Glossary
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Civic art

Artwork commissioned by or for government (city halls, courthouses, parks, bridges), historically emphasizing shared ideals and the dignity of public institutions.

The term predates "public art" and carries the flavour of its City Beautiful era: allegorical figures, murals in post offices, ornamented infrastructure. Today the two terms overlap almost completely, but "civic art" still tends to signal government commissioning specifically (art as part of the public estate), where "public art" includes work on campuses, hospitals, and private development.