2018 PAN Year in Review Trends and Themes: Underrepresented History Projects

Posted by Mr. Lucas Cowan, Mr. Kipp Kobayashi, Ms. Mandy Vink, Jan 14, 2019


Mr. Lucas Cowan


Mr. Kipp Kobayashi


Ms. Mandy Vink

Annually, the Public Art Network (PAN) Year in Review recognizes outstanding public art projects that represent the most compelling work for the year from across the country and beyond. The projects are selected and presented by a jury of three professionals who represent different aspects of the public art field, including artists, administrators, and other public art allies. New this year, the PAN Advisory Council curated the selected 49 selected projects for 2018 under five unique themes to broaden the exposure of the selected works on ARTSblog and social media, and to provide context to the works through national trends and themes that are impacting the field today.

Underrepresented History

Many of 2018’s selected public art projects addressed issues at the forefront of current political discourse — particularly, how history and culture has not represented race, gender, sexuality, and class with fairness. Politically and socially, the issues are playing out through the incoming U.S. House of Representatives and the #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements, among others. The arts and culture field is not exempt from addressing these national challenges, as demonstrated in recent museum exhibitions focused on decolonization, through the debate on memorials and monuments, and with temporary and permanent public artworks.

Of the 2018 selected PAN Year in Review projects, six uniquely addressed the issue of underrepresented histories. The six projects, listed below, range from live-performative pieces that re-interpreted historical dialogues to temporary sculptural artworks and murals. The projects sometimes existed for only for a few hours or as public engagement and interactions. This grouping demonstrates the power of public art to take on cultural issues with immediacy and relevance, as artwork in public spaces is uniquely suited to do.

"Time & Place: the Finest Amenities"

Time & Place: the Finest Amenities by Sheldon Scott, commissioned by the City of Alexandria Office of the Arts

Using the history of the harvesting of ice from the Potomac River and the storage and use of ice at Gadsby’s as a starting point, Scott’s work “examines the relationships between race, class, environment, luxury, and consumption by interrogating the process related to the use of Gadsby’s ice well.” For Time & Place: The Finest Amenities Scott created both an immersive performance artwork and a supporting exhibition of ephemera from the performance.

"The Battle is Joined." Photo by Mike Reali.

The Battle is Joined by Karyn Olivier, commissioned by Mural Arts Philadelphia

Olivier’s The Battle Is Joined is a mirrored remix of the Battle of Germantown Memorial, a 20-foot-high commemorative structure dedicated to a Revolutionary War skirmish between American and British troops in 1777. Olivier built out a temporary acrylic mirror to encase the monument as a way to bring people closer to one another, their surroundings, and their living histories. Olivier engages the neighborhood’s rich public history as a platform for understanding inherited symbols from the past and envisioning new modes of reflection, interpretation, and meaning making.

"BorderLands." Photo by Mark Woods.

BorderLands — exhibition with works by Pedro Lasch (lead project artist), Anida Yoeu Ali, Carina del Rosario, Ryan! Feddersen, Satpreet Kahlon, Henry Luke, Ries Niemi, Crystal Schenk, and Inye Wokoma, commissioned by Seattle Office of Arts & Culture

During the four months of the BorderLands exhibition, the space was filled with workshops and events led by local artists, social justice leaders, and members of arts organizations exploring conversations of belonging and resistance. BorderLands was a lesson in the visionary strength of artists to confront current issues and inspire individuals to be the change we want to see. A project by artist and educator Pedro Lasch investigating ideas of nationalism and belonging anchored the space, and was accompanied by responsive installations by nine regional artists.

"If They Should Ask." Photo by Steve Weinik.

If They Should Ask by Sharon Hayes, commissioned by Mural Arts Philadelphia

In a city boasting hundreds of monuments to historic figures, there are only two dedicated to women. To address the absence of women in public monuments, If They Should Ask marks a long line of Philadelphia women, from the mid-1600s to the present day, who could be or could have been recognized with monuments. Hayes recreated nine pedestals from existing monuments in Philadelphia, scaled them to half-size, and arranged them together in a singular assemblage. Hayes convened a group of intergenerational, intersectional, and civically-engaged women to discuss, as Hayes notes, “the persistent and aggressive exclusion of women from this form of public recognition.” Hayes and these advisors initiated an ongoing collection of names of Philadelphia-area women who have contributed to the social, cultural, political, and economic life of the city, a selection of which were incorporated into the sculpture.

"Time & Place: Centennial of the Everyday." Photo by Lauren Adams and Stewart Watson.

Time & Place: Centennial of the Everyday by Lauren Francis Adams and Stewart Watson, commissioned by City of Alexandria Office of the Arts

As the first in a series of periodic curated exhibitions, Lauren F. Adams and Stewart Watson created a temporary public artwork that fostered exploration and dialogue about Alexandria’s rich history located in Gadsby’s Tavern. Titled Centennial of the Everyday, Adams and Watson decided to not focus on John Gadsby, but instead focus on the idea of the tavern as being a place for convergence. To tell the stories of women, enslaved people, and anonymous visitors whose stories are often overshadowed in history by the more historically famous individuals, the artists created new works and objects that sat beside the historic objects throughout the museum, almost blending in with the historical items around them.

Denver Mural Project. Photo by Lucia de Giovanni.

Denver Urban Arts Fund and RAW Denver Mural Project by Audrey Sykes, commissioned by Denver Arts & Venues Urban Arts Fund Program (UAF)

To improve learning environments and communities around Denver’s low income neighborhoods, The Re-Imagining Arts Worldwide (RAW) mural project painted the exterior walls of three elementary schools (Eagleton, Cowell, and Fairview) in Villa Park and Sun Valley. Over 30 local, national, and international artists came to Denver to make an impact on these children’s lives. As the team of artists, curated by the RAW project, volunteered their time and talent to increase the vibrancy of these learning environments, disadvantaged students from these often overlooked, low income, minority neighborhoods will now have access to school buildings and play areas adorned with large scale works of art that create an inspiring culture of learning and discovery.


The 2019 PAN Year in Review application will be open January 18 through February 27, 2019. Visit AmericansfortheArts.org/YIR for more information and to submit a project for consideration.