Public Art

The year 1985 public art piece "Podium for Dissent" was created by Dennis Adams and Nicholas Goldsmith, for New York City’s program "Creative Time." A huge photo of President Ronald Reagan is cut in half and put in front of the World Trade Center in New York City. The work of "Podium for Dissent" is supported by steel cables and steel beams. The top half of the photo is brightly lit and contains a lot of empty dark space. The bottom half of the photo is darker and in shadow,specifically Reagan’s mouth is shown to be dark and shadowy. 

Dennis Adams and Nicholas Goldsmith made sure to display their piece in a very populated place. Reagan’s broken photo could refer to his broken policy, this piece of his work discusses and interprets society, it was subjected to conceptual criticism government’s policy. As we know, the meanings of public art are often inherent in its very existence. Art, which is displayed outside,is immediately perceived by the open public and can play the meaning of itself.President Ronald Reagan’s large photo, as a symbol, can speak by itself to the public. The former president Reagan’s one large photo was cut into two half pieces, they use steel beams to support the installation, and it is standing in front of the World Trade Center in New York City to represent negative American policy.

This portrait cut in to two-pieces means our society is devastated by this president.From this large photo being cut in half of the face people can get information about our society. One half face is sunny and bright. This could refer to rich people. the other half is dark and shadowy, which could symbolize the many poor people in the bottom of Reagan’s face. Why in the year 1985 did Dennis Adams and Nicholas Goldsmith choose to put this photo of Reagan’s large broken face in New York near the World Trade Center? In 1985, the economy was doing poorly and the people most affected by this was the lower class due to the cutting of programs. Broken policy and promises. New York City is the right place for this piece of art work.

Dennis Adam and Nicholas Goldsmith used Reagan's photo and his public life as a symbol to design public art, and then put this fragmented photo in the public eye to make a statement. Telling people that this president's policy made people's lives unsatisfactory. In short, this photo has a lot of meaning to interpret. The upper part of the face is bright. His right eye is bright while the left is being covered by a steel beam. This could signify how he pays more attention to the upper class, and turns a blind eye towards the lower class. The lower part of the photo is mainly the mouth. It is not exaggerated to say that there is insufficient light. The steel beams supporting the installation could also symbolize how the lower class supported Reagan during his election.

The mouth, being disconnected from the rest of the face, could also symbolize the lies and broken promises that allowed him to win the second election. We all know that President Ronald Reagan was president for two-terms, and I can interpret this piece of art as a social commentary. His work during the first presidency was recognized by the people and the future looked bright during his first four years. Reagan’s second term failed to pass the grade, so the shadows on the lower part of his face could indicate that he did poorly during his second term.

New York is the political, cultural, and economic vane of the United States.Imagine how much influence the Reagan photo, which was cut in half, had. In the eight years since he took office, the American economy was simply bad. He ruined the economy through his policies. His presidency decreased the ability to receive welfare for the poor. We all know that when Reagan was running for the presidency, he had many great ideas and policy ideas to improve the country for when he became president. When he was elected president, these policies meant to help the working class and the poor were not enacted. In fact, they were just false promises created for the presidential election. No matter whether it is in the past or in today's society, there are definitely more poor than the rich. Therefore, the presidents will have many policies to please the people when they run for the presidency, but if they are elected to the president, many ideas may not be realized. That's why Adam chose to put Reagan's mouth in the shadows because he didn't honor his promises during the campaign. It was the people who chose him as the president. He did make the society very different: the poor were poorer and the rich were richer. Why is this happening? Marxist understanding analyzes the essence of capitalist countries.

There is another meaning of President Reagan’s mouth that implies that he does not help the working class at all. President Reagan cut a lot of welfare in 1985, from his policy the lower and working classes lost much of their welfare. President Reagan’s ear is cut through the lower half, in the shadow, providing an in sight that the lower class (lower section of the ear) was not being heard. The other ear, which is on the upper half of the portrait, is open and seems to be the ear that is listening to the upper class.

This photo is a creative way to critique how Republicans see a potential future for America. Reagan, a Republican, was the president of this capitalist country.The policies of the capitalist countries, especially America, are basically formulated for the rich people. The Republican policy focuses mainly on the rich. The lower part of President Reagan’s face symbolizes the lower-class people who are kept in the shadows of his presidency. The bar that supports the lower half of the portrait cuts through Reagan’s throat. The area that it cuts through is the area that the vocal chords are located. This represents the lower class that seem to not have a voice in Reagan’s presidency. It is representing that he doesn’t have a voice for these poor people.

This photo of Reagan tells us that during the reign of the government, the United States was divided into two parts, the poor were poorer, the rich were richer,and Reagan’s smiling face only represented the capitalist country. Overall, the things that Adams and Goldsmith were trying to say with this piece of work was successful because of their use of space, dark and light, and location.

Dennis Adams(artist), Nicholas Goldsmith (architect), with Ann Magnuson (performance artist), podium for Dissent, 1985, New York City. Creative Time, Inc.