---
title: "Temporary public art"
description: "Work installed for a defined period, weeks to a couple of years, letting a city take risks, test sites, and program change into its public spaces."
glossary: "https://www.civiccollection.com/glossary"
source: "https://www.civiccollection.com/glossary/temporary-public-art"
---

# Temporary public art

> Work installed for a defined period, weeks to a couple of years, letting a city take risks, test sites, and program change into its public spaces.

Glossary: https://www.civiccollection.com/glossary  
Source: https://www.civiccollection.com/glossary/temporary-public-art

Lower stakes buy bolder choices: a proposal too strange to cast in bronze
for fifty years is an easy yes for one summer, and temporary programs are
where emerging artists get their first public commissions. Temporary work
also functions as site research: a spot that draws crowds for a temporary
piece has made the case for a permanent one.

Two disciplines keep temporary programs healthy. Say the end date out loud
from day one, because people grieve works they assumed were permanent. And
put decommissioning in the contract (who removes it, who pays, what
condition the site returns to) while everyone still likes each other.

Related terms: [Installation art](https://www.civiccollection.com/glossary/installation-art), [Mural festival](https://www.civiccollection.com/glossary/mural-festival), [Public art program](https://www.civiccollection.com/glossary/public-art-program), [Decommissioning](https://www.civiccollection.com/glossary/decommissioning)

## Mentioned in

- [What Happens When Public Art Goes Away](https://www.civiccollection.com/blog/what-happens-when-public-art-goes-away)