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Art Canadian

Public Art in Canada

Critical Perspectives

by (author) Annie Gérin & James S. McLean

Publisher
University of Toronto Press
Initial publish date
Mar 2011
Category
Canadian
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9780802095688
    Publish Date
    Mar 2011
    List Price
    $51.00
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9780802098474
    Publish Date
    Jul 2009
    List Price
    $83.00
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781442697089
    Publish Date
    Mar 2011
    List Price
    $41.95

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Description

Arguably, public art is experienced daily by more people than most offerings in galleries, yet our notion of what constitutes public art is surprisingly limited. Public Art in Canada broadens the critical discussion by exploring public art's varied means of engaging with public space and the public sphere. Annie Gérin and James S. McLean have assembled contributions from new and established Canadian scholars, curators, and artists. Each contributor enlivens our understanding of public art as a practice and its place in the social and aesthetic formation of which it is a part. As a result, the book provides an overview of the current debates in the field of public art that are informed by the theories and critical literature of art history, communication studies, cultural studies, sociology, and urban studies.

The rigorous essays and original works of art collected in this volume present a compelling demonstration of the strategies, aesthetic and otherwise, used by artists to elicit intellectual, sensual, or emotional responses that can only be obtained through artistic practices in public places. Public Art in Canada is a major contribution to the study of Canadian art and culture.

About the authors

Annie Gérin is a curator and assistant professor of art history and art theory in the Department of Visual Arts at the University of Ottawa. She has published articles on public art in journals such as Espace, BlackFlash, and Fuse.

Annie Gérin's profile page

James S. McLean is a professor of journalism at Concordia University and co-editor of Public Art in Canada: Critical Perspectives.

James S. McLean's profile page