Public art, cultural representation, and the just city

ABSTRACT

Recent controversies around public art demonstrate that cultural representation in urban public space is enormously consequential. Given that urban planners and policymakers are often involved in the design, siting, approval, and maintenance of such works, this article argues for more effective ways to evaluate potential public art projects and adjudicate conflicts that arise regarding existing works. The authors propose a novel visual rubric as a guide to decision making, one that questions the appropriateness of the time, place, and voice of a given work. Using examples from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a pioneering city in the field of public art, the authors explore how such a rubric might elevate planning and policymaking for the public realm and foster the just city.

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge Susan M. Davis, Patricia Phillips, Paul Farber, Laurie Allen, Jack Becker, and Jen Krava for their feedback on earlier versions of the article.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. Latinx is a gender-neutral and nonbinary term that intends to replace Latino and Latina. It emerged in 2014 and has grown in popularity since that time (Salinas & Lozano, 2017).

2. It is no coincidence that Sandercock (2004) uses a work of public art as her introductory example in a discussion of the 21st century planning imagination. Her article begins with a discussion of public art by Bill Reid, a First Nations artist whose work in Vancouver, British Columbia, encapsulates the complexity of multiplicity, dialogue, and cultural diversity.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Andrew Zitcer

Andrew Zitcer is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Architecture, Design & Urbanism at Drexel University, where he directs the Urban Strategy graduate program. His research explores economic and cultural democracy through the study of cooperative practices and the use of arts as a tool for community revitalization. His work has been published in Journal of Planning Education and Research, Planning Theory & Practice, Urban Affairs Review, and Urban Geography.

Salina M. Almanzar

Salina M. Almanzar is from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. A graduate of Franklin and Marshall College and Drexel University, Salina is an artist, scholar, and activist. Her research explores creative placemaking in the Lancaster Latinx community and documents the ways in which the Latinx community has created spaces for cultural preservation. Salina connects to her community through the collection of stories, collective art making, and mural work as well as through continued research on the intersections of social justice and place.