To Backtrack: Street Art versus Public Art

Much like the on-going debate between graffiti advocates and the opposition, another dichotomy exists in the field of public space use. This probably should have been clarified early but bear with me here! This manifests in the form of street art versus public art. In short, street art is defined by independent, individual architects of visual imagery and art in the public sphere, while public art is generally thought of as anything commisioned by a government, corporation, neighborhood or whatever with the purpose of providing urban betterment. The two are quite different and introduce a series of debates over how public space should be governed.

Interpreting and extracting meaning from the stream of messages continuously sent to urban communities requires an understanding of the specific differences and contexts that define the terms used throughout this study. In order to better understand the impact and impression created by various forms of idea exchange, the aforementioned foundational definitions are required.

Notably, street art is present in many forms. Historically, graffiti is a general, overlapping example of street art – the act of an urban (or increasingly suburban) artist using their public landscape as a canvas. Graffiti is a common term that is not limited to only the stereotypical image of some nighttime rogue armed with cans of spray paint. Stenciling, wheatpasting and stickering have evolved into independent media of their own, garnering some of the praise, condemnation and analysis that the graffiti writers of the ‘70s and ‘80s experienced, as mentioned in an earlier post. But street art is not limited to a two-dimensional graphic representation like a sticker or stencil. It doesn’t necessarily blend into the cityscape like a fine fountain or monument. Like public art, street art can be statuesque, performance-based, installed on the urban landscape or three-dimensional and confrontational. It can be intentionally temporary or meant to last.


Shown is the notorious Gates of Central Park from earlier this decade. Jean Claude and Christo, European-born artists known for their emphasis on natural and public space use for their projects, created a city-sanctioned piece of art that was at one point unconventional and difficult to understand but at another point overwhelming in it's dominance over the public realm. [Courtesy of Gothamist]

Denoting the difference between public art and street art is complicated by the inherent similarities in their title words. Streets are notably free spaces, known by urban visitors and citizens for their communal use for public purposes. The city sidewalk can often feel about as public as it gets. But the reality is that ultimately, someone is vying for control of that space and it often boils back down to the individual pitted against the institution. That is why public space is such an interesting point for cultural warfare - it is all at once everyone's and noone's.

Here is where I can actively engage the perspectives of public art's opponents. Public art is arguably a less desired form of visual imagery in the urban space, mostly because it uses up resources that could be allocated towards bettering school systems and government programs, combating homelessness, fixing transportation networks or any of the myriad concerns that come up in urban planning. Architects of public art often encounter a great deal of criticism for appearing like a fluffy waste of resources in troubled communities that would be better off with a new library than a new monument or mural. The creation of urban identity and community space need not rely on visual context in the forms that public art can provide. Aesthetic development of the public realm need be back-burner to the pressing realities of urban life, such as poverty, housing depressions, gentrification and more. When Washington spends a ton of money erecting a new monument while simultaneously trying to whitewash graffiti, it seems like a grandiose misuse of funds and people in dire need of structured assistance see it too.