Public Art Philosophy

The Revolving Museum produces public art projects of varying sizes and themes.  Projects include artistic responses to abandoned or public spaces, collaborations between artists and youth/community groups, interactive artistic workshops with the public, and other public art activities and events. It is the belief of the Revolving Museum (further referred to as RM) that public art provides a unique opportunity to positively transform the lives of countless numbers of individuals.  Art has the mysterious ability to educate, entertain, comfort, challenge, heal and inspire people both individually and collectively. 

Public art has the added value of reaching those who may not normally seek out "art" for these benefits. Our motto, “Making Space for Art and Community”, encapsulates what the museum believes to be the unique purpose and function of “public art” - to introduce the community to art, to one another, to their contemporary social concerns, and to the artistic possibilities of their shared environment.   From its establishment, the Revolving Museum has been an artist-run organization nationally recognized for its innovation and radical dedication to creating opportunities for public art to function purposefully within a community.

Public art involves people like few other art forms.  Whether passively (as part of the landscape like an outdoor sculpture) or actively (inviting direct participation from the public in interactive installations), public art becomes a part of people's lives.  This integration, either subtle or bold, is what transforms ideas, beliefs, and emotions.

The RM believes that public art created through collaboration is an extremely powerful experience.  The direct involvement of numbers of artists, youth and community members focuses and intensifies the transformational experience for those individuals. Both the creative process and the teamwork process become strong and multi-faceted educators. Collaborative public art also expands the direct relevance of the project beyond the community where it is located to intimately affect increased numbers of friends, family, neighbors, and community members.

Public art has the added value of reaching those who may not normally seek out "art" for these benefits. Our motto, “Making Space for Art and Community”, encapsulates what the museum believes to be the unique purpose and function of “public art” - to introduce the community to art, to one another, to their contemporary social concerns, and to the artistic possibilities of their shared environment.   From its establishment, the Revolving Museum has been an artist-run organization nationally recognized for its innovation and radical dedication to creating opportunities for public art to function purposefully within a community.

Public art involves people like few other art forms.  Whether passively (as part of the landscape like an outdoor sculpture) or actively (inviting direct participation from the public in interactive installations), public art becomes a part of people's lives.  This integration, either subtle or bold, is what transforms ideas, beliefs, and emotions.

The RM believes that public art created through collaboration is an extremely powerful experience.  The direct involvement of numbers of artists, youth and community members focuses and intensifies the transformative experience for those individuals. Both the creative process and the teamwork process become strong and multi-faceted educators. Collaborative public art also expands the direct relevance of the project beyond the community where it is located to intimately affect increased numbers of friends, family, neighbors, and community members.

What is our standard for Public-Art?

Strong projects produce a higher quality of experience for those involved. RM will strive for this characteristic project strength in the following ways:  RM projects will be flexible to accommodate new ideas and allow for spontaneity and group involvement.  They will be produced via clear, focused procedures to ensure thoroughness and alignment with principles.  They will present a high quality aesthetic reflecting the artistic integrity of the RM and the self respect of participating individuals.  Finally, RM projects will be planned to be ambitious and innovative, but will always be manageable and achievable. Each project/exhibition of the RM will be guided by the following precepts:

PUBLIC EDUCATION:  Public art can educate people about social, political, ethnic, religious, and environmental issues.  Public art can also convey the unique power of art as a vehicle for expressing ideas, opinions, and emotions, for bridging separate communities, and for celebrating heritage and identity. The RM projects will address this need for education.

RELEVANCE:  Public art is meaningful in direct relation to it's ability to respond to the physical, sociological and environmental issues of the site in which it is located.  The RM  projects will focus on integrating all the levels of experience of a site into the thematic and physical composition of the project.

CONTRIBUTION TO COMMUNITY:  Not only can public art transform perspectives and attitudes but it can expand and enhance the way a community identifies itself.  PAP projects will not only respond to a site, but will contribute positively to the identity of the site and/or community in which it is installed.

COMMUNITY/RELATIONSHIP BUILDING:  Understanding can dissolve prejudice, build community, and inspire innovation.  Understanding comes from exposure and relationship. RM projects will encourage artists of varying artistic disciplines to work closely together with each other and with local citizens to expand understanding of different techniques, styles, philosophies and personalities.  The most valuable experience will be those that are entered into with openness, curiosity, and respect.

PARTICIPANT DIVERSITY: The United States as a whole has a very diverse population in terms of age, ethnicity, religion, class, and sexual preference. RM projects will focus attention on representing this diversity in the teams of participants involved.  In addition, RM projects will emphasize the inclusion of citizens local to the site in the production of the project.

ARTISTIC VARIETY:  It is clear that different individuals and communities respond to different media.  It is also clear that different thematic or philosophical goals are served better by different approaches.  All RM projects will include a wide variety of artistic mediums and styles, from the temporary to the permanent, the representational to the abstract.

LONG-TERM IMPACT:  Lasting positive transformation is supported by ongoing commitment. The Revolving Museum has the desire for long-term impact and relationships with communities, citizens and artists.  Projects will facilitate long-term commitment through the permanency of some projects, reoccurring collaborations with artists or community groups, and/or by providing ongoing opportunities for individual participation in TRM activities.