Public Art comprises a varied set of art practices. It provides opportunities for collective participation and self-expression, historical reflection and community dialogue. It contributes to our social, spatial and political topologies by proposing new social models, enhancing physical infrastructure and engaging with design. As we enter the third decade of the 21st century, human–and non-human animals, face unprecedented environmental and social challenges. The present geological epoch of the Anthropocene, unchecked globalisation and resurgent nationalistic forces, provide new contexts through which to consider Public Arts role in society. Within this context, the Public Art Now Conference will explore alternative ways to articulate the diversity of arts practice and the complexity of our social, physical and natural environments.

The Public Art Now conference will be located at TU Dublin's city campus, Grangegorman – Irelands largest single investment in higher education in the last 50 years, which will house a community of 23,00 students on a campus only 1km from Dublin city centre. The campus, in part situated on the grounds of the former St Brendan's hospital is central to the development of a vibrant new city quarter that is sensitive to the context of Grangegorman, its' surrounding neighbourhoods and existing community. This location informs our considerations of Public Art, which often acts as a barometer for thinking critically about the relationships between Public Art practice, policy and its publics. As such, the Public Art Now conference is structured by three key themes;

- Public Art: Processes and Politics
- Public Art in the Anthropocene
- Ecologies of Space and Place

The programme for Public Art Now Conference will be composed of a balance of open and invited contributors. As part of the open call, Public Art Now invites proposals for papers, composed panels, workshops or other formats that address the themes of the conference through the lens of policy, practice or publics.
Proposals are encouraged from all those with an interest in public art including, artists, academics, art administrators and managers, art institutions and students.
We invite participants to think ambitiously about the contexts, roles and prospects for Public Art, now and in the coming decades.

Submission details can be found on our website: http://www.publicartnow.eu/