Public Art - Art For the Masses

Public art. It's all around us. Cities budget for their public art and some artists actually manage to put food into their kitchens because they are hired to produce public art. Why think about this on a Friday when my football team once again managed to pull out a hard-fought win? Well, an LJ friend recently took a short trip to Portugal with her son. One of the pictures she posted was of this magnificent piece of public art and it started my desire to do a quick photo blog. So here we go - an exploration of public art in some cities.

I like modern art as well as more traditional forms. This
piece really intrigues me, though. 

Here's what started me off. It's not her picture, but it is the image that she found so fascinating. What is it? Who knows. But it's really interesting with those spikes all over. Maybe it's the Shrike come to earth? Run for your lives.

Here are the pathways of the Superkilen in Copenhagen, Denmark. 

Here are pathways to follow as you run for your lives. The pathways are in the Superkilen, a park complex of three different focus uses in Copenhagen, Denmark. Here there are red, green and blue areas of the park, all joined with these winding pathways that take the visitor up and down hills and around vegetation.

"Cupid's Span" along the Embarcadero in San Francisco is intriguing. 

In San Francisco there are numerous public sculptures and of course, that iconic bridge. This sculpture caught my eye. Perhaps because I love archery, or maybe it's just the whimsical thought of being pinned to San Francisco, one of my favorite cities. It's called "Cupid's Span" and is located along the Embarcadero.

"Spoonbridge and Cherry" has become recognized world-wide as a visible
symbol of Minneapolis. 

That puts me in mind of our own Spoonbridge and Cherry from the sculpture garden outside of the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. It's in storage right now while the park is being renovated, but it's become a recognizable symbol of Minneapolis over the years. Like most public art, it had vocal supporters as well as detractors when it was first erected, but since then has become part of the city's recognizable symbols.

It's always hard to do a photo blog, and my time is limited, so I'll have to stop here. I'd love to know if your town or city has any public art that has captured your interest. Let me know in comments or send me a link to a photo. In the meanwhile, I'm heading to the pool and then on to work. Have a wonderful and productive Friday.