Objectives:
- Examine public art’s role in capturing history and place-making.
- Explore the relationship of cultural values to civic dialogue, beautification and identity.
Artifact:
Before I went through the readings and visited the murals this week, I wasn’t even aware such work had even existed, let alone at the Knight Library. With that in mind however, I love that they are placed on opposite sides of the library, as I believe it symbolizes the potential of learning the ideals of either the development of art or science in our lives. Furthermore, I believe that they encompass the notion of two different degree paths of knowledge that the University offers, in which one can graduate with either a bachelor of arts or of science.
In this weeks reading of Public Art Controversy: Cultural Expression and Civic Debate, Erika Doss brings up the controversies that arise when dealing with public art, along with their numerous interpretations. First and foremost, I believe that whenever people first see public art, their first reaction is the appreciation of their civic beauty. “That’s because whether permanent or temporary, figurative or abstract, man-made or mass produced, public art is as diverse as the people who view it” (Doss 2). The public represents many different variations of people, with many different views, beliefs, and backgrounds. That being said, any public art that represents a specific belief, historical event, time, etc., is will most likely be criticized. “Indeed, controversies over public art tend to unmask deeper concerns American have regarding their voices and their interests in the public sphere” (Doss 6). The Runquist murals represent the perspectives of the two Runquist brothers, in which they highlight important components of historical moments that guided the evolution of the development of arts and sciences. Although I personally don’t see the murals as being controversial or offensive I can understand how some people could view them in a negative light, due to its issue with diversity. I noticed that there were very few depictions of women that were observed as part of the development of arts and sciences. The only sections that women were represented in are the first two panels of both murals, in which they are seen as either cooking or taking care of children. The other place women are represented in is in the fourth panel of the development of the arts mural, which represents the Greek Period. The Arthur and Albert Runquist’s interpretation of the Greek period states, “Music, drama and the dance; development of the beautiful human figure”. For some, this perspective appears to objectify women and places them in stereotypical ‘female’ roles, and so many viewers can be offended at this particular controversy. However, I feel that this simply shows the amount of history that this mural represents, and if anything I appreciate the amount of change that has occurred to our civic improvement since these murals were created. Throughout our time, and up to the point where these murals were created women weren’t perceived as equals, even though they were given the right to vote before the murals were painted. As a result, the traits of sexism and gender inequality can be highlights from these works, which can be perceived very negatively by the feminists of our world.
I have always believed that exceptional works of art have the ability to evoke a positive emotion from a viewer. But after seeing this mural, I believe that those that can invoke controversy and debate are solid ideals of works of art as well. “The strong sentiments expressed by people who make various interpretations of it’s meaning after 12 years, is a testament to its value as an artwork” (Doss 10). Regardless, these murals would have caused controversy one way or another, because had these two brothers carry a more feminist perspective back then their art would have been controversial at that time instead. Regardless, I think that if there wasn’t controversy to begin with people wouldn’t care as much about this piece of art, but because there is this shows how valuable these murals are in the first place. I hope that these murals enlighten the path of knowledge for future students and that they continue to symbolize the purpose, vision and values that this University represents.
Reflection:
After completing this final piece of writing, I’ve learned that public art carries a lot more significance than simply beauty. Public art is utilized to portray an idea, event, human, or more, and that these themes are captured in stone (literally) for the world to see. For example, recently a beloved former Blazers star, Jerome Kersey, passed away at the age of 52. As a response the city of Portland hosted an event for him, where they had created a honor tribute video under his name. They also placed a memorial bike lane in front of the Moda center, which symbolizes his significance to the Portland Trailblazers and to the city as well. Here is an article that goes into further depth about this display of public art. I love that such work carries a historical significance behind them, as their value only increases as time progresses.
From reading about these murals and and seeing them in person, I’ve been amazed at the brother’s artistic ability to portray a cultural outlook into a beautiful work, which symbolizes human nature to a certain extent. However, portraying a specific view will always cause some sort of controversy, as there isn’t ever a case where one idea or mindset is fully agreed on. This can be highlighted with the murals as well, because there isn’t as strong of a woman’s significance in their interpretation on the development of the arts and sciences as seen by mankind. Even though that concept is false today, the fact that their perspective was so backward at that time highlights the amount of history that this work portrays, and adds more value to their creation overall.
Future:
Going forward, I will try to learn the history behind a public work of art so that I can understand its significance to the area around it. I will especially do this when I visit a new city so that I can gain insight into their culture. I hope that I acquire better knowledge of these arts and value the lives of those that have earned themselves a spot in their respective cities. From this, I hope to appreciate art at a whole another level throughout my life.
Source:
Rose, J. (2015, February 26). Trail Blazers’ Jerome Kersey gets memorial bike lane in front of Moda Center. Retrieved March 17, 2015, from http://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/index.ssf/2015/02/jerome_kersey_bike_lane_portla.html