# Public art that's actually good **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 20, 2026, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-art-thats-actually-good/1031050 "2026-06-20T13:52:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2026, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-art-thats-actually-good/1031050/1 "2026-06-20T13:52:01Z")
There are a lot of incentives for public buildings to have some sort of art on display. Often, this takes the form of a “1% for art” mandate, where 1% of the cost of new construction must go to public art. Predictably, this leads to artwork being chosen strictly by its price tag, which leads to some really bad public art. But sometimes you get something good. This thread is for those. For starters, here’s CityDogs, the Cleveland animal control kennel: [![](https://i.ibb.co/RTgzdvK7/IMG-20260612-152349942.jpg) ](https://i.ibb.co/RTgzdvK7/IMG-20260612-152349942.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2026, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-art-thats-actually-good/1031050/2 "2026-06-20T13:55:42Z")
Point of clarification: is “public” “government-owned or operated”, or is public “open to serve the public, even if not government”? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2026, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-art-thats-actually-good/1031050/3 "2026-06-20T13:58:40Z")
Let’s go with “put up to be visible from a public space”, regardless of the ownership. And if you’re not sure, err on the side of showing off the nifty artwork. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2026, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-art-thats-actually-good/1031050/4 "2026-06-20T14:09:35Z")
The Bean, in Chicago. I think it’s way cool. > **[Cloud Gate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_Gate)** > > Cloud Gate is a public sculpture by artist Anish Kapoor that is the centerpiece of Grainger Plaza at Millennium Park in the Loop community area of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Constructed between 2004 and 2006, the sculpture is nicknamed "The Bean" because of its shape, a name Kapoor initially disliked but later grew fond of. Made up of 168 stainless steel plates welded together, its reflective and highly polished exterior has no visible seams. It measures 33 by 66 by 42 feet (10 by 20 b... I like it better than the Picasso downtown. Which is not bad, either. > **[Chicago Picasso](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Picasso)** > > The Chicago Picasso (often just "The Picasso") is an untitled monumental sculpture by Pablo Picasso in Daley Plaza in Chicago, Illinois. The 1967 installation of the Picasso, wrote Ruth Lopez in The Art Newspaper, "precipitated an aesthetic shift in civic and urban planning, broadening the idea of public art beyond the commemorative." > The COR-TEN steel structure, dedicated on August 15, 1967, in the civic plaza in the Chicago Loop, is 50 feet (15.2 m) tall and weighs 162 short tons (147 metri... ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2026, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-art-thats-actually-good/1031050/5 "2026-06-20T14:20:57Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > For starters, here’s CityDogs, the Cleveland animal control kennel If you like that, you might enjoy Toronto’s Berczy Park Dog Fountain. [![](https://www.robinsoniron.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/dog-fountain-main-image.jpg) ](https://www.robinsoniron.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/dog-fountain-main-image.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2026, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-art-thats-actually-good/1031050/6 "2026-06-20T14:46:51Z")
Huh, I hadn’t realized that Picasso did any sculpture. And @hogarth , that’s neat too, but I’m slightly disappointed that the water is coming out of their mouths. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2026, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-art-thats-actually-good/1031050/7 "2026-06-20T14:51:27Z")
It’s called “The Awakening.” > **[Google Image Result for...](https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fmymodernmet.com%2Fwp%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Farchive%2FcRgNYNAL12HLpMhqgkjn_1082108561.jpeg&tbnid=zxr5Vdhs7n0BXM&vet=1&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fmymodernmet.com%2Fj-seward-johnson-the-awakening%2F&docid=dFgQLvIsA_6UpM&w=721&h=530&hl=en-US&source=sh%2Fx%2Fim%2Fm4%2F0&kgs=358f3b9e013918d2)** Seeing as how the poor guy’s been in there 45+ years, it doesn’t seem he’ll be getting out anytime soon. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2026, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-art-thats-actually-good/1031050/8 "2026-06-20T14:55:30Z")
‘[Another Place](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Another_Place_(sculpture))’ by Antony Gormley is truly otherworldly IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2026, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-art-thats-actually-good/1031050/9 "2026-06-20T14:59:23Z")
I am fond of this 16-foot tall pigeon that I ran into on the Manhattan High Line recently: [![](https://i.ibb.co/sdk6GPtY/NYC-Pigeon-statue.webp) ](https://i.ibb.co/sdk6GPtY/NYC-Pigeon-statue.webp) ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2026, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-art-thats-actually-good/1031050/10 "2026-06-20T15:02:08Z")
I would not stand under the back end of that if I were you. On the other hand… [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/A_8TRAaHUuI/hqdefault.jpg "Top Secret scene/jelenet") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_8TRAaHUuI) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2026, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-art-thats-actually-good/1031050/11 "2026-06-20T15:07:24Z")
Interesting… How are the statues mounted? If they were just standing there, they’d fall over quickly… Deep iron stakes embedded in the sand? And @Just_Asking_Questions , I can never see the Bean without thinking of the cache of weapons hidden in it in case of supernatural invasion… ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2026, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-art-thats-actually-good/1031050/12 "2026-06-20T15:26:28Z")
Portland has a piece downtown that I liked… [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0e/Kvinneakt_sculpture_in_Portland%2C_Oregon.jpg) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0e/Kvinneakt_sculpture_in_Portland%2C_Oregon.jpg) it became rather famous: [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/78/Expose_Yourself_to_Art.jpeg) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/78/Expose_Yourself_to_Art.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2026, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-art-thats-actually-good/1031050/13 "2026-06-20T15:43:09Z")
Claes Oldenberg’s work I love. This one’s in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/21/Spoonbridge_and_Cherry%2C_May_2008.jpg) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/21/Spoonbridge_and_Cherry%2C_May_2008.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2026, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-art-thats-actually-good/1031050/14 "2026-06-20T15:55:55Z")
The big brother of all public art. [![](https://www.gatewayarch.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/iStock-1284063242.jpg) ](https://www.gatewayarch.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/iStock-1284063242.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2026, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-art-thats-actually-good/1031050/15 "2026-06-20T16:12:18Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Interesting… How are the statues mounted? If they were just standing there, they’d fall over quickly… Deep iron stakes embedded in the sand? They’re set on plinths attached to deep steel piles, but the moving sands sometimes partly bury them, which adds to the effect I think. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2026, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-art-thats-actually-good/1031050/16 "2026-06-20T16:14:29Z")
I guess the [metal sculptures in Borrego Springs](https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/19194) might qualify. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2026, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-art-thats-actually-good/1031050/17 "2026-06-20T17:02:59Z")
The small town of Inman, Kansas, recently commissioned a local artist to paint a mural on the side of the grain elevator. The mural is 108 feet tall. [[Album] imgur.com ![](https://i.imgur.com/WyQAJVW.jpeg?fb "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/a/1y3ft5B) ETA: click on the image to get the full effect. Not sure why it’s compressed. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2026, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-art-thats-actually-good/1031050/18 "2026-06-20T20:13:09Z")
I’m fond of the big blue bear that is peering into the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. [![](https://i.ibb.co/fYymNRbN/IMG-2228.jpg) ](https://i.ibb.co/fYymNRbN/IMG-2228.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2026, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-art-thats-actually-good/1031050/19 "2026-06-20T20:18:36Z")
I hope they locked up all the food because that glass wall ain’t gonna stop him. ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2026, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-art-thats-actually-good/1031050/20 "2026-06-21T00:03:36Z")
unfortunately, we’re also stuck with ugly Serra “sculpture” (sic) across from City Hall [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-art-thats-actually-good/1031050.md?page=2)