For more than 40 years, sculptors have been at the forefront of environmental and ecological/social innovation, making works that treat the earth as creative partner rather than resource and raw material. The new earthwork, which is currently at the leading edge of sculptural practice, means art for the future of humanity and the planet; it means a new approach to aesthetics and the role of art in our lives; it means a sustainable and vital artistic practice that not only solves problems but dares to ask questions and seek answers across disciplinary boundaries. Working in the land to...

Percent-for-art commissions may represent the official, professionalized face of public art, but beyond the plaza-in neighborhoods, back streets, and vacant lots, in suburban hinterlands, rural villages, and remote virtual realms-another kind of art has been taking shape, one that questions the very nature and experience of the commons. Driven by artists, curators, and non-profit organizations, these independent projects treat public space as more than an outdoor gallery. Whether temporary or permanent, guerrilla or sanctioned, object or action, such works invite us to imagine alternative...