What is Public Art?
Public art has had many definitions assigned to it. Countless conferences have been held to discuss its significance to the urban landscape, and new pieces appear in cities worldwide on a daily basis. To the mind of the modern urban planner, public art is generally accepted as an improver of urban landscapes, a booster of tourism, and a means of adding culture to a place.
Much of the public art in the world (and especially the pieces that come to mind when the words "public art" are spoken) are of modern origin, i.e., dating from the 20th century onwards. In North American cities, the wealth and social sophistication required for the creation of public art have only come about relatively recently.
Art is made public by its location; if it can be seen by passers-by, regardless of time of day and weather, and if there is no admission charge to see it, then it is public art.
Public art, especially the modern variety, does not always meet with immediate acceptance. Abstract sculpture, typically misunderstood and undefended, can fall victim to vandalism and public outcry. Familiarity and time are the factors that contribute the most to an object's ultimate acceptance into a community space.
Contemporary public art is one thing; historical public art is another one altogether. Europe, a place where many cities have seen their heydays come and go, presents a fascinating window to the role public art played historically. Today, major European cities bear the signs of their illustrious histories: monuments, elaborate decorations on buildings, and so on. To PreserVenice, all of these things are public art.
Venice is no exception; in fact, the sheer density of public art in La Serenissima is one of the reasons that we are PreserVenice, instead of PreserParis or PreserPrague. So much wealth, culture and history has been concentrated within Venice's borders, and public art emerged as a way for citizens to express themselves (in a manner, it turned out, that would outlast them by centuries). Each type of public art in Venice once served a distinct purpose, most now entirely defunct.
With their original function now gone, Venetian public art has become simply that: art. It is almost purely decorative, and with its lost function comes a loss of any incentive to care for it. Venetians have had generations to acclimatize to their city's public art, and the vast majority take it for granted.
This is where PreserVenice steps in.