ABSTRACT
This chapter explores some of the assumptions regarding the long-term effects of public art in the urban environment and examines the development of a multi-disciplinary public art research project in Vancouver, British Columbia that was specifically designed to examine the question of how to gauge the social impact of art on community. The Vancouver study attempted to deploy a combination of research methods to gain a multi-dimensional assessment of how specific public art projects within the community related to a wider range of effects. The chART: Public Art Marpole study attempted to deploy a combination of research methods in order to gain a multi-dimensional assessment of how specific public art projects within the community relate to a wider spectrum of effects. Public art often suffers from immediate media and community reactions to change. Public Art is continually promoted as a means of improving community, engaging industries and contributing to neighbourhood beautification.
