What function does public art serve?

Answer 1

While the purpose of art itself may be a highly debated subject, public art serves more distinct purposes: aesthetic beauty and access. Public art (ideally) beautifies the area/place in which it resides, though this is of course not agreed upon in the cases of all pieces of art, nor all places. The presence of public art creates and aesthetic that gives its place of residence a kind of character, a statement about the place itself. Public art may be functional (as in ornately sculpted stone benches in an inviting small town), memorial (as in the Lincoln Memorial in DC), or purely for the enjoyment of those who pass by (as the bean in Chicago).

Public art also allows common access: people may appreciate culture in a way that was once only afforded to the wealthy. Public art allows all that view it the opportunity to appreciate it. Although public art has been around as long as civilization, the idea of equal access to art fits in rather nicely with the modern day equal-opportunity sentiment.