Abstract

As the notion of public art undergoes radical transformation, associated activities share a public context and justification: they stimulate the accumulation of human capital, social cohesion, and awareness of territorial identity. In the transition towards the social dimension, which goes beyond the aesthetic dimension, all the parties involved - artists, government agencies and civil society - are compelled to rethink their role according to a virtuous relationship between artistic exploration and territorial development through access to cultural experiences that are thick with meaning. The development of public art is passing through a flagship phase, involving integration, aiming at the mature phase of «culturalisation».