As Erika Doss states, “Public art is artwork in the public realm, regardless of whether it is situated on public or private property, or whether it is acquired through public or private funding. Public art can be a sculpture, mural, manhole cover, paving pattern, lighting, seating, building façade, kiosk, gate, fountain, play equipment, engraving, carving, fresco, mobile, collage, mosaic, bas-relief, tapestry, photograph, drawing, or earthwork” (2). By looking at this idea, the murals in the Knight Library are also as public arts. The murals are in the public space that everyone could visit it.
Firstly, let’s relates public art to spirituality. As Doss describes, “ Public art is an antidote for the hatred and disconnectedness in society. It is creative, participatory, critical, and analytical process. We must tell our stories, and encourage others of all ages to tell their stories in any language they speak…we must teach ourselves and others to listen and to hear our stories because it is in the very specificity of the human experience that we learn compassion”(11). As I see, it’s pretty similar as the artists create artwork via particular aesthetic experience. Artists observe objects, and then put their feeling and understanding into the artwork. Artists experience is the basis of the creation subject in the aesthetic experience. That’s why artwork are various and unique. Artists’ feelings are totally different. And they use artwork to express what they want to tell others. So the artwork with artist’s attitudes values and so on.
Furthermore, this week I visited Knight Library to see the murals. The murals are really amazing. Those two are historical piece of artwork and it is still kept very well. As we know, some of the public arts showed the development of the society. The murals in the Knight Library also showed the development of the Arts and the development of the sciences. The development of arts based on eight periods which includes Earliest primitive period, Later primitive period, Greek period and so on. Also the development of sciences based on another eight periods which are Stone Age, Iron Age, Early Egyptian, Greek Period, Renaissance, Eighteenth and Nineteenth, and modern period. The mural also showed people in different status with different race, gender and religions. It’s pretty similar as Doss’s opinion, “public art is as diverse as the people who view it (2).” People always have different feelings when they saw the same public arts. In other words, the public arts may witness the development of the society.
At present, we can see many public arts on the street. For example, when I go to park, I always see there are some sculptures. Public arts are like decorations of the city. As Doss mentions, “ Traditional forms of American public art include figurative sculptures displayed in public spaces-outdoors or in public building. Often, these are erected as monuments or memorials to important national figures and moments”(2). That’s the reason why there are increasing number of public arts occurs in public spaces. It’s a method that let people to in memory of the history. And those public arts are with historical meaning.