Originally uploaded by mpgambo

Location: University of the Philippines, across the Philippines

This post is a tribute to the University of the Philippines’ commemoration of its Centennial Year (1908-2008).

From wikipedia:
The Oblation is the iconic symbol of the University of the Philippines, represented by a man with arms wide-stretched and face facing up, symbolizing selfless offering of one’s self to his country…The (original) Oblation was made by Professor Guillermo E. Tolentino with the help of Anastacio T. Caedo, his student apprentice…. Several replicas of the Oblation were made for campuses of the University of the Philippines, some by national artist, Napoleon Abueva, and 2005 national artist nominee Glenn Bautista…

At the UP Diliman campus, Quezon City, Philippines (uploaded by Michael Tienzo)

Front view at the UP Cebu campus, Cebu, Philippines (uploaded by APO-Zeta Omega)

at the UP Mindanao campus, Mintal, Bago Oshiro, Davao City, Philippines (uploaded by barefoot cinderella)

At the UP Open University, Laguna, Philippines (uploaded by Al Librero)

At the UP Visayas Campus, Iloilo City, Philippines (uploaded by IAMME00)

Back view at UP Diliman Campus, Quezon City, Philippines (uploaded by orangedroplet)

Instead of being a time of unusual behavior, Christmas is perhaps the only time in the year when people can obey their natural impulses and express their true sentiments without feeling self-conscious and, perhaps, foolish.  Christmas, in short, is about the only chance a man has to be himself. ~Francis C. Farley

[I]t is the one season of the year when we can lay aside all gnawing worry, indulge in sentiment without censure, assume the carefree faith of childhood, and just plain “have fun.”  Whether they call it Yuletide, Noel, Weinachten, or Christmas, people around the earth thirst for its refreshment as the desert traveller for the oasis. ~D.D. Monroe

Christmas, children, is not a date.  It is a state of mind. ~Mary Ellen Chase

Somehow, not only for Christmas
But all the long year through,
The joy that you give to others
Is the joy that comes back to you.
And the more you spend in blessing
The poor and lonely and sad,
The more of your heart’s possessing
Returns to you glad.

-John Greenleaf Whittier

We Heart Public Art wishes everyone a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!

Bust of Dr. Lincoln Goodale (taken by jfsl3 in Columbus, Ohio, USA, 2005)

Statue of Captain James Cook (taken by werewegian in Yorkshire, UK, 2007)

Festive Hippo (taken by Helena Pugsley in Marwell Zoo,  Colden Common, UK, 2008)

A Statue in Savannah, Georgia (taken by jamieca, 2006)

Lion with a Wreath (taken by {elaine} in Chicago. USA, 2007)

Ibsen with a Santa Hat (taken by svanes, Grimstad, Norway, 2006)

An Angel with a Santa Hat (taken by kerryank in Adelaide, Australia, 2008)

Until one feels the spirit of Christmas, there is no Christmas. All else is outward display–so much tinsel and decorations. For it isn’t the holly, it isn’t the snow. It isn’t the tree not the firelight’s glow. It’s the warmth that comes to the hearts of men when the Christmas spirit returns again. - Author Unknown

The Supreme Court has ruled that they cannot have a nativity scene in Washington, DC.  This wasn’t for any religious reasons.  They couldn’t find three wise men and a virgin. -Jay Leno

Perhaps the best Yuletide decoration is being wreathed in smiles. -Author Unknown

Peas on Earth (taken by pleaseknock in Bondi, Australia 2007)

Giant Christmas Ornaments (taken by uzvards in San Francisco, USA, 2005)

Menorah Display for Hannukah: taken by hyagain at the Germantown Jewish Center, Philadelphia, USA, 2003

Now all we need is a giant socket… (Taken by megan duffy in NYC, USA 2007)

All wrapped up (taken by ichico in Tokyo, Japan 2006)

Giant Christmas Lantern (taken by bikoy in Pampanga, Philippines, 2007)

Huge Festive Decors (taken by Kalle Anka in London, UK, 2008)

]]> http://publicheart.wordpress.com/2008/12/24/displays-and-decorations-winter-holidays/feed/ 0 SL photo sharing (respect artist's copyrights) photo sharing (respect artists copyrights) photo sharing (respect artists copyrights) photo sharing (respect artists copyrights) photo sharing (respect artists copyrights) photo sharing (respect artist's copyrights) photo sharing (respect artists copyrights) http://publicheart.wordpress.com/2008/12/22/ice-and-snow-sculptures-part-2/ http://publicheart.wordpress.com/2008/12/22/ice-and-snow-sculptures-part-2/#comments Mon, 22 Dec 2008 16:23:54 +0000 SL http://publicheart.wordpress.com/?p=426 Continue reading →]]> Quoted from wikipedia:

Sculpting ice presents a number of difficulties due to the variability and volatility of the material. Ice must be carefully selected to be suitable for the sculptor’s purposes and should be free of undesired impurities. Typically, ideal carving ice is made from pure, clean water. However, clear, transparent ice is a result of the freezing process and not necessarily related to the purity of the water. Clear ice is mostly the result of slow freezing that allows impurities to escape. The water molecules are allowed to line up into the typical crystal lattice while impurities remain in the unfrozen water. Certain machines and processes allow for slow freezing and the removal of impurities and therefore are able to produce the clear blocks of ice that are favored by ice carvers. However, not all blocks that are carved are clear ice. White ice blocks look like snow and are sometimes carved. Colored ice blocks are produced by adding dyes to the ice and can be carved as well. In some instances, clear ice and colored ice are combined to create a desired effect.

Frozen in thought: Ice sculpture entry for Zehnder’s Snowfest, Frankenmuth, Michigan USA (taken in Jan. 2008 by David :0)

Detail of ice sculpture of child: Halifax Ice Sculpture Trail, Nova Scotia, Canada (taken in Dec. 2008 by john2544)

Ice Queen: from Wereldwonderen, Netherlands (taken in Dec. 2007 by Eisbeertje)

Cold Icy Stare: Exposición de Esculturas de Hielo in Madrid, Spain (taken in Dec. 2007 by tonymadrid)

Royal Icy Treatment: Ice Sculpture Festival and Trail, Norwich, Norfolk, UK (taken in Dec. 2005 by Leo Reynolds)

Ice Fantasy: International Competition of Ice and Sculpture in Khabarovsk, Russia (taken in Jan. 2008 by smakogon)

Originally uploaded by abbybatchelder

Location: copies of this statue are found across the USA particularly in university and college campuses

Sculpture by: George Lundeen, bronze

Quoted from the article “Behind the Bronze” in theclockonline:
“I was in that house [Robert Frost's house in New Hampshire] and they have kind of a wooden easy chair there,” Lundeen explained. “There was a picture next to it of him (Frost) sitting in that chair.”
The inspiration for Plymouth’s statue and its 20 other copies scattered around the United States came from the “desk” that Frost had set up on the chair to write on.
“He put a board across the arms of the chair and there was a hole with a stick through it to keep it up,” Lundeen said. “What I did for the piece was use that board, propped up with that stick… I thought that it really worked well.”
A bronze statue made at life-size takes approximately a year to complete. Lundeen explained that for the first four to six months a clay piece, approximately the size of the final product is used to achieve a good overall appearance.
“When you see a life size piece like that, you need a good silhouette that will greet people,” Lundeen said.
From there it takes a month to develop the mold for the sculpture and another two or three months to cast and finish the artwork.

One statue in Plymouth State University (flickr pic originally uploaded by misterbisson)

flickr pic originally uploaded by Josh Fields (Plymouth State University)

This one is in Colorado University (flickr pic originally uploaded by Photoman Dan)…

….while this statue is in Dartmouth College (flickr pic originally uploaded by adam.riggall)

Detail shot originally uploaded by misterbisson

Originally uploaded by marisa.landrigan

Location: Gateway Park, Des Moines, Iowa, USA

Sculpture by Jaume Plensa, stainless steel, 2007

Quoted from sculpture.net:
Venture capitalist and philanthropist John Pappajohn has purchased a 25-foot-tall sculpture by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa as the signature piece for the sculpture garden Pappajohn wants to create in Des Moines’ downtown Gateway Park.

The piece, titled “Nomade,” is being shipped to Iowa from Florida, where it appeared…in Art Basel Miami Beach, an international art show… The sculpture is made of randomly arranged stainless steel letters that are painted white and welded in the shape of a person sitting with knees drawn up to the chest with arms around the knees. The artist has said the shape was based on a position that his son sometimes assumes.

“It will be so interactive with people,” said City Councilwoman Chris Hensley. “You can go in and walk around inside the sculpture and sit inside it. The lighting will make it spectacular at night.”

Nomade is lighted from the ground inside the sculpture…causing the inside of the letters to reflect the white enamel paint and the outside to take on a ghostly, dark presence.

flickr pic originally uploaded by broox

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“The motivations and objectives that drive street artists are as varied as the artists themselves. There is a strong current of activism and subversion in urban art. Street art can be a powerful platform for reaching the public, and frequent themes include adbusting, subvertising and other culture jamming, the abolition of private property and reclaiming the streets. Other street artists simply see urban space as an untapped format for personal artwork, while others may appreciate the challenges and risks that are associated with installing illicit artwork in public places. However the universal theme in most, if not all street art, is that adapting visual artwork into a format which utilizes public space, allows artists who may otherwise feel disenfranchised, to reach a much broader audience than traditional artwork and galleries normally allow.”

Graffiti Christmas tree with “toy” ornaments: taken in St. Petersburg, Russia in June, 2008 (originally uploaded by быдло-метро трэш-мажор)

“Merry Fishmast:” taken in Locarno, Switzerland in 2006 (originally uploaded by angora frog)

“Winter in America:” by Chris Stain, taken in Norway (?), September 2008 (Originally uploaded by Romanywg)

“Darth, I am Your Father” by eye, taken in Cardiff, Wales, UK, Nov. 2008 (Originally uploaded by Thiefree)

Santa’s Ghetto: Found on the security barrier or ‘apartheid wall’ in Bethlehem, West Bank, Palestine, this graffiti art is from Italian street artist, Blu (photo taken in Dec. 2007 and originally uploaded by eddiedangerous )

Endangered Peace Dove: An original Banksy, well-renowned street artist, also found in Bethlehem, West Bank, Palestine (photo taken in May 2008 and originally uploaded by hazy jenius ); Note: for a news report on this, click here

]]> http://publicheart.wordpress.com/2008/12/15/street-art-christmas-part-2/feed/ 1 SL photo sharing (respect artist's copyrights) photo sharing (respect artists copyrights photo sharing (respect artists copyrights) photo sharing (respect artists copyrights) photo sharing (respect artists copyrights) photo sharing (respect artists copyrights) http://publicheart.wordpress.com/2008/12/14/street-art-christmas-part-1/ http://publicheart.wordpress.com/2008/12/14/street-art-christmas-part-1/#comments Sat, 13 Dec 2008 22:00:16 +0000 SL http://publicheart.wordpress.com/?p=393 Continue reading →]]> Quoted from wikipedia:

Street art is any art developed in public spaces — that is, “in the streets” — though the term usually refers to art of an illicit nature, as opposed to government sponsored initiatives. The term can include traditional graffiti artwork, stencil graffiti, sticker art, wheatpasting and street poster art, video projection, art intervention, guerrilla art, flash mobbing and street installations. Typically, the term Street Art or the more specific Post-Graffiti is used to distinguish contemporary public-space artwork from territorial graffiti, vandalism, and corporate art.

Subway Greeting: Shot taken in London, UK (2006); Originally uploaded by daveknapik

Tough Santa: pic taken in Montreal, Canada, 2008 (originally uploaded by Christian et Cie)

Sneaking Elfvis: part of a series of graffiti art found in the streets of Auckland, New Zealand, 2007 (originally uploaded by Robyn Gallagher)

Holiday Satire: a stenciled message taken in Norwich, UK, Dec. 2007 (originally uploaded by Simon_K)

Elf by street artist Box. (taken in Jan. 2008 in Bristol, UK; originally uploaded by Box.)

Wheatpasted art by street artist Kriebel (taken in Dec. 2007 in London, UK; originally uploaded by Kriebel)

Statement on Consumerism: taken in Jan. 2008, somewhere in Canada (originally uploaded by sin against nature)

Flickr pic originally uploaded

by Always_be_closing

Location: Crystal mall, Burnaby BC, Canada

Sculpture by: Colin Kwok, bronze

Quoted from geocities.com:
Trained as an architect but passionate as a bronze sculptor, Colin was trained at the Rhode Island School of Design: “We are primarily interested in Art that is still Art. You can pick it up and move it in a thousand years half way across the world and people can still appreciate it. This means that it is both specific to a purpose and that it has enough passion and depth to contain multiple meanings. Our strength is in finding and expressing the essence of a project while keeping all of this in mind. Our aspirations are to make Art that is about life.”

flickr pic originally uploaded by Uncleweed

Detail pic originally uploaded by shoutwithjoy

flickr shot originally uploaded by SqueakyMarmot

flickr shot originally uploaded by SqueakyMarmot

Detail pic originally uploaded by shoutwithjoy

]]> http://publicheart.wordpress.com/2008/12/12/aurora/feed/ 1 SL photo sharing (respect artist's copyrights) photo sharing (respect artist's copyrights) photo sharing (respect artist's copyrights) photo sharing (respect artist's copyrights) photo sharing (respect artist's copyrights) http://publicheart.wordpress.com/2008/12/10/judenplatz-holocaust-memorial/ http://publicheart.wordpress.com/2008/12/10/judenplatz-holocaust-memorial/#comments Tue, 09 Dec 2008 21:50:31 +0000 SL http://publicheart.wordpress.com/2008/11/25/judenplatz-holocaust-memorial/ Continue reading →]]>

Flickr pic originally uploaded by Sarah Kernohan

Location: Judenplatz, Vienna, Austria

Artist: Rachel Whiteread, concrete and steel, 2000

Quoted from Wikipedia:
The outside surfaces of the volume are cast library shelves turned inside out. The spines of the books are facing inwards and are not visible, therefore the titles of the volumes are unknown and the content of the books remains unrevealed. The shelves of the memorial appear to hold endless copies of the same edition, which stand for the vast number of the victims, as well as the concept of Jews as “People of the Book.” The double doors are cast with the panels inside out, and have no doorknobs or handles. They suggest the possibility of coming and going, but do not open.

The memorial represents, in the style of Whiteread’s “empty spaces”… a cultural space of memory and loss created by the genocide of the European Jews. Through the emphasis of void and negative casting rather than positive form and material, it acts as a “counter monument” in this way opposite to the production through history of grandiose and triumphal monumental objects.

As a work of art, the memorial was not intended to be beautiful and as such it contrasts with much of the Baroque art and architecture of Vienna… There is an aspect of discomfort in the monument that was meant to provoke thought in the viewer through the memorial’s severe presence. It was intended to evoke the tragedy and brutality of the Holocaust and in the words of Simon Wiesenthal at the unveiling, “This monument shouldn’t be beautiful, It must hurt.”

flickr pic originally uploaded by chad k

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flickr pic originally uploaded by ShiftOperations

flickr pic originally uploaded by Robert Scarth

flickr pic originally uploaded by shlomp-a-plompa

]]> http://publicheart.wordpress.com/2008/12/10/judenplatz-holocaust-memorial/feed/ 0 SL photo sharing (respect artist's copyrights) photo sharing (respect artist's copyrights) photo sharing (respect artist's copyrights) photo sharing (respect artist's copyrights) photo sharing (respect artist's copyrights) http://publicheart.wordpress.com/2008/12/08/snow-sculptures-part-1/ http://publicheart.wordpress.com/2008/12/08/snow-sculptures-part-1/#comments Sun, 07 Dec 2008 22:00:33 +0000 SL http://publicheart.wordpress.com/?p=350 Continue reading →]]> Quoted from arttalk.com

As kids we remember making snowmen and the challenge of making bigger and better ones than the neighbors. No matter what age, everyone seems to love the adventure of creating a jolly, rotund man with stick arms, a carrot nose, Dad’s old hat and last year’s muffler. Well, why not get a little more serious about your endeavor? Snow and ice can become creative art materials that are free, plentiful in most areas and loads of fun to work with. Take one step past snowmen and make something on a grander scale, something unique…

“Kiss me!”: An entry for Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China in 2005 (flickr pic originally uploaded by MattinChina)

Ice homage for the Vimy Memorial: shot taken at the Festival du Voyageur, Winnipeg, Canada in 2007  (flickr photo orginally uploaded by thr33d)

Japanese ice castle: part of the Sapporo Snow Festival in Sapporo, Japan in 2008 (flickr pic originally uploaded by Christopher Chan)

Abstract Snow Sculpture:an entry for the International Snow Sculpture Championships in Breckenridge, Colorado, 2007 (flickr pic originally uploaded by TinDenver)

Pushing an Ice Cube: an entry for the International Ice and Snow Sculpture Competition in Valloire, French Alps, France in 2007 (flickr pic originally uploaded by mayadelic)

Split Faces in Snow: part of the International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival in Grindelwald, Switzerland (flickr pic originally uploaded by congochris)

Flickr pic originally uploaded by Karon

Location: Sheridan Circle ( Massachusetts Ave. & 24th ), the Croatian Embassy, Washington D.C., USA

Sculptor: Ivan Mestrovic, bronze, 1954

From kittytours.org:
Jerome (341-420) was born in Stridon, Croatia and became a noted clerical scholar. He later moved to Bethlehem and wrote numerous commentaries on the Bible. He is credited with being the first to translate the Bible from Hebrew into Latin…This statue originally sat on the grounds of the Franciscan Abbey, but was moved to its present location in front of the Croatian Embassy after the dissolution of Yugoslavia and the creation of the Croatian state.

About Mestrovic (from wikipedia):
Ivan Meštrović was a Croatian sculptor…(He is said to) be the greatest sculptor of religious subject matter since the Renaissance, the first living person to have a one man show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

flickr pic originally uploaded by brutality of permanence

flickr pic originally uploaded by M.V.Jantzen

flickr pic originally uploaded by docoleg

photo originally uploaded for dcmemorials.com

The Cloud Gate

Originally uploaded by Intrepide98

Location: center of AT&T Plaza, Millennium Park, Chicago, USA

Artist: Anish Kapoor, stainless steel, 2004-06

Inspired by liquid mercury, the 110-ton elliptical sculpture is affectionately called “The Bean” by the locals. It is forged of a seamless series of highly polished stainless steel plates, which reflect the city’s famous skyline and the clouds above. A 12-foot-high arch provides a “gate” to the concave chamber beneath the sculpture, inviting visitors to touch its mirror-like surface and see their image reflected back from a variety of perspectives.  According to Kappor, “What I wanted to do… is make something that would engage the Chicago skyline…so that one will see the clouds kind of floating in, with those very tall buildings reflected in the work. And then, since it is in the form of a gate, the participant, the viewer, will be able to enter into this very deep chamber that does, in a way, the same thing to one’s reflection as the exterior of the piece is doing to the reflection of the city around.” (From millenniumpark.org)

flickr pic originally uploaded by Ryanem

flickr pic originally uploaded by Michael Kappel

detail shot originally uploaded by Suranga13

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Flickr pic originally uploaded by xlatte

Location: Batu Caves, Gombak district, Selangor (13 km north of Kuala Lumpur) Malaysia

Lord Murugan is a popular Hindu deity among Tamil Hindus, and is worshipped primarily in areas with Tamil influence, especially South India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia. This religious statue, unveiled in 2006, was said to be made by fifteen sculptors from India and 15 other general workers, taking more than three years to build. Standing at 42.7 meter (140.09 ft) high, it is considered the world’s tallest statue of Lord Murugan. The statue, which cost approximately Rupees 24 million (US$670,000), is made of 1550 cubic meters of concrete, 250 tons of steel bars and 300 liters of gold paint brought in from Thailand. (Info source: etawu.com, wikipedia)

flickr pic originally uploaded by lh tanG

flickr pic originally uploaded by Ed Golding

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Applied art refers to the application of design and aesthetics to objects of function and everyday use. Whereas fine arts serve as intellectual stimulation to the viewer or academic sensibilities, the applied arts incorporate design and creative ideals to objects of utility, such as a cup, magazine or decorative park bench…

Here are some public benches and seats from some parts of the world that were given a bit of artistic twist:

Blue Carpet (detail) By Thomas Heatherwick, Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle, UK (flickr photo originally uploaded by Tony Worral)

Bench/Chair in the form of hands found in a subway in Taipei, Taiwan (flickr photo originally uploaded by joeychiu)

“Six Part Seating” by Scott Burton, red granite, (shot taken at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden Washington, DC, 2008 and originally uploaded by kimberlyfaye for flickr)

Seats resembling electric chairs (detail): It is one of the artistic benches found along Paseo De Reforma, a main avenue of Mexico City, Mexico (flickr pic originally uploaded by aaaminicabs)

‘Eye Benches’ by Louise Bourgeois at Agnes R. Katz Plaza, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA (flickr shot originally uploaded by hanneoria)