Katz Plaza in downtown Pittsburgh, with sculpture by Louise Bourgeois (Photo: The Muse Dialogue)

The worlds of public art and street art are complicated, enmeshed in social mores of the age and political debate, and all this discussion before we even get to the question of aesthetic judgment. Street art has aroused controversy, and that seems part of its purpose. Public art differs at least in that it has the permission of those who place it in the public view, but it too has awakened its share of contentiousness. Then we must consider the history of art that has been preserved for the benefit of the public. The collection of the National Gallery in Washington, D.C. is “public art” in its own way for it belongs to all of us. No small matter, these questions, and good ones for our contemplation. TMD takes this opportunity to look at some of the art in our public places in Vol. 1, No. 4 Street Art and Public Art.

Anna Pavlova as The Dying Swan (Photo: Public Domain)

The Pavlova Effect: An Argument for Equal Access to Arts Education

Michelle Van Doeren, a teaching artist at Pittsburgh’s School for Creative and Performing Arts, makes an argument for why our public education system needs to support arts education. This piece comes as an update to our issue, Vol. 1, No. 1: Arts, Families and Children.