Glatt and Singer repositioned it so that prevailing winds would carry the smells away from populated areas. Working with landscape architect John Kissida, she chose plants not only for their shape, color, and time of bloom but also for the way they smell and move. She's a prime example of the contemporary artist who wants to be useful rather than imperial. Cambridge is getting its money's worth. The public-art process is an intricately choreographed dance for artists, for those who fund it, and for government agencies.
Artists cede some of their customary freedom.
They must compromise, working within the limitations of budget and construction schedules - and with subject matter that may be dictated by someone else. Feelings about those subjects may run high, especially in the case of memorial art. D.C. A design much reviled when selected by a panel that included art experts, and much revered now, the monument testifies to the value of expertise. It should be a lesson in humility for those commissioning public art, whether government agency or private developer. Those decision makers, who would automatically seek out the best professionals for brain surgery or car repair, all too often rely on their own untutored taste when it comes to art.