For me my own understanding of the historical context of public art comes from an unlikely source, a computer game. Now I am not usually one for computer games and could probably count them all on one hand but this game I took a heavy shin too in my early 20’s.
Here is an example of the look of this game which starts you off in a un-developed country side area with a combination of sheep near by or olive trees and you have to cultivate them and encourage people to come to your town by providing housing and food etc…
As part of policing the city you create you need to keep people happy which reduces crime and unrest in the city which results in productive workers and a prosperous empire. You can build theatres like the one above which can be decorated with tiled floors and gardens, the more elaborate the happier people are in that area. Other ways to keep the ‘happometre’ up is to build temples to Gods, Hero’s and to commemorate victories won by the people. Without these, it doesn’t matter how much food or shelter they have they will not progress to a fully functioning city without these additions.
I think if you had asked me before this what public art was I could of told you in a nut shell but this silly game made me understand the reason and benefits public art can have on a society on a deeper level.
Public art was not just about keeping the people happy of course they are monuments to display power, wealth, skill and achievement. In early public art days the majority would of been sculpture, a very male dominated art. This was mainly due to mastering the nude form, which women should not know about or if they did should be married and should never speak of it. I have been watching a series on BBC called “The story of women and art” which tells of many under acknowledged female artists through history.
One such story is of Properzia de Rossi,
Vickery jolts us out of our lazy, accepted wisdom with the story of Properzia de Rossi, a woman who in the early 16th century was sufficiently talented and courageous to pursue a career in that most masculine of art forms, sculpture. As a woman, not only was she considered to lack the brainpower to be an artist, but just imagine her poor frail arms struggling with a hammer and chisel. Refused training and materials, and certainly not permitted to study the male nude, she honed her skills by sculpting exquisite scenes from discarded plumstones.
When she won a competition at the Basilica di San Petronio, Bologna, she sealed her own fate: her wonderful marble frieze was simply too good to be tolerated by her male rivals. Without access to male models, how could she possibly understand so thoroughly the contours of a man’s leg, unless she were a woman of questionable morals? Branded a “bitch”, she was driven out of her profession and died in a paupers’ hospital aged just 40. But the most shocking aspect of this story is that even today, Rossi’s finest work remains unacknowledged: hidden in amongst the racks of postcards, her exemplary sculpture is simply ignored.
quote found here
I found these stories of these women really interesting to hear, some triumphed and made it in a mans world and some, like Rossi did not.
Public art was also heavily linked with religion. Stained glass told biblical stories, sculptures depicted icons or scenes from religions and ancient mythology. They were displays of great mastery in craft work and combined the work of the practitioner, the commissioner and the space in which they would be sited.
Public art is about engaging the people using the environment and provoking questions and responses. During the great depression in America a scheme set up by President Roosevelt called New Deal was setup by the for artists and sculptors to enter competitions to win commissions to make works reflecting the values and achievements of America to inspire and raise spirits of the people during this harsh time. The artists had to respond to the communities tastes and had to revise their design ideas if they rejected them to keep their commissions. This is something which you do not hear of in today’s world of public art. There tends to be committees, councils, governing bodies etc… who have the say in final designs for public art projects.
A more recent public art movement called yarn bombing originated in America where objects and art works in the public realm are covered with knitting or crochet. They can be artist or community driven with or without permission from the land or place in which the work sits. Some works are left and some like this crocheted cover made by the artist Olek was removed within 2 hours by city officials.
The bull sculpture by Arturo Di Modica, sited in Wall Street New York is an incredibly masculine zone of business and the bull symbolises strength, power and masculinity to name a few! But was intended to represent the spirit of the American people after the crash of 1989 Olek’s work has disempowered this symbol simply by using the colour pink and soft yarn in contrast to its hard, dark and cold brass. The artist said she made it for people who couldn’t get to see family at Christmas (was positioned on Christmas Eve as was the original sculpture) and for those who don’t have coats or money. I felt before I researched into it that it was more of a feminist statement on the very masculine sculpture and area. Not all meaning of public art translates and this is neither a good or bad thing, it just is. This is part of what art is about, personal reflection and interpretation of what you see and feel before you both on a physical level and an emotional one.
Yarn bombing can carry a message or used to make an area brighter, here a few of my favourites!
Tank Blanket by MARIANNE JØRGENSEN, “Groovy Bus” by artist Madga Sayeg in Mexico City, Mexico and “Gun Cozy”, another piece by artist Madga Sayeg; this one is in Bali, Indonesia.
Yarn bombing is very much a female dominated type of graffiti as is traditional graffiti like the work of Banksy a male one.
Banksy changed how painted graffiti was viewed by the public, his change from spray paint too stencil not only saved him time whilst constructing the work but also allowed him to develop his distinct style. His work always with a meaning and comment on social and political context of the place in which his work sits his designs have real power. He does not sell prints or photos of his street art which I think makes them special and for the people. Because of the success or attention of his street art Banksy did what no one had done before him and crossed over into the art world and exhibited his work in solo shows in galleries.
The real difference for me with historical and contemporary public art is who has the control of making them and commissioning them and the social/political reforms and level of equality which we now have. Saying this I still feel there is a divide between the sexes and women’s art is still not taken as seriously as men’s but men have been able to cross over to the traditional female crafts like embroidery and suddenly its really cool 
Public Realm 