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Wikipedia:WikiProject Visual arts/Public art/SOS to Wikipedia process

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< Wikipedia:WikiProject Visual arts | Public art
This is an old revision of this page, as edited by LoriLee (talk | contribs) at 10:46, 25 March 2010 (more formatting). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Step 1: Consult the Save Outdoor Sculpture! Database

  • Go to the SOS Database to find what public artworks were documented in your community.
  • Click on your state, then city. (Cities may have only one, or hundreds, or none, depending on the size.)
  • Once a list of sculptures is up, go to Click here for more information for the detailed report on a specific sculpture and possibly more photos.


Step 2: Verify the Save Outdoor Sculpture! Data

  • Visit the artworks, verifying their current locations, artist, title and date.
  • Photograph and Geolocate each sculpture while you are on-site.
  • Create an Excel Doc titled SOS-IN which lists the SOS! sculptures found in the database. Update it with the verified information found while at the sculptures.


Step 3: Find What’s Missing

  • Identify public artworks that were not surveyed by SOS! or that are new to your community.
  • Visit the artworks, documenting their locations, artist, title and date.
  • Photograph and Geolocate each sculpture while you are on-site.
  • Create an Excel Doc titled SOS-NOT IN of sculptures found in your community that were not in the SOS! database. Update it with the new information found while at the sculptures.


Step 4: Consult Wikipedia and Prioritize Articles

  • Using your SOS-IN and SOS-NOT IN documents, search Wikipedia for each sculpture. Search a lot. Consider the various titles the sculpture might have.
    • Is there already a good article on the work?
    • Is there already a “stub” article that needs to be expanded?
    • Is there no article at all?
  • Prioritize which articles you want to contribute to, or create.


Step 5: Research and Edit/Create an Article

  • Consult available resources to research the history of the sculpture. Consider newspaper databases, your local library, historical society or tourism department. Also consider state-level institutions.
  • Research the artist. If they are available to contact, they are often a great source of information.
  • Keep in mind that all information on Wikipedia has to have a source. Original research cannot be included in the article.
  • Create or Edit the Wikipedia article for your sculpture.
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