…the most exemplary, innovative, permanent, or temporary public artworks created or debuted in the previous year
The Americans for the Arts Public Art Network (PAN) has recognized Big Bling by internationally acclaimed artist Martin Puryear as one of the most compelling public artworks of 2016 through its Year in Review program. A jury of public art professionals reviewed 325 entries from across the country before selecting Puryear’s sculpture as one of the best.
The Association for Public Art (aPA) recently brought Big Bling to Philadelphia as a temporary installation through a collaboration with New York’s Madison Square Park Conservancy, which commissioned the work. The sculpture is currently on view along Kelly Drive through November 2017.
Brooke Kamin Rapaport, Director and Martin Friedman Senior Curator of Mad. Sq Art, said “It is an honor for Madison Square Park Conservancy to receive this recognition for Martin Puryear’s Big Bling from Americans for the Arts. The project captivated New York audiences beginning in May of 2016 when it opened here and we are thrilled that Big Bling is now on view in Philadelphia through the Association for Public Art.”
The only national award of its kind, the PAN Year in Review recognizes the most exemplary, innovative, permanent, or temporary public artworks created or debuted in the previous year. The announcement was made at the Americans for the Arts’ 2017 Annual Convention in San Francisco.
>>Explore the Year in Review database
About the PAN Year in Review
Americans for the Arts Public Art Network (PAN) founded the PAN Year in Review recognition program in 2000 to bring greater visibility and appreciation to the work of artists and the communities served by public art across the country. Through a jury selection process, the PAN Year in Review annually recognizes outstanding public art projects that represent the most compelling works created in the prior year. Hundreds of project applications are reviewed and up to 50 are selected to highlight trends and accomplishments for the field. The selected artworks are then presented during the Americans for the Arts Annual Convention each year.
The 2016 PAN Year in Review Jurors:
- Sherri Brueggemann, manager of the Public Art Urban Enhancement Program for the City of Albuquerque Cultural Services Department
- Kevin B. Chen, artist and curator from Oakland, CA
- Alison Saar, artist from Los Angeles, CA