public and private, the Strip is no longer simply an extension of the roadside motel or of Robert VenturiÆs æbuildings that have become signs.Æö Levy (1994) makes the case that the new architecture of the Las Vegas Strip has become a form of sculpture. Levy (1994) further suggested that the Strip is a popular American architectural iconography - a comment that becomes even more accurate when considering the icons that have been added to (or copied by) the developers of the Strip since LevyÆs (1994) earlier examination of Las Vegas.
There is a radical difference between the use of art in the ancient world and the modern world. This difference, as expressed by Redstone and Redstone (1981), is no longer limited to the domain of temples and palaces and expresses itself in every phase of the environment. The contemporary forms of art are integrated with all of the disparate elements that create a good living environment. Public art is no longer limited to the presentation of material entities called ôart.ö It includes recreations and replicas, temporary structures or installations, and architecture.
Senie and Webster (1992) contend that as contemporary public art evolved, the definition and role of the public in public art has become increasingly important. The search for a meaningful definition of the public has been treated theoretically and the general public is now recognized as increasingly diverse and composed of special interest groups. These groups have a commitment to self-determination that is seen by Senie and Webster (1992) as frequently overshadowing their sense of participation in the broader fabric of society.
Malcolm Miles (1989) offered an analysis of the ônewö public art that encompasses recognition of the emerging tendency of artists and architects engaged in creating ôplacesö such as the Las Vegas Strip to appropriate elements of disparate cultures. The process of appropriation is read...