As an ordinary university student, it is hard to go to art galleries or museums. We are always busy with studying and doing other things. Culture and art seem so far away from our daily life. Somehow, we forget that we are the people, who enjoying an abundance of cultural arts. Art is not just paintings in galleries or museums; it is in our daily life. Let’s take a look at how art meets life, and life meets art. >> By Cha Yoon-jae CP Reporter

1. What is Public Art?
   Every morning, we can see some artwork on our way to class. They are big sculptures that are standing around our campus. Generally, these artworks are called ‘Public Art.’ Public art is literally art that is shown publicly. The term, public art, originated from America in the New Deal century. In 20th century, the New Deal created the Works Progress Administration (WPA), which funded artists to create public art projects and others to complete a wide variety of work projects, such as the construction of roads, trails, theaters, and public buildings. It was first used in the book Art in a City by John Willett, a British translator and a scholar. He thought the province of artists should not be shown as the public’s feeling. Therefore, public art is designed to show the general sentiments of people.

2. Harmony of Popularity and Subjectivity
   The most important feature of public art is that we can see art in daily life, not in an art gallery or an art museum, a space for the exhibition. Public art has a different tendency from previous art by being placed under the public interest and in the sight of the majority. Public art provides unique opportunities for artists to contribute their conceptual and practical skills to the development of public spaces and places. Formerly, art mostly put emphasis on the personal opinion of artists. But, public modern art focuses on the things that show how we can live together, and how we create our world. There are some things that can be lost if they are in private, so art is open to all people. This concept of publicity is part of modern art. In the modern, public art needs harmony of popularity and subjectivity.

3. Public Art in Our Life
   Public art is an important part of our daily life. There are many types of public art. What are they? First of all, there are ‘Environmental Sculptures.’ They are usually outside and presented on a grand scale. Environmental Sculpture involves the participation of the viewer and especially incorporates aspects of their surroundings. We can see them everywhere your feet take you. They could be like a Maria statue made of stone in front of bank or a bronze installation of mart, and an outdoor sculpture in park. Another example of public art is ‘Super Graphic.’ It is type of environmental design which first appeared after the 1960’s. We can commonly see examples of super graphic in our daily lives, like paintings on the wall. ‘Culture Marketing’ is also a third example of public art. It is away to cater to a brand or advertise a message to a particular cultural group. More and more companies are using cultural marketing to get the attention of specific demographic groups. It is not hard to see some artwork planned by companies for marketing. In Korean, these are called ‘show window displays.’ It has the strength to draw people’s attention to the world of art. Consumers have become participants, controlling their interactions with artwork and marketing messages.

4. Bird, Bird, Bluebird
   We can see the public art village which is not far from the Chungnam National University. It is Daedong, ‘Art in the City’ in Daejeon. The slogan of Daedong Public Art Project is ‘Bird, Bird, Bluebird.’ Many artists gathered to show public art in Daedong with the theme of ‘dream and hope.’ By this art project, hillside slums turned into a public art village. It looks as if we are in an art gallery. There are very picturesque sceneries hidden on every side streets. The project by Daejeon also plays an important part in that change. It is ‘the Rainbow Project.’ It is based on neighborhood socio-economic status. This program has contributed to the emergence of public art in Daedong. They fixed a roof for underprivileged, drew murals on the wall, and planted spring flowers on the street. What’s been happening in this small hillside almost seems like a miracle.

5. Art, it is not that Difficult!
   Art is not that far away. It is everywhere in our life. We just do not realize it and tend to overlook it. We can easily see public art on the street or in a building we pass often. We think art can only be understood by people who study it. However, it can found everywhere if we look around carefully. Public art in our environment is always preparing a comfortable place for public meeting. Art becomes not only tool for producing artwork, but it also facilitates communication in the entire community. We can see it without spending time or money, because it is everywhere. Now, it is not the story of special people. Do not stay in a daily routine. You can step into a world of art and culture. Let’s get out of the trapped space and see the flowering of art.

 

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