Skip to Main Content

SOCIAL PRACTICE

Browsing the Book Stacks

HM   Sociology
HN   Social history and reform movements
N430-435   Art museums and the public
N6494 I56   Installation art
N6494 B63; NX456.5 P38; NX600 P47   Performance art
N8825+   Public art
NA9050.5-NA9053+   Public architecture, public space
ND2550+   Mural painting
NX180 A77   Artists and community
NX180 P64   Arts in relation to politics
NX180 S6   Arts in relation to society, culture
PN4193 I5   Storytelling

Search by Subjects:
Community arts projects
Public art
Artists and community
Performance art
Installations (Art)
Politics in art
Feminist art
Activist art

Recommended Periodicals (current Otis subscriptions)

Public Art Review. Minneapolis: Forecast Public Art--also available online

TDR: The Drama Review: The Journal of Performance Studies. Cambridge: MIT Press

Useful Titles

Recommended Websites

Art in the Public Interest
Historic site and archive for the non-profit supporting community-based organization for the socially conscious.

The Brooklyn Rail: Critical Perspectives on Arts, Politics and Culture
...originating "in a borough that has long been a "Crucible" of artistic and political democracy...obliged to work in that tradition."

Center for the Arts in Society (Carnegie Mellon University)
"Through practice, publications, exhibitions, performances, and projects, artists and humanists examine the impact of arts on social change as well as the importance of historical events for the evolution of the arts. In courses, in programs for visiting scholars, and in sponsored research activities, the Center fosters interdisciplinary collaboration both within the University and between the University and arts and cultural organizations."

Community Arts Network -- "Promoting information exchange, research and critical dialogue within the field of community-based art"

Creative Capital Foundation
a New York City-based nonprofit organization; funds and promotes "artists who pursue innovation in form and/or content in the performing and visual arts, film and video, and in emerging fields"; provides advisory services and professional development assistance to recipients.

Creative Time
Organization founded in 1974 supporting innovative public art/commentary in New York City. Web site includes documentation on past, current and upcoming projects.

inSite
Network of contemporary art programs and commissioned projects that map the liminal border zone of San Diego-Tijuana.

Imagining America: Artists and Scholars in Public Life
"A national consortium of colleges and universities committed to public scholarship in the arts, humanities, and design.. joins serious intellectual endeavor with a commitment to public practice and public consequence." The org hosts an annual conference and the web site provides information on the consortium including news and events.

Just Seeds Artists' Cooperative
"a decentralized network of 24 artists committed to making print and design work that reflects a radical social, environmental, and political stance."

Open Engagement Conference
"...an annual, three-day, artist-led conference dedicated to expanding the dialogue around and creating a site of care for the field of socially engaged art. The conference highlights the work of transdisciplinary artists, activists, students, scholars, community members, and organizations working within the complex social issues and struggles of our time.Since 2007, OE has presented seven conferences in two countries and four cities, hosting over 1,300 presenters and over 5,000 attendees. Annual programming is selected by committees comprised of artists, educators, professionals, and community members from a free, open call for proposals.

Public Art Fund 
New York's leading presenter of artists' projects, new commissions, and exhibitions in public spaces

Public Art in L.A.
Huge resource created by Ruth Wallach for the USC Libraries covering every aspect of the city's public art.

Public Art Network (Americans for the Arts)
Provides "services to the diverse field of public art and to develop strategies and tools to improve communities through public art." Site includes Year in Review artists projects images and descriptions (slides or cd's available), contact information for their Networking and Outreach program including the PAN listserv, Public Art Network summaries, and Research and Planning Tools. Distributes the Public Art Network Award presented at the annual conference; produces the Public Art Program Directory.

Public Art Review
Journal focused on exploring the many dimensions of public art. Complete run in the Otis Library.

Public Art Web Links

Social Sculpture Research Unit (Oxford Brookes University, England)
" an interdisciplinary research and practice network inspiring new thinking, engagement and action in the field of social sculpture and related practices -- developing insights, methods and practices toward a humane and ecologically sustainable future -- creating opportunities for new forms of enquiry and transformative action in which we are creative participants -- supporting research on social sculpture and connective practices, including material on its influences and evolution -- connecting and contributing to the growing community of practitioners in social sculpture and related fields.

Vera List Center for Arts and Politics (The New School, NYC)
Organizes public events, forums, online programs, and occasional publications focusing on "cultural production that emerges within and outside the traditional art world and seeks to intervene in contemporary political debates." Each year focuses on a theme wherein the Center convenes "artists, scholars, activists, public intellectuals, and political and cultural leaders to examine this theme."

Otis College of Art and Design | 9045 Lincoln Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90045 | MyOtis

Millard Sheets Library | MyOtis | 310-665-6930 | Ask a Librarian