Awareness, Presence of Public Art Rising on Nation's Campuses

Hoping to incorporate the development of public art into the Master Plan, UNC's Public Art Planning Committee has been drafting a proposal to be completed in mid-April.

But the pitfalls of raising statues around campus may pale in comparison to the challenges of raising awareness of public art around campus.

"I think if you go around and poll the general public, most people would not know much about public art," said David Finn, art professor at Wake Forest University.

"As far as college campuses go, public art has traditionally been from the top down," he said. "Public art on campus is usually thought of as being a statue of the founder of the university."

Nationally, the slowly growing presence and awareness of public art beyond its traditional forms have begun to take shape on many college campuses.

With its public art program in the same embryonic state as UNC's, the University of Virginia has set up a committee that is in its first year of existence. Much like the UNC planning committee, the committee deals with the issue of increasing public art on their campus.

"We are incrementally realizing that this is an important element of our environment." said Suzanne Foley, curator of collections at the University of Virginia Art Museum.

UNC Chancellor James Moeser has expressed a similar interest in the fledgling public art program at the University. His focus on expanding public art is reflected in his successful efforts as chancellor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

With both UNC's administration and the Public Art Planning Commitee investing interest, the next step, based on other campuses' efforts, should be to engage the student body.

Student involvement seems to be key to a successful university public art program.

Wake Forest, for example, goes beyond asking students to choose an artist or topic and gets them directly involved.

Often, under the guidance of Finn, students have created the art that decorates their campus. Furthermore, an alumni grant provides Wake Forest students funds for the selection of art to be displayed publicly.

Ultimately, such involvement strengthens the artwork's connection to the public it serves. In creating their artwork, students at Wake Forest are paired with a campus organization. They are encouraged to shape their artwork around that facet of the campus community's concerns, Finn said.

"Public art, in many ways, can become visual currency, an icon for the campus," Finn said.

"Take (the Old Well) ... it's an example of public art that has fulfilled one of the main goals of public art. (Public art) should become something that defines that particular place."

The Arts & Entertainment Editor can be reached at artsdesk@unc.edu.