ABSTRACT
Many public art programs abet an antipodal relationship by imposing the integration of art on buildings and landscapes well past the initial project programming and schematic design phases. A central tenet of public art is site specificity; that is, the notion, in support of localism, that each work answers to the unique characteristics of a place, both concrete and abstract. Robert Irwin characterizes his approach to public art as "site conditioned/determined," where the "sculptural response draws all of its cues from its surroundings." It is the inherent ability to challenge our views of the world, to make us think and feel what we make of it, that distinguishes public art from the craft of design–all the more so when the world we know is undergoing rapid and widespread climate change. The proliferation of public art programs and public artists has engendered many conceptual strands, each bearing differently upon issues of utility, community identity, environment, and social justice among other concerns.
