Public Art Administration Course Develops Outdoor Installation on BU Campus

Public art project “Air Dancers” was produced by 21 students in the Art Administration program’s Public Art Program Administration (MET AR 779) course, which was taught by Ross Miller and Yolanda He Yang. During the 2022 spring semester, students custom painted air-activated kinetic fabric shapes to address themes of personal privacy, loneliness (during the pandemic), humor, gender identity, and BU school pride. The artwork was produced via collaboration between MET graduate students, and outreach to BU College of Fine Arts students, through a Call for Artists idea competition.

The installation was completed and presented at the end of the spring semester. By showcasing this artwork to the public in the GSU Plaza landscape, students explored ways to activate public spaces, learned about the administrative and logistical challenges of creating a public artwork, and experimented with new types of art making materials. To inform the BU community about the project, MET AR 779 students created posters, explanatory storytelling websites, and QR code links to invite others to experience this expressive and joyful artwork. Arts Administration students are grateful for art material funding from the BU Arts Initiative and MET College.