In her role as the director of the MAC-USP (Museu de Arte Contemporânea da Universidade de São Paulo), Aracy Amaral praises the results of the first edition of Arte na Rua [Art in the Street], the project suggested by the artists Ana Maria Tavares and Mônica Nador and implemented by the MAC-USP in 1983. The event consisted of 75 posters produced by artists from “all over Brazil” that were on display in the streets for two weeks. In her article, Amaral wonders whether the art in the street would reach a larger audience than galleries and museums usually do, and questioned the artists’ ability to communicate with viewers who have not been “initiated” into the visual arts without making any concessions in terms of production quality. Amaral reviews the works submitted by participating artists and notes, among other things, the prevalence of verbal expression due to the “influence of advertising messages.” She also remarks on how “inappropriate” abstract and gestural images appear when used in this outdoor poster format, and mentions that Luiz Paulo Baravelli refused to participate because he did not agree with the project’s strategy for communicating with the public. According to Amaral, Baravelli sent a letter to the organizers of the event in which he outlined the problems involved in the concept of “art for the people.”      

This article by the critic and art historian Aracy Amaral (b. 1930) is illustrated with some of the outdoor posters that were exhibited in the city of São Paulo as part of the first version of the Arte na Rua [Art in the Street] project. The article shows several works submitted by participants, including the promoter of the event Ana Maria Tavares (b. 1958), and the artists Claudio Tozzi, Regina Silveira, Arlindo Daibert, Tomie Ohtake, Rubens Gerchman, Guto Lacaz, Boi, Ivald Granato, Lenora de Barros, and the groups Manga Rosa and Tupi Não Dá. Amaral believes that projects of this nature are “positive” because they provide artists with the opportunity to address “visual” concerns in the urban environment, in spite of the fleeting lifespan of their works.

Aracy Amaral has had a long administrative career, during which she has held academic and curatorial positions. She was the director of the Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo (1975–79), and of the MAC-USP (Museu de Arte Contemporânea da Universidade de São Paulo, 1982–86). She is currently the tenured Art History professor at the FAU-USP. She is the author of countless books about Brazilian art, including, Tarsila sua obra e seu tempo (São Paulo: Editora 34/EDUSP, 2010); Textos do Trópico de Capricórnio – artigos e ensaios (1980–2005) in three volumes (São Paulo: Editora 34, 2006); Arte para quê? A preocupação social na arte brasileira 1930–1970 (São Paulo: Nobel, 2003); and Artes plásticas na Semana de 22 (São Paulo: Perspectiva, 1970).