Why is work created for public spaces often controversial? Illustrate your response with an example from the text. Consider both sides of the controversy. 

What will be an ideal response?

Public art is often funded by taxpayer money and so citizens feel they have a right to voice their opinions. Works are commissioned by governments or other entities that may not have consulted with communities or other constituencies. For example, some people complained about the lack of familiar images and symbols of heroism in Maya Lin's Vietnam Veterans Memorial. They construed its unique approach to be a political statement against the war.