We need more cool public art!

Outdoor public art has evolved from massive glorifications of heroes and their horses to art that "diverts, amuses and comforts," according to a really great article in the New York Times. It will always be important to honor those who do great things, but it's also important for public art to challenge how we see the world sometimes or to just be fun. Not always easy to convince people to do this!

The big problem for outdoor art is the absence of any consensus of values in our pluralistic, multicultural society. It’s hard to imagine a public sculpture of a hero today that would not be regarded by one faction or another as partisan. As an unscientific sampling of art in the public realm this summer confirms, contemporary outdoor art tends to offer unobjectionable, mildly decorative or entertaining and relatively empty experiences.

Image: Tara Donovan’s plastic construction at Lever House. By Librado Romero/The New York Times