public art - Artworks that are designed specifically for, or placed in areas physically accessible to the general public. The meanings and functions of these works varies widely, based on the societal and aesthetic values of the communities, institutions, and individuals which commision them.

• "Public art can express civic values, enhance the environment, transform a landscape, heighten our awareness, or question our assumptions. Placed in a public site, this art is therefore for everyone, a form of collective community expression -- from the once celebrated but now unrecognized general on a horse to the abstract sculpture that may baffle the passer-by on first glance."
  Penny Balkin Bach (contemporary American), art administrator.

• Public Art in Los Angeles documents public art works, sculptural works, mosaics, and murals, in the downtown area, the University of Southern California, and other places in the city.
  
  
• Social and Public Art Resource Center is a non-profit arts organization based in Venice, California, with art projects city-wide, committed to socially responsible art making.
  
  
• Project Row Houses demonstrates how art and social activism can be used to reclaim an inner city neighborhood in Houston.
  
  
• Art-Public.com is a public art magazine and database that publishes a newsletter addressed to the professionals in the field of art, architecture and urban design.
  
  
• Public Art Fund is a non-profit arts organization that presents the work of contemporary artists in New York's public spaces.
  
  
• Art in the Public Interest is a nonprofit organization to serve the information needs of artists and organizations who are bringing the arts together with community and social concerns. The site contains newsletter and organization information.
  
  
• Public Art on the Net has links to community art resources and organizations.
  
  
• The Maintenance of Public Artworks discusses the care and cleaning of public sculptures.
  
  
• The Public Art Online Library is available by subscription at an annual rate of 180 Euros. Recent creations and works in progress are organized by category and illustrated with examples from around the world, with an emphasis on the principal cities of Europe. The artwork is presented and analyzed within its context (public areas, urban architecture, landscape) and organized by location or by type of project or program, in order to highlight the nature of the commission. Reports that focus on a theme are conceived of as a sampling of the most representative works. As of July 2004, this selective documentation included 500 significant works of public art and 1000 color photo illustrations.  In the case of a report on a project in progress, it is possible to add new works of art as they are completed, and to replace photos of preliminary models with photos of the corresponding definitive works. Links and various practical information (addresses, emails, URLs…) are regularly checked and updated within the reports, to insure that an accurate, reliable source of useful information is provided.

Also see memorial, monument, plop art, and statue.

https://inform.quest/_art