#westaf

Trying to curate my personal style. I don’t want to stray too far away from representing myself as a Muslim African but at the very least I want to stay modest.

Im trying to find a cross between casual but comfortable, Colorful but not over the top, gold but dainty, and something that looks good with a pair of white tennis shoes.

The problems I face is I have broad shoulders and a large bust. This makes it so that it I don’t wear something that defines my waist, I’ll look heavier than I actually am. Breast reduction is currently in the works.

Hello digital world! I’m Molly Pailet, a grad student in the Public Humanities at Brown University. I’m passionate about applied history, non-traditional education, and creating opportunities for engagement and connection. This summer I’m working with WESTAF (Western States Arts Federation) in Denver, Colorado. WESTAF does a lot of different things - the organization develops technology that supports the arts; it organizes and hosts convenings centering on cultural policy and publishes the proceedings to provide field-wide resources; and it supports grant programs for arts and community organizers. This summer, I’m working to improve and grow the vision for WESTAF’s Public Art Archive.

This summer project is a pretty perfect fit for me - I am interested in how different communities and publics use art for placemaking and how art can become a part of individual and group identity. Public art means a lot of different things to different people. I am interested in how the built environment shapes our experiences, relationships, and our conceptions of self in relation to place. During the first year of my master’s program, I thought a lot about how and why people create meaning in place, and what that looks like. Whether it's through street names, dedication plaques, monuments, memorials (everything from monuments put up by a government, by an individual or by a group of people to more temporary roadside memorials), city design (benches, sidewalks, buildings, etc.), or public art - the way we contribute to and interact with the built environment helps to create meaning - societally, for groups, and individually. How we know and understand a space relates to how we see ourselves within this space. 

How we interact with this space can build on the framework of meaning that the space has provided or it can contradict and question this framework to provide new meaning. Placemaking and design are intentional; statues of people, memorials to events, and monuments are all erected with a plan. These physical choices represent the sentiment of the time, place, and people who designed and implemented them. These physical markers aren’t limited to representing the time in which they were built, they influence how future people who encounter these spaces might create meaning from them.

Once I started thinking about these ideas I couldn’t stop. If you want to start and never stop thinking about this too, you might check out Erika Doss’s Memorial Mania: Public Feeling in America, Dell Upton’s What Can and Can't Be Said: Race, Uplift, and Monument Building in the Contemporary South, and explore projects that are questioning traditional meaning making in place and democratizing the process, like Monument Lab in Philadelphia and Paper Monuments in New Orleans.

In the Spring of 2018, I co-created a pop-up exhibit project called Monument Worthy: Personal Memory Markers (read about the project and the other pop-up projects that happened here!) as part of my graduate program. A friend and I asked the local Brown University and Providence community what was “monument worthy” to them. The idea for us was that while we interact in spaces that have monuments, art, memorials, etc., we also are a part of a more subtle and invisible memoryscape. Different places, people, experiences, ideas, and values could all be a part of this multilayered and invisible memoryscape. Without knowing it, we walk past places and things that have different attachments and meanings for different people. Our exhibit focused on the idea of taking ownership of place and space by asking contributors to create personal monuments and suss out their ideas of what makes something “monument worthy.” In a way, the idea of personal monument making is a call for public art. Here I am, with my friend and co-curator Hannah Mooney, talking about this project.  

Enough about me - more about WESTAF and the Public Art Archive (PAA) project. WESTAF has sponsored the Public Art Archive since its launch in 2012. PAA is an actively growing repository of public art located mostly throughout the United States, but with a growing collection of international examples. Although the Archive is a premier resource for public art, the PAA is launching into a new phase. The first iteration of the Public Art Archive has search mechanisms that you can use to browse for specific artists, artwork types, placements, materials, etc. However, the types of information you can find in the Archive, and the interesting thoughts that might come from these findings, depend on how willing you are as a user to take a deep dive and work to make connections. Through a series of development efforts and project initiatives, the Public Art Archive is strengthening the search and explore capabilities to make the database more user-friendly and engaging to those who work in the public art field as well as those interested in exploring for both enjoyment and educational purposes.

The vision for the future of the Public Art Archive is based on its potential for public-arts focused education and sustained engagement. The Archive aims to be the launching point for deeper and further exploration into the world of public art. My work this summer will help improve the potential of the site, explore the potential of creating digital education tools, and act as a starting point to explore the process of using the Public Art Archive to generate curriculum that could be a part of the future website’s education portal.

This summer, my job includes researching digital humanities projects, developing a list of public art resources, and interviewing collaborators in the arts and cultural spheres. My goal is to connect with collaborators to understand how the Public Art Archive might be a resource in their fields - beyond a public art-specific audience. I am creating ideas and content for curriculum, and I’m proposing education tools that would be embedded on the Archive’s digital platform. This Archive has so much potential to become a dynamic educational resource and to engage all sorts of people people in new ways. I’m really excited to be a part of the first stage of this initiative.

How can you get involved?

Tell us how we can continue improving the Public Art Archive? We want to hear from you! What sort of interactives and functions might make the content on this site more engaging? What sort of questions and ideas do you have about public art? 

We’re moving tomorrow! Please update your records with our new address: 1888 Sherman Street, Suite 375, Denver, CO 80203.

Have You Seen My Public Art? Map by Kenny Be (c) 2013.

Check in with the Public Art Archive to learn more about our recent symposium, The Future History of Public Art. Proceedings will be made available to the public. Contact [email protected] if you would like a copy sent directly to you.

Learn about our upcoming developments including a collection management tool specific to the public art workflow; a new locate public art feature available on any smartphone or tablet device for finding public art on the go; and a series of new portals on the Public Art Archive geared to provide enhanced engagement opportunities for visitors of any level of interest.

Written By: Elysian Koglmeier on behalf of the Public Art Archive

Colleges are gardens that nurture the growth of our future generations. Young minds attend college to learn and prepare themselves for the world ahead of them.

The arts are a part of that influential growth. Like rainfall to plants, the arts nourish the minds and hearts of students and the entire campus community.

Public art is a wonderful way to introduce students that may never step foot inside an art studio or art history classroom to the cultural enrichment the arts provide.  

You may disagree with me, but I believe it’s not important whether a student likes the public art work. Yes, it’s great when students take pride in their school’s collection. But, I believe the significance of the work comes from the fact that students have to express why they like the work or not. Firstly, noticing the artwork encourages participation in public space. Secondly, students have to think, engage, and participate in an active dialogue. Public art collections on campuses expose students to diverse perspectives and visual expressions, and gives students the space and opportunity to develop judgments of such creative expression.  

And it’s not just for the students...the faculty, staff, visitors, and community members also have access to the collection.

Public art also plays a key part in the identity of the school. It activates and enlivens locations on campus and ultimately contributes to placemaking. Most works in college collections are permanent and sculptural, but higher ed institutions are disrupting these expectations. Consider Brown University’s sound piece, Advice from a Former Student (2010) by Nina Katchadourian or, Guilford College’s enormous stick installation by Patrick Dougherty. I have to note that I first fell in love with the participatory element of public art when my sculpture class worked alongside Patrick Dougherty to install Middlebury College’s, So Inclined, in 2007.

How are college public art collections organized and funded?

Most universities have a Percent-for-Art program and a Public Art Committee comprised of some combination of faculty, students, trustees and staff. If universities have a museum, the objects may be accessioned in the museum collection.

Here are some exemplary collections that can be found in the Public Art Archive:

Human Puzzle by BJ Krivanek. University of Florida Lake Nona Research & Academic Center. Photo Courtesy BJ Krivanek.

University of Florida’s Art in State Buildings program is a component of Florida’s Art in State Buildings initiative. It is directed by UF's public art administrator and is overseen by the state’s cultural agency – the Division of Cultural Affairs. UF’s Art in State Buildings program has over 155 works of art in its collection that extends throughout the state. The program takes great efforts to care for and preserve its collection; condition reports for each piece of art are completed every three years.

Public art preservation will be discussed at this year’s WESTAF Symposium: The Future History of Public Art. It’s still not too late to register as an observer!

Procession of Ants by David Bowen. Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. Photo courtesy Richard McCoy and Associates.

The Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis collection is scattered throughout a 509-acre campus. The works can easily be enjoyed by community members since the campus is next to hot-spot destinations like the Indiana Avenue Cultural District, the Indianapolis Zoo, Downtown Canal Walk and White River State Park. This collection presents a wonderful example of how public art can help unify the “Town and Gown” relationship between the University and its local community.

The Herron School of Art + Design at IUPUI recently brought "Horizons," an outdoor installation of work by internationally known Icelandic artist Steinunn Thórarinsdóttir, to its campus. Twelve life-size figures cast in iron and glass “walked” the path along the University Library. The eighteen month installation ends this month.

 The Victor by Benjamin Victor. Peru State College. Photo Courtesy Staff of the Nebraska State Public Art Collection.

Nebraska State Public Art Collection receives funding from the State of Nebraska’s 1% for Art, which has generated over $3 million in artwork for Nebraska’s state buildings, state colleges and the University of Nebraska system.

Sculptures on Nebraska college campuses reflect the different interests of its student body. For instance, Peru State College has a nostalgic bronze sculpture of a 1960’s football player - The Victor, by Benjamin Victor, whereas Chadron State College pays homage to mythology with a large stone sculpture - The Muses, by David Clark.

 Primordial Garden by Adela Andea. Texas Tech University, Human Sciences Building, Lubbock, Texas. Photo courtesy Adela Andea.

The Public Art Program at Texas Tech University System started in 1998 to enrich the campus environments and extend the educational mission at all of the universities. More than 100 works have been added to the campuses through the program’s one-percent-for-art funding. The works range from bronze sculptures in front of dorms to metal forms on building exteriors to LED lit installations hanging from ceilings to a live agave plant rooted in a garden.

We are pleased to announce additional details of WESTAF’s 17th symposium: The Future History of Public Art. This gathering of public art practitioners and allied professionals will convene November 5-7 in Honolulu and will take place at the Hawai’i State Art Museum. The symposium is being organized by WESTAF in collaboration with Forecast Public Art and the Hawai’i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts.

The symposium will bring together public art administrators, directors, artists, critics, curators, academics, and researchers to consider the future of the field. Participants, attending from across the globe, will survey growing trends and challenges and propose ways the field might develop to create a richer and more sustainable long-term infrastructure throughout the following sessions, outlined briefly below.

I. The Future Democracy of Public Art

Presenters will consider the current state of democracy in the processes of commissioning and selecting public art. They will address current realities and growing challenges surrounding issues of identity, development practices, and professional culture. Session participants will consider how practitioners might build a stronger and more inclusive infrastructure to promote equitable practices and engage more diverse audiences throughout the public art workflow.

II. The Future of Technological Advancements in Public Art

The use of advanced technologies has become increasingly widespread to instigate funding, data collection, increased participation, and efforts to improve the preservation of public art. Presenters will assess established practices and growing trends within the field’s integration of technology into public art programming. They will consider the relative merits of the incorporation of new media into mainstream programming while considering ways to build support frameworks to aid in more seamless and meaningful integration.

III. Public Art Stewardship: Methodological Approaches to Impact Studies

Access to established field-wide resources regarding public art evaluation remains limited. Presenters in this session will critically evaluate methodologies for data collection and impact studies to promote stewardship throughout the entirety of the public art process. They will survey resources invested toward documenting and analyzing the effects of public art and discuss how to better develop partnerships, tools, and interdisciplinary approaches for the success of future projects. 

IV. The Re-Rise of Impermanence in Public Art Presenters will examine the recent increase of public art projects and programs meant for temporary installation. They will evaluate the varied roles and audiences that temporary public art activities serve and how they may continue to play a pivotal role in the future of the field. This session will survey new approaches to planning, advocacy, funding, and collaboration alongside a review of how stakeholders might adopt measures to support this model.

V. Re-thinking Public Art Policy & Funding Mechanisms

Presenters will survey the current landscape of public art policy and funding mechanisms and analyze challenges and limitations associated with existing policies. They will explore emerging models that have circumvented obstacles and instigated new forms of private and public support. Participants will convey specific experiences that bypass more traditional approaches and art seemingly less susceptible to bureaucratic red tape, and they will discuss the efficacy of these approaches in the future.

The symposium will be preceded by a public art workshop developed and led by Forecast Public Art with support from the Hawai’i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts and WESTAF. The workshop is scheduled for Sunday, November 5, from 11:00 am to 3:30 pm. The workshop will be focused on sparking conversations about the current concerns of practitioners and collaborators in the field. The session is designed to be an interactive discussion drawing questions and topics from the group with the hopes of a lively and fun afternoon of networking and sharing. Questions posed in the workshop may range from advocacy and engagement, racial equity and inclusion, best practices for community engagement, tools for broadening policy and funding mechanisms, public art in the media, and ways to increase opportunities for professional development. The workshop is available at no cost to registered symposium observers.

Observers are encouraged to attend the symposium; however, space is limited. Observers are responsible for covering the cost of their travel and lodging. In addition, they are asked to pay a $185 fee to underwrite costs of meals included in the event. Please note that observers are not part of the core symposium conversation. Those interested in observing the symposium must register by Friday, September 15. Registered observers will be notified via email by Friday, September 22, and will receive additional details regarding their participation at that time. As with all previous WESTAF symposia, this gathering will have a life beyond the in-person meeting. As part of the symposium process, WESTAF prepares and publishes the symposium discussion in the form of proceedings. The proceedings will also be made available on the WESTAF website.