Making It Work: New Directions In Public Art

Sive Bresnihan
Trinity College Dublin
Department of History of Art and Architecture
2001
BA

Subject: Painting and Sculpture
Country: Ireland
Period: 20th Century

10,000 words

In this dissertation the activities of local authorities in Ireland in relation to their commissioning of public art is examined and their level of success in the area from the 1980's to the present day is assessed. Chapter one presents a framework for the evaluation of public art and introduces some of the issues by asking "what is public art?" Chapter two explores some of the early approaches to the commissioning of public art in Ireland and reviews several commissions. Problems with early approaches are highlighted to form a background to the following chapter which covers the review of public art in Ireland in 1994 and the subsequent 1997 Steering Group Report to the Government. In the final chapter, the full implications of, and the local authorities response, to the report are examined.

Irish Georgian Society

Education Theses Register

Making It Work: New Directions In Public Art