Public Art by Jack Becker
Jack Becker was born in St. Louis, where he studied theater and visual arts with a focus on collaboration, experimentation and interactive installations. He also studied in Baltimore, Croydon (England) and Minneapolis, where he graduated from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.
Best known as the founder of Forecast Public Art,based in Minnesota, Becker also founded Public Art Review, an international magazine devoted to contemporary public art.
In the 1980s Jack served as the first Art in Public Places coordinator for the City of Minneapolis, Arts Development Manager for the City of St. Paul and instructor at the College of Associated Arts in St. Paul. He received the 2007 Award of Excellence from Americans for the Arts for his contribution to the public art field and the 2014 Public Art Dialogue Lifetime Achievement Award, a program of the College Art Association. In 2016, he received the Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award from the Minneapolis College of Art & Design. Becker currently serves on committees for the US Department of Arts and Culture, the Institute for Public Art and the recently established Public Art Exchange.
Labyrinth, 2013
Northern Spark Festival, St. Paul, MN
Artist: Jack Becker
Photo courtesy of the artist
Special thanks to Bob Lunning and Joel Sisson for their assistance.
Created for the Northern Spark Festival, an annual dusk-to-dawn event held in St. Paul, Minnesota, this temporary installation featured an original labyrinth design made with spray chalk on concrete, with a sculptural cloud suspended overhead. More than 1,000 audience members lined up to walk the labyrinth during the 7-hour event. Becker offered visitors noise canceling headphones to block out blaring festival sounds as they entered the labyrinth for a brief, meditative walk. Upon exiting, guests were encouraged to write down whatever thoughts came to mind in a comment book. Among the 350 notes written were: “My mind’s a blank;” “Peaceful;” “I feel calm, relaxed;” “A mindful pause;” “I’m smiling, and I don’t know why;” and “Thanks for this break!”
DIY Fountain (2018)
Artist: Jack Becker
Photos and video courtesy of the artist.
Bucket, Rope and Bridge
Video: Minneapolis public artist, Jack Becker, resurrects his 1976 conception, DIY fountain, alongside poet, Todd Boss.
Food sCULpTURE (2004)
Lead Artist: Jack Becker, plus artist team working with youth from the West Side Boys & Girls Club to create temporary installation at LaPlacita in St. Paul, site of the Youth Farm Market.
Photo by the artist.
Attention Span (1984)
Artist: Jack Becker
Photos courtesy the artist
This temporary installation was made of 80 strands of hand-dyed remnant elastic tied to an elevator in the MarketHouse Building in Lowertown, St. Paul, activated only when the buttons in the elevator were pushed. It was part of a group exhibition entitled Fore-Site produced by Forecast Public Art. Following the exhibition, the building owner requested the work remain on display indefinitely.Elevator Worldmagazine featured it on their cover, making the claim it was a "Rubber band elevator" for their April Fools issue.