"...formally private lives have assumed the character of public property through the media"

This is the first statement to jump out at me and I thought was really poignant. Our lives as Artist are so public and on-display that sometimes I feel as though I'm opening my soul up to an unforgiving world to take and do with it as it pleases. It is a very unsettling yet beautiful experience at the same time. My feelings about who the audience is in relation to the artist is something that really made me think.

"Many public artists today suggest that the communication is two-way, some going so far as to purpose that the space between artist and audience is, in fact, the artwork."

Lacy speaks about "deconstructing" the audience and how that relates to the work; does it enhance or take from the overall meaning. In writing about this she constructs a model of the layers between the artist and the audience. In doing this, one is already saying there is some formulaic process to public art, or any art for that matter. This is the main reason why I had such a visceral reaction to this text. I believe that public art in itself is a form of activism. Whether the artist is aware of any activist activities or not or whether the artist even considers themselves an artist. I believe we get so caught up in these labeling of "what is" instead of just feeling it or seeing or experiencing these public art pieces and having that moment with ourselves and interpreting it as the audience and not get wrapped up in wondering what the artist intentions were for you.

The image above is an example of an artists reaction as an audience member to what corporate art puts in front of our faces on a daily basis, they just call their art "advertising". I really love to see things on the streets that are reactions to things like this. This is a simple statement that the artist put up and now every time someone walks by this billboard made for this capitalist agenda they will stop for just a moment and think. Everyone will have a different reaction to this and maybe someone else will come along and alter it, but thats the beauty of public art. It isn't mine and it isn't yours....it's ours, and whether you want to think you are the artist or the audience I believe if you let yourself move in this centrifugal way were you are constantly morphing between the two, there will be less of a definitive line between them.

[the following link is a piece broadcasted on 60 minuets. Please comment your thoughts if you have any reaction as an artist or audience or artist/audience or anything in between!]

When did this become art? <----------click here :)