Public Art Crawl:

Creating an Awareness of Community

and Culture

by
Natalie Hyder

Critical Intervention
ARE6641
Master of Arts in Art Education
University of Florida

March 2015

Research Brief:
Public art is a broad term that refers to art in public spaces and
includes architecture, landscape, and urban design. Public art
makes public spaces more beautiful, encourages us to pause and
interact with our environment, or reminds us of important people
and events. (Arigo, 2004, p. 25)
One block from Sealey Elementary School is a beautiful painting of
Florida palms on outside wall of a motel. The oranges, pinks, and yellows
that surround the palms depict the states famous sunsets. A few blocks in
the opposite direction you can find the stainless steel and granite sculpture,
Glimmer (2007), made by artist Gino Miles. As its name suggests, this
sculpture glimmers in the sun and is a symbol of our communitys bright
future (Outdoor public art). Public art permeates this city, and students do
not have to travel far to see it. They do not need to find a gallery or museum
to have access to original art (Russell, 2004).
Public art is a part of a citys culture. It helps to define a city, adds
uniqueness to a community, and is meant to improve the quality of life.
These works exist in cities and towns in which we live and embody the
historical and cultural meanings of the locals where they are on display
(Carpenter, 2004, p. 4). There is a collaboration of local artists, architects,
and city planners that brings together a community in new and creative
ways. The artists may use unconventional and unusual materials, and the
results are not often thought of as art (Coutts, 2004). It literally transforms
the community by changing the surface of building or rerouting streets to
make room for public art. A street in Tallahassee was repaved and reworked
to include a roundabout that is now home to the large installation,
Declaratio, installed in 2014, made by artist Kenn Von Roenn. This sculpture
is made of laminated dichroic glass, stainless steel, and light (Outdoor public
art).

In downtown Tallahassee, diverse sculptures range from a carved

Styrofoam VW bus to painted fire hydrants (Outdoor public art). There are at
least 170 works of public art in Tallahassee and they are more than just
historic equestrian statues. These outdoor public pieces consist of painted
and mosaic murals, historic and contemporary sculptures, graffiti art, stained
glass windows, and memorials. Through my research for this project I have
become aware of the outdoor public art that Tallahassee has to offer.
This art is not just for aesthetics; some of it addresses the social and
cultural issues of Tallahassees history. On the corner of South Monroe and
Jefferson Street, there is an installation that commemorates the brave
individuals who challenged segregation and changed history. This public art
consists of 16 terrazzo panels that recount the remarkable events during the
civil rights movement, which includes, Leon Countys 1960 lunch counter sitins, the 1965 bus boycott, and some of the notable protest signs and
messages. This installation is known as the Tallahassee - Leon County Civil
Rights Heritage Walk (2013) and it is over 72 feet in length. It was a
collaborative effort of the artists from the Master Craftsman Studio and city
planners of Leon County (Master Craftsman Studio).
Not far from the Heritage Walk is the Tallahassee Fire Department
Memorial Garden. Eleven painted fire hydrants stand in the place of flowers
to represent the first responders who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
In the article, Clarifying Visual Culture Art Education, Duncum (2002) writes
that learning about the history of representation in a culture (like the fire
hydrants) can reveal to students more about their contemporary culture.
These sculptures and installations are the perfect way to implement
Visual Culture Art Education (VACE). Just like with the installation, Leon
County Civil Rights Heritage Walk, these art works can encourage the
students to explore deeper into the social, political, and cultural issues they
represent. They should be examined closely to give the students a better
understanding of their community.

Outdoor public art is often overlooked as a valuable resource of

contemporary art education to teachers and students. Usually what is
taught and what I have been guilty of teaching are the usual suspects
dead white European painters (Coutts, 2004, p. 34). What I didnt realize,
when I first started my research, were all the things I had done to keep my
students ignorant of what Tallahassee has to offer in terms of contemporary
art. I have included public art in lessons and units: the Eiffel Tower, Parc
Guell, the Statue of Liberty; but why have I never exposed my students to
the public art that they are minutes away from? Perhaps it was my
preconceived notion of public art for consisting of bronze statues and
memorial plaques. Tallahassees Council on Cultural Arts has made finding
public art around our community as easy as a Google image search for a
portrait of Vincent van Gogh. All it took was a little research on my part.
Now I have no excuses. This plan calls for not only an intervention for my
students, but also an intervention for myself.
I want to send my students onto middle and high school with
knowledge of the art that surrounds them in their hometown. When I asked
my students where they could find art in Tallahassee, I received many
shrugs. A few students said the public library. I believe this answer comes
from the art show our school has there once a year. The majority of my
students are unaware of the abundance of art found throughout the capital
of Florida. This could be my fault and I intend to correct it.
The Intervention:
Coutts (2004) poses some important questions that I should be asking
about the public art in Tallahassee, What might this public art mean to
young people? Will students in city schools be aware of the different
intentions and functions of public art? What is the educational potential of
public art (p. 33)? These questions have led me to develop a unit of study
based on the outdoor public art in Tallahassee, Florida.

My art in public places unit will consist of four lessons; a picture study
of 31 pieces of public art in Tallahassee, a demonstration from a local artist
from the Master Craftsman Studio, a public art walk or pub-crawl, and a
group project to create public art for the school. This unit is designed to
familiarize students with the public art and artists around their town and give
them a sense of community by working together to create art.
There are structures or murals that my students may walk pass every
day without realizing the stories behind their construction and how this art
represents the culture of Tallahassee. Therefore, the essential questions we
will focus on are: How does our community benefit from public art and how
does this art reflect our community?
The first lesson in my public art unit will be a picture study lesson to
familiarize students with the art that they will see on the pub-crawl. The 31
images consist of public sculptures, murals, stained glass windows,
monuments, and memorials. We will discuss the function, materials, content
and artist(s) of each work of art.
The second lesson is a demonstration from a local contemporary artist
from the Master Craftsman Studio. The Master Craftsman Studio is a working
professional studio owned and run by Florida State University. This studio is
responsible for many of the installations and public art around Tallahassee.
They have an ongoing relationship with the local public schools, and will send
one of their artists to demonstrate and talk about their craft.
The third lesson is a group project for the students to work together to
create public art for their school. Their art should be relevant to the school,
and built or made in a way that is durable. It must withstand the test of time.
The last lesson of the unit will be a field trip to downtown Tallahassee.
The students will take a tour of the public art that they studied at the
beginning of the unit. This is a three-mile walk that leads the students
through downtown to see 31 pieces of public art. This lesson will not only
bring awareness of the art in their community but it will also simultaneously
promote healthy living.

I hope this unit heightens the students awareness of the many

examples of public art found throughout their community. Dead white
European men are not the only artists that made great artwork. Great
artwork can be found all around, it can be painted on the side of a building,
in a park, or as part of a memorial. My goal is the next time my students
walk past a mural or sculpture they stop and look. I hope that they wonder
who the artist is and why this piece was made. I hope that they realize this
art is a part of the culture of their community and realize that it took a
community to create it, just as they will have to work communally to create
their artwork. Most importantly I hope this unit inspires them to create.

References
Arigo, C. (2004). Teaching with public art. Art Education , 57 (4), 25-32.
Carpenter, B. S. (2004). Art and the public. Art Education , 57 (4), 4-5.
Coutts, G. (2004). Multimedia, curriculum and public art. Art Education , 57
(4), 33-39.
Duncum, P. (2002). Clarifying visual culture art education. Art Education , 55
(3), 6-11.
Master Craftsman Studio. (n.d.). Retrieved 2015 20-March from
Facilities:
www.facilities.fsu.edu/depts/mastercaft/
Outdoor public art. (n.d.). Retrieved 2015 23-March from COCA Council
on Culture and
Arts: www.cocanet.org/outdoorart/
Russell, R. (2004). A beginner's guide to public art. Art Education , 57 (4), 1924.