New York City's current Commissioner of Cultural Affairs, Tom Finkelpearl, not only has extensive experience in museum administration, but also a background in art and sculpture. In his introductory essay, Finkelpearl summarizes the evolving attitudes toward public art as well as the role that the artist, government, and architecture play in their engagement with public art. Additionally, the relationship between the artist, institutionalized systems and the public site is also questioned and studied. Exploring the ways in which art can engage with ever-changing social, economic, and political forces, Finkelpearl investigates the idea that art can exist in a public space, interact with the community, and spark change . In his introductory chapter, he analyzes what it means to create “socially engaged art” and the challenges the artist or audience may face. The idea that public art and society are constantly evolving in relation to each other is evidenced by the use of architecture after World War II. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay People were abandoning the city for the suburbs in an effort to live the “American Dream.” This consequently creates a banality of the suburbs, where architects are no longer invited to design these homes. Through urban renewal projects and the introduction of high modernism, art began to change the city (for better and for worse). Through trial and error, the design process began to adapt to user preferences and respond to “community needs.” Michael von Maschzisker said: “to spread the message that the fine arts must be returned to American architecture; this sterility and its servant, monotony, must be banished from our streets.” Additionally, Mierle Laderman Ukeles, who created deeply unique public art, serves as an excellent example that supports Finkelpearl's theory. Before the 1990s, sculpture and public art were limited to simple monuments placed in open space. Artists like Ukeles have helped redefine “public art,” and now public artists are no longer limited to creating monuments: they can now create their own “square” and create their own urban environments. A new emphasis was placed on the site of public art, which would then mark the art form as "unique" in its context. Ukeles once mentioned that she did a lot of housework and "now I'm just going to do these daily maintenance things and bring them to consciousness, display them as art." » Quite radical for the time, Mierle Laderman Ukeles calls into question the concept of a site for art. Her performance art led her to create her own “public space” that ultimately allowed her to interact with the city in a way that left an impact. Finklepearl writes a compelling thesis, as public art has evolved through many social changes. The definition of “public art,” one might say, will always change. How audiences resonate and connect with such art will depend on when and where the artwork takes place. Just as the world has experienced changes since World War II, the world will continue to experience changes throughout the evolution of technology. How will these technological advances affect public art and sculpture? How will they affect the “site” in which the art must exist? Finklepearl has written well about how the past has affected the present and how the ».”.