In your face & out of the gallery: The bigger picture of public art

Presenter: Deborah McCormick – Director, DMC

Public art flourished in the immediate aftermath of the earthquakes of Ōtautahi Christchurch and helped create a new identity for the city out of the ruins.

City planners, governments, and organisations around the world have long recognised the importance of public art. An expression of creativity in the public realm, public art shapes the identity of our civic places by creating distinctive and iconic visual elements that are intrinsic to the urban realm and how we experience public space.

Deborah will explore the vision setting, strategies, planning and modes of practice formed during her 25-year tenure as Executive Director of SCAPE Public Art, that enabled public art to take on a role in rehabilitating, defining and elevating public spaces to encourage a wider community conversation.

Deborah McCormick believes that public art is the keystone to a vibrant and thriving city. With 25 years’ experience bringing art into public spaces, Deborah is an industry leader and visionary. Her experience includes public and private partnership models, project management, public arts policy, and strategic business planning and public relations. She brings a wealth of experience in the arts and cultural industries to Deborah McCormick Consulting (DMC) Limited, a new company formed to bring together opportunities and partnerships in the public art sector in Aotearoa New Zealand with Urban Art Projects (UAP).

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