOU MEAN, a forty-foot-tall blue bear peering in the windows of the city's convention center.  After it was installed, public opinion was mixed about the piece, but now that it's been in place for a couple years, the people of the city seem to have grown to appreciate it.

Argent's latest project is over a new piece he's been commissioned to complete for a new terminal in Sacramento's airport, scheduled to be completed in 2011.  The proposed piece is another larger-than-life, brightly colored animal -- this time a bunny leaping toward a vast, granite suitcase.  The fifty-foot rabbit, which will appear to be leaping through the walls of the airport towards the baggage claim where a large granite suitcase awaits him, comes with an $800,000 price tag -- a price that has been difficult for residents to stomach in a city that's been hit hard by economic collapse.  Many residents in the city have openly wondered why the county is spending so much money for a giant bunny when money is so scarce in the area. 

Argent says that the bunny represents, among other things, the leap we all take when we travel, opening ourselves up to the unknown.  Airport officials believe Argent's piece will do exactly what public art should do -- get people to think and talk about art, while adding a little whimsy to the airport.  Their support, however, hasn't silenced some critics, who believe the money would be better spent hiring more police officers or providing other essential services.  Though the money for the project comes from airport fees and not taxpayers, some still believe it should be used to help with a failing economy.

What do you think?  Is the red bunny worth the cost to the city?  Is the airport the right setting for the piece?  Does Sacramento deserve props for their continued focus on the arts, or would the money be better spent elsewhere given the state of the city's economy? 

Take part in our poll, and give us your opinion by clicking the "Comment" button below.

Denver's Big Blue Horse -- Love it or hate it?

A little over a year ago, a very large, very blue rearing mustang, aptly called BLUE MUSTANG, was installed on the road approaching Denver International Airport.  During its construction, BLUE MUSTANG killed its creator, Luis Jimenez, when a large piece of the thirty-two-foot-tall sculpture fell on him, severing an artery in his leg.  At night, the massive steed's eyes glow red, and are visible from miles away.  This, combined with it's emaciated figure and it's killer reputation, has sparked a debate among the citizens of Denver about what they want out of the city's public art.  The debate was well summarized in a New York Times article published in March.

As a Denver native, I don't love that this is the first piece of art that most visitors will see in Denver, but I  also think the debate has gotten too inflammatory and negative.  So what's your opinion?  Do you love Jimenez's the low-brow, urban style or do you think it's too over the top for a municipal art program?

Vote in our poll here, and give your thoughts by clicking "comments" below this post.

Photos courtesy of Denver International Airport.

Government and the Arts

As a new administration takes charge in Washington, we all have hopes and expectations about what they'll do.  I assume we can all support an increased focus on the arts, and President Obama has laid out plans to do just that, including increased funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, increase funding for art education -- even creating an "Artist Corps". 

What's your opinion?  What role do you think the government should take in encouraging the arts?  Are Obama's plans wide-ranging enough?  Share your thoughts by clicking "Comment" below.

Happy New Year from Sculptural Pursuit!

 2008 was a great year for Sculptural Pursuit.  We continued to build relationships with our community, and we're looking forward to all the great people we'll encounter in 2009.  Like many businesses, the start of the new year finds us evaluating our successes during the past year and looking at ways to make our publications more valuable to you, our readers, in 2009.  But to do this, we need your input.  What would you like to see in Sculptural Pursuit, Creative Wisdom, and On The Lookout in 2009?  Share your thoughts with us by clicking "comment" below.

We hope 2009 brings you new ideas and successes in both your artistic and personal lives!

Think you're a color whiz?

Here's a fun exercise to try.  You move the blocks around to arrange them according to hue, then check your score.  The best I can do is about a ten, but you artists in the crowd should be able to do much better. (A perfect score is zero.)

Have fun! 

The "Human Camera"

This isn't necessarily related to sculpture, but I found the video below pretty fascinating.  It's endlessly interesting to get a look into the way some minds work:

Using Art to Change the World

A couple weeks ago, I posted about Recycling Week in the U.K., and how several artists throughout the country had created sculptures out of used soda cans.  Well it seems that here in the U.S., CNN has also decided to use sculpture as a means of telling the world about the green movement.  The news giant commissioned Indian artist Suryakant Lokhande to create a sculpture out of recycled materials.  The product is a tiger, meant to represent the fragility of the environment.  CNN has posted a short video about the process of creating the tiger on their website.