Overview: public arts enquiry

An informal investigation of what it means to be an artist today.

Throughout the years of navigating the art world, we encountered some oddities of the trade, some unwritten rules, many questions and very few answers. Because of this, I started researching art and the art world in hopes of understanding the underlying meaning of art and its role in the world. The Public Arts Enquiry is an experiment to capture the sentiment & underlying meaning of art and its playground, called the art world. The chatbolt is not seeking truths but thoughts, perspectives and desires. Some questions may seem subjective and ambiguous; it’s by design.

Go to chatbot

The results have received contributions from 263 people around the world, primarily from the UK, Europe, the United States, Mexico, and India. 50.6% of participants identify themselves as artists, 18.6% as cultural workers, and 30.6% as members of the general public. The study reveals polar-opposite opinions on art, revealing deep confusion in our understanding. We are still capturing entries that are not reflected in the draft of the current results.

I want art in the future to be..

In parallel with the enquiry, Art Conundrum is a study that invites you to rethink your assumptions about art and its role in society, the narratives we validate daily, how we relate to each other as a community, and our role in the cultural wars. Social, political and economic approaches need the context of culture to validate their role and purpose; culture is the creation of the future.

See all results here:

Magic Circle was supported by ACME, and University College London supported the creation of the study, which was later presented in Mind the Gap: Designing Residencies for Everyone – London Conference 2023.

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Tiz Creel ©2023 - artist & maker

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