--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I feel uncomfortable with the term public…" description: "\"I feel uncomfortable with the term public art, because I'm not sure what it means. If it means what I think it does, then I don't do it. I'm not crazy ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a34/barbara-kruger-7415_art_i-feel-uncomfortable-with-the-term-publi_1278677.png" --- # I feel uncomfortable with the term public art, because I'm… ![“I feel uncomfortable with the term public art, because I'm not sure what it means. If it means what I think it does, then I don't do it. I'm not crazy about categories.” quote by Barbara Kruger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a34/barbara-kruger-7415_art_i-feel-uncomfortable-with-the-term-publi_1278677.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a34/barbara-kruger-7415_art_i-feel-uncomfortable-with-the-term-publi_1278677.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a34/barbara-kruger-7415_art_i-feel-uncomfortable-with-the-term-publi_1278677.png) > “I feel uncomfortable with the term public art, because I'm not sure what it means. If it means what I think it does, then I don't do it. I'm not crazy about categories.” [Barbara Kruger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kruger/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker questions the label “public art,” expressing discomfort with categorization and uncertainty about its meaning. **In simple terms:** Unclear about what public art means. Key Takeaway Clarify terms before judgment. Themes art theory categorization public space Mood critical inquisitive Type theoretical philosophical When to use this quote - museum curation - urban planning - community projects Key Concepts definition identity artistic intent Questions to Reflect On - How do labels shape our perception of art? - What would art be without categories? A Different Perspective Categories can limit creative freedom. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Public art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-art/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Uncomfortable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uncomfortable/) ## Related quotes > [I still feel very uncomfortable with the term 'celebrity' because I don't see myself as one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-seah/i-still-feel-very-uncomfortable-with-the-term-celebrity-because-i-don/) [Nicole Seah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-seah/) > [Legally speaking, the term 'public rights' is as vague and indefinite as are the terms 'public health,' 'public good,' 'public welfare,' and the like.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysander-spooner/legally-speaking-the-term-public-rights-is-as-vague-and-indefinite-as/) [Lysander Spooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysander-spooner/) > [I have to say that I reject somewhat the distinction between something called art and something called public art. I think all art demands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-gormley/i-have-to-say-that-i-reject-somewhat-the-distinction-between/) [Antony Gormley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-gormley/) > [Clothing is viral, impermanent in a way that public art cannot be. So I like thinking of how corporate-created clothing can be seen as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-drain/clothing-is-viral-impermanent-in-a-way-that-public-art-cannot-be-so-i/) [Jim Drain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-drain/) > [Public art existed all along, but ecological art just naturally grew out of my thinking and writings in that area for years. I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-denes/public-art-existed-all-along-but-ecological-art-just-naturally-grew/) [Agnes Denes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-denes/) > [I wouldn't be where I am today without the amazing public arts education that I had.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-morrison/i-wouldn-t-be-where-i-am-today-without-the-amazing-public-arts/) [Matthew Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-morrison/) > [“And is it not the artists that make art? Well, no: criticism is now the substance of art making to such a degree that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-shepheard/and-is-it-not-the-artists-that-make-art-well-no-criticism-is-now-the/) [Paul Shepheard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-shepheard/) > [It was Public Art, defined as art that is purchased by experts who are not spending their own personal money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/it-was-public-art-defined-as-art-that-is-purchased-by-experts-who-are/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [Just as the development of earth art and installation art stemmed from the idea of taking art out of the galleries, the basis of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-lewitt/just-as-the-development-of-earth-art-and-installation-art-stemmed/) [Sol LeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-lewitt/) > [One must ease the public into it - that's an art in itself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mapplethorpe/one-must-ease-the-public-into-it-that-s-an-art-in-itself/) [Robert Mapplethorpe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mapplethorpe/) > [I realized that the only possible response was to go to my wonderful local café, Maison Bertaux, check everyone was well, eat a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-firrell/i-realized-that-the-only-possible-response-was-to-go-to-my-wonderful/) [Martin Firrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-firrell/) > [There is a connection, hard to explain logically but easy to feel, between achievement in public life and progress in the arts. The age…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/there-is-a-connection-hard-to-explain-logically-but-easy-to-feel/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Scary in the idea it could be a little overwhelming to have 70 or 100 clowns in a public space. Intriguing in that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carole-king/scary-in-the-idea-it-could-be-a-little-overwhelming-to-have-70-or-100/) [Carole King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carole-king/) > [The definition of public art to me means everything and means nothing because for me, all art is public. Art has to be public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emi-fontana/the-definition-of-public-art-to-me-means-everything-and-means-nothing/) Emi Fontana > [As Mayor, I will fully support my Arts Commission and its professional selection committees so that they can commission a full range of public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-newsom/as-mayor-i-will-fully-support-my-arts-commission-and-its-professional/) [Gavin Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-newsom/) ## More by Barbara Kruger > [I have frequently said, and I will repeat again, in the manner of any well-meaning seriality, that I'm interested in mixing the ingratiation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kruger/i-have-frequently-said-and-i-will-repeat-again-in-the-manner-of-any/) [Barbara Kruger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kruger/) > [I'm trying to deal with ideas about histories, fame, hearsay, and how public identities are constructed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kruger/i-m-trying-to-deal-with-ideas-about-histories-fame-hearsay-and-how/) [Barbara Kruger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kruger/) > [I like suggesting that ‘we are slaves to the objects around us,’ that ‘plenty should be enough,’ or that the ‘buyer should beware,’ within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kruger/i-like-suggesting-that-we-are-slaves-to-the-objects-around-us-that/) [Barbara Kruger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kruger/) > [Money talks. It makes art. It determines what food we eat, whether we are cured or die, and what shoes we wear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kruger/money-talks-it-makes-art-it-determines-what-food-we-eat-whether-we/) [Barbara Kruger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kruger/) > [I'm living my life, not buying a lifestyle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kruger/i-m-living-my-life-not-buying-a-lifestyle/) [Barbara Kruger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kruger/) > [It's good to keep in mind that prominence is always a mix of hard work, eloquence in your practice, good timing and fortuitous social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kruger/it-s-good-to-keep-in-mind-that-prominence-is-always-a-mix-of-hard/) [Barbara Kruger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kruger/) > [Direct address has been a consistent tactic in my work, regardless of the medium that I'm working in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kruger/direct-address-has-been-a-consistent-tactic-in-my-work-regardless-of/) [Barbara Kruger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kruger/) > [Prominence is cool, but when the delusion kicks in it can be a drag. Especially if you choose to surround yourself with friends and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kruger/prominence-is-cool-but-when-the-delusion-kicks-in-it-can-be-a-drag/) [Barbara Kruger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kruger/) > [I want people to be drawn into the space of the work. And a lot of people are like me in that they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kruger/i-want-people-to-be-drawn-into-the-space-of-the-work-and-a-lot-of/) [Barbara Kruger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kruger/) > [“Your comfort is my silence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kruger/your-comfort-is-my-silence/) [Barbara Kruger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kruger/) > [I believe that who we are, and consequently the work that we make, whether we're visual artists or writers or journalists or filmmakers, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kruger/i-believe-that-who-we-are-and-consequently-the-work-that-we-make/) [Barbara Kruger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kruger/) > [Love is something you fall into.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kruger/love-is-something-you-fall-into/) [Barbara Kruger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kruger/) > [Memory is your image of perfection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kruger/memory-is-your-image-of-perfection/) [Barbara Kruger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kruger/) > [I mean, making art is about objectifying your experience of the world, transforming the flow of moments into something visual, or textual, or musical,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kruger/i-mean-making-art-is-about-objectifying-your-experience-of-the-world/) [Barbara Kruger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kruger/) > [Do you know why language manifests itself the way it does in my work? It's because I understand short attention spans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kruger/do-you-know-why-language-manifests-itself-the-way-it-does-in-my-work/) [Barbara Kruger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kruger/) [Explore all 91 Barbara Kruger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kruger/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I feel uncomfortable with the term public art, because I'm not sure what it means. 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