The Arts Council for Northern Ireland has released its Public Art Handbook for Northern Ireland documenting in pictures and words some of the extraordinary works of art that have come to shape the city. In his foreword Paul Harron, Architecture & Public Art Officer, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, says: "Public art is not a distinct artform; rather the term refers to works of art in any media created for and in the context of the civic realm, be it the built or natural environment. The only constant quality of public art is that it is always site specific. As www.publicartonline.org.uk puts it, public art ‘aims to integrate artists’ and craftspeople’s skills, vision and creative abilities into the whole process of creating new spaces and regenerating old ones, in order to imbue the development with a unique quality and to enliven and animate the space by creating a visually stimulating environment’. "Public art, while often invigorating, stimulating and regenerative, can also sometimes be banal or of poor quality, quickly becoming superfluous urban clutter. There is much current debate around the commissioning of public art and what it can and cannot achieve – in this sense the term and activity of creating it is sometimes contested. At its worst, public art can seem somehow patronising or compromised, but at its best it can be beautiful and uplifting, capable of rendering unexpected delight, and, to quote Jay Merrick, may provide ‘lively presences, objects that force us to look and think again, or grin, or swear’." The Handbook aims to help enable those involved in the process of commissioning art within the public context achieve the most rewarding outcomes, by approaching their project in an informed way that best benefits the artist(s), funder(s) and community(ies) involved. To download a copy of the handbook, CLICK HERE