At least three forces vie for dominance in any art project in a public space. The artist is called in through either a competition or private commission and is asked to solve a problem with the site; enhance it in some specific, or non-specific way; or a combination of the two. The client might be either a municipality required to engage an artist through a Percent for Arts program, or a public agency also under a mandated art program or a private, commercial developer, architect or individual. Then there is the public. Who is the public for the particular project? What are their needs, are they involved or not in the process? The public's response to a project is often the loudest and most varied.
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