Public Art: History, Theory, and Practice

The course offers an opportunity for RISD and Brown students to work together to understand the growing interdisciplinary field of public art. We will explore the potential of working in the public realm as artists and/or arts administrators. Topics include: pivotal events and artworks that formed the history of public art from the early 20th century to the present; approaches to site-specificity; ideas of community and audience; current debates around defining the public and public space; temporary vs. permanent work; controversies in public art; memorials, monuments, and anti-monuments; case studies; public art administration models, among others.