As of Monday, the city s Department of Cultural Affairs had installed about one-third of the 350 individual objects scheduled to go out. Everybody can afford to be casual because it s motivated by tourism that increases as the spring turns to summer. The event will be a success not because of the urgency of the artists efforts but the public relations impact their work has with visitors on behalf of both the sponsors and the city. Last time, advertisements got the better of art. This time, there were all sorts of assurances that wouldn t happen again, but it does, with only a slight shift in emphasis.
Public art can be many things ranging from pure form to a commemoration.
Advertising is left to billboards and posters. Several have the tone of propaganda art. Rather than freely building on the associations that pieces of furniture have, these works merely use the forms of furniture as bulletin boards upon which to tack postcards from the tourist bureau. Similarly, the old European idea of plazas and parks being extensions of living rooms is updated and toyed with by S. Thom Cicchelli, who goes so far as to frame a view of North Michigan Avenue. Both of these works elaborate the generic furniture forms provided by the project.