• Hook/attention grabber: A description of my first experience at the FolkLife Festival in Seattle (a free art/music festival in which anyone may perform, create, and share their art) and the influence such events have had on me personally. Giving a brief sensory account of the festival and explaining how inspiring it was to see the different types of performances all around me.
Continue festival story. Explaining how the real benefit was from becoming a festival performer myself.
• The Big Idea: Public art enriches communities by creating a cultural identity and inspiring citizens.
A quick explanation of the definition of public art, and what qualifies as public art.
• What’s in it for your audience? Explain why your topic is important or worth discussing. We, as artists, can see our communities improve just by sharing our gifts. The audience can use whatever talent they have to create free and public art in their world.
• Why should your audience listen to you? Explain your ethos (credibility). My audience should listen to me because I have personal experience working in an interactive art museum, performing in public concerts, and have first-hand experience watching the art community revitalize the area of St. Louis in which I live.
• Call to Adventure: As an artist of any field, you can affect positive change through the public performance/ installation of your work.
• Preview the three main points that will support your big idea: Public art strengthens communities through 1) the exchange of new ideas and the collaboration of creative minds, 2) creating concern for one’s culture and community identity. 3) Art can be a major factor in influencing people’s opinions and motivating them. Humans have always built their communities on a foundation of artistic expression, we can look to history to see these 3 benefits of public art.
• Supporting Point One: the exchange of new ideas and the collaboration of creative minds
• Public art requires participation, fosters collaboration, and creative thinking. Collaboration and community participation have positive results on community development (factual evidence from Building Collaborative Communities By Scott London)
• Supporting Point Two: Individuals develop concern for their culture and community identity
• Citizens take more pride in their community when it contains vibrant arts and cultural programs. (factual evidence from How Arts and Cultural Strategies Create, Reinforce, and Enhance Sense of Place from American Planning Association)
• Supporting Point Three: Art can be a major factor in influencing people’s opinions and motivating them.
• Art has long been used for control, propaganda, and inspiration. From the banners of conquering armies, to political campaign posters, and even protest music. But public art comes from the community, and is for the communities purposes. (emotional evidence/story of City Museum’s influence on St. Louis, AND factual evidence/historical examples)
Public Art is effectively used for marketing and propaganga.
• Call to Action: Get involved in the public expression of art in your community.
• Summarize the main points: Public art strengthens communities through 1) the exchange of new ideas and the collaboration of creative minds, 2) creating concern for one’s culture and community identity. 3) Art can be a major factor in influencing people’s opinions and motivating them.
• Restate big idea: Public art enriches communities by creating a cultural identity and inspiring citizens.
• Clincher/new bliss: Examples of how artists and community organizers can implement public art programs going forward.
