I walked up the stairs to view the mural Development of the Sciences, I was stunned by the size. More importantly, I was amazed I had never seen it or even knew that stairwell was there; I had seen it, but never had a reason to go up. I walked up to the top of the stairs and stared, carefully taking in the entire piece.
I reflected on our reading and thought, how could I overlook a piece of art of this size? For some reason, when I think public art, I think of something I would notice without having to peer around a corner and up a staircase.
In the article “Public Art Controversy: Cultural Expression and Civic Debate” by Erica Doss, she states, “Public needs, public participation, and public responses are all key to the making and meaning of today’s public art” (6). Maybe at some point these two murals were located at a place that people often visited, but I think that today, they aren’t getting enough public attention. How can the public respond if they don’t see the art?
Going back to Doss’ work, I appreciated the lack of boundaries public art has, “Whether permanent or temporary, figurative or abstract, man-made or mass produced, public art is as diverse as the people who view it” (2). Although I think the pieces are in hidden locations, they still meet the requirements of public art because public art is diverse. I don’t know if art should even have limitations, but I like that public art is for the people, by the people and is therefore as diverse as the people.
Both murals clearly show history; they motion the viewer to think back at history and piece together the scene. My boyfriend and I had fun guessing what each square meant before looking at the actual meanings. There were so many beautiful details in the trees, and my favorite part was the flowers in the Development of the Arts piece. To me, this is a small detail (among many others) that separates the science piece from the art piece. I think because of the pieces’ influence on us, it can be said that the pieces capture history. It was almost as if everything we had learned in history was once again revived.
While reading the Doss’ piece, this quote struck me, “These early programs were guided by the idea that public art was a form of civic improvement and could help generate a shared sense of civic and national identity” (4). Although this part of the article is talking about earlier art than the two pieces we’re discussing, I wonder if it still applies. I think art is civic improvement, and even sometimes gets better with age. I went to Rome last summer and you can see ruins everywhere, not to mention The Forum is huge! The detail that the Romans put into their architecture was designed to be beautiful, and now, centuries later, we still admire it.
The second part of the quote above talks about art in association with national identity. The library murals are about arts and sciences, and they are relatable to the human race. We all trace back to one place, so our origin is therefore apart of our identity. As the tree grows larger and we move closer to modern day, the works are still relatable to Oregon students, faculty, staff, alumni and the community. If we share a love for the school, these pieces share a “sense of our civic identity.”
Overall, I was glad to find these two pieces and to learn more about them before leaving the university. I am also glad to learn more about the various kinds of public art. I knew murals can be public art, but I normally think of ones painted on walls or floors. I also associated public art with obscure sculptures in parks or on corners. Now I know differently.