Dear Colleagues,

Some of you know I have been sharing images of public art on the Americans for the Arts’ Instagram feed (@americans4arts).  The post that went live today mentions an article by Laurent Vernet, our colleague in Montreal with Art Public Montreal.  

  

Based on observation techniques a la Jane Jacobs and William H. Whyte, Vernet established several key points about the role of artwork in public space and how people interact with artwork. He studies two artworks (George William Hill’s monument to George-Etienne Cartier and Alexander Calder’s Man, Three Discs) and musical events that occur at the artworks (Tam Tams and Piknic Electronik).

I thought you might enjoy the full article.  See attached PDF. 

He lands on these ideas:

1. Interactions with or near an artwork are as important as knowledge of the artwork or perception of the artwork.  Vernet defines a range of vocabulary describing interactions with art using a public socialbility index.  He observed that people treat artwork like strangers in a public space...we react with strangers in a range of ways.  We enjoy the company of strangers, including artwork, in public places even if we are not interacting all the time on a “high” level. 

2. You can get different interactions based on whether a site is “loose”, flexible, and open or a “managed” destination. The type of destination also impacts diversity of who is there to engage, with flexible and open spaces bringing more diversity.

3. Having a range of artworks in public places is important, as people seek different experiences and levels of engagment.

The photos include images of the events and the artworks. I hope you consider following the feed.  Images from trips to NY, Montreal, and Denver so far.  Many more places to come.

Have a good weekend,

Renee Piechocki