PUBLIC SERVANTS

How should we understand the purpose of publicly engaged art in the twenty-first century, when the very term public art is largely i nsufficient to describe such practices? Concepts such as new genre public art, social practice, or socially engaged art may imply a synergy between the role of art and the role of government in providing social services. Yet the arts and social services differ cru cially in terms of their methods and metrics. Socially engaged artists need not be aligned (and may often be opposed) to the public sector and...[Read more]