2014
In What We Made: Conversations on Art and Social Cooperation (2013), published by Duke University Press, Tom Finkelpearl uses Max Neuhaus as a foundational case study for the evolution of public art and social engagement.
Finkelpearl uses Neuhaus to illustrate a historical shift in public monuments—moving away from traditional, physical objects toward "experiences" that prioritize the metaperceptual awareness of the public.
Neuhaus is framed as a pioneer of site-specificity. His work is presented not as a passive soundscape but as an active intervention that requires the audience's sensory participation to "complete" the work.
The book discusses how artists like Neuhaus sought to create works that existed outside traditional market systems, focusing instead on gift-exchange and direct public interaction within urban environments.