Public vs. Expert Opinion: Who Should Judge Public Art?

The massive sculpture that stands in front of Baltimore’s train station is, to put it mildly, unpopular. In fact, nearly 100 locals gathered at a public forum recently to demand the removal of Male/Female, sculpted by Maine resident Jonathan Borofsky. But the forum turned out to be mainly an opportunity for art experts to tell the unhappy citizenry that they’d “get used to” the piece, and to highlight other examples of public art that were initially reviled.