ABSTRACT
During the 1970s and 1980s, the "good intentions" of even the most thoughtful promoters of public art wore thin in the face of public incomprehension and hostility toward many public art projects. Many people involved in public art projects appear sincere in their intention to make contemporary art more widely available and accessible. Writing that supports public art stresses two different but complementary ideas. One is the proposal that art in public stands in a direct, unmediated relationship with the audience—as one writer put it, "without the restraining authority" of art world institutions and actors. The second is the idea that public art is an exercise in cultural democracy. The claim that the artist's commitment is primarily or only to self-expression merges easily into the assertion that artists bear no social responsibility for their actions, including the artworks they produce.
