Wikipedia:WikiProject Visual arts/Public art/Style guide


 * The Public Art Style Guide has been designed specifically to help you create and edit articles about public art. 
 * This guide is best used in conjunction with the Public Art New Article Guide.
 * Please use the table of contents to navigate directly to specific sections of the Style Guide.

Blue Glass Arrow.svg Infobox
The Template:Infobox artwork compiles all of the key information about the artwork in an organized box in the top right corner of the article.
 * Only fill out known information. If you do not know a piece of information, simply leave that section blank and nothing will appear.
 * For the Artist, Type, and Location fields, be sure to include internal links if a Wikipedia article already exists.
 * See Mega-Gem for an example of successful use of this Infobox.

Fairytale key enter-2.png Infobox components
Example use of dimensions in the infobox: If a sculpture is 12 feet tall, 10 wide, and 10 long, one could use the following parameters: … |height_imperial = 12  ←the raw values  |width_imperial = 10 |length_imperial = 10 |imperial_unit = ft  ←the unit for the values in the _imperial parameters  |metric_unit = m  ←a metric unit at around the same scale, which will be used for automatic conversion since the _metric parameters are unspecified …
 * Image: Copy the exact file name of the image uploaded to Wikipedia or Wikimedia Commons.
 * - If the image title includes spaces, you should include them. Do NOT use underscores.
 * - Do NOT copy the word "FILE" from the image title. Just include the title and the extension (.JPG)
 * - Sample format:  Jim the Wonder Dog.JPG


 * Image Size: Use 200px or 300px
 * You need to include a size to make the image appear.


 * Title: Use the title of the artwork
 * Dimensions:
 * - Place your measurements in the height_imperial, width_imperial, and length_imperial fields if it's in inches, feet, or even miles (!). Don't mix inches and feet; use one or the other (usually inches).
 * - Place your measurements in the height_metric, width_metric, and length_metric fields if it's in any metric unit (e.g. centimetres, metres, or even kilometres (!)).
 * - The metric_unit and imperial_unit parameters control what units you're saying things are in— the metric_unit one controlling the unit for height_metric et al., and likewise for the "imperial" counterparts. Use "ft" for feet, "in" for inches, "cm" for centimetres, "m" for metres, et cetera. If in doubt, check the table of supported units at Template:Convert/list of units/length and look for the entry in the "code" column.
 * - Don't include false precision in your measurements! For example, if a sculpture was measured to be 12 feet tall, that does not necessarily imply that it is exactly 144 inches tall. Use height_imperial = 12 and imperial_unit = ft rather than height_imperial = 144 and imperial_unit = in
 * - If you have measurements in imperial units but not in metric units, or vice versa, don't convert them yourself—the template will automatically make the conversion calculations according to the units you have in the unit fields.
 * - ''For cylindrical objects, you can also use diameter_imperial and diameter_metric, and you can put your own additional (freeform) dimensional text in the dimensions parameter.


 * City: Include internal links.
 * -Also include state and country.


 * GPS Coordinates: Copy and paste the sample code  39.87806°N, -86.145°W  into the Coordinate field.
 * -Replace the numbers with the correct coordinates.
 * -See below for more details on how to find coordinates.


 * Owner: This can be difficult to find for public art. It can be a city, museum, or private institution or individual. Do your best.

Fairytale key enter-2.png Images

 * See the Public art Image Guide.

Fairytale key enter-2.png GPS Coordinates
It is important to include geographical coordinates in the Infobox in order to accurately locate your artwork. This will allow the article and artwork to be accurately mapped in a variety of platforms and make the data interoperable. For more information see this help page: obtaining geographic coordinates.
 * The easiest way to do this is to use the GeoLocator tool. Simply drag the marker to a spot, and then copy the code it generates into the infobox in your article.

Blue Glass Arrow.svg Layout

 * The layout of Wikipedia articles can be very specific, especially when it comes to the order of section headings and footers. Please follow the parameters laid out in the Public art article template.
 * -The correct order for footer sections is: See Also, References, External Links, Navigation Templates, Categories, Stub tags.


 * Section headings should only have the first word capitalized. They should not resemble titles.
 * Sections should be more than one sentence long. If some of your sections are extremely short, you should combine them under a single heading. See WP:LAY.

Fairytale key enter-2.png The "See also" section
The See also section is a bulleted list that links to other Wikipedia articles.
 * This should only be used to link to other Wikipedia articles. It should not be used to link to project space or talk pages (i.e. any page which has a nnn: preceding the title).
 * Appropriate links for a See also section include artworks of the same media, or by the same artist.
 * See the Wikipedia Guide to Layout for specifics.

How to create a See also section

 * On the edit page, add an asterisk  *  (Wiki code for a bullet point) followed by the title of a related artwork.
 * Highlight the article title and click the Blue "Internal Link" button in the Editing Toolbar to create an internal link. Or use double brackets to create an internal link. For example: Mega-Gem 
 * Typing:

*Mega-Gem *Torso Fragment
 * Will become:


 * Mega-Gem
 * Torso Fragment

Fairytale key enter-2.png The "References" section
As part of the Wikipedia policy on verifiability, cited references are required in every article.
 * The text for references is first written in inline citations, which places the footnote notation at the correct location next to the cited information.
 * Code is then placed under the References header, which automatically lists all of the inline citations at the end of the article.
 * Wikipedia does not allow original research, so information from unpublished sources cannot be used.
 * -Consider resources within the museum, local libraries and historical societies, newspaper archives, and peer reviewed journals.
 * -There are reliable secondary sources, however your personal emails, phone calls, interviews, and observations are not reliable sources and should not be used.

How to add references
Review Help:Footnotes (detailed explanation) or  Wikipedia:Footnotes (basic explanation) for how to create Footnotes in Wikipedia.

Code for inline citation
This will not show up in the article until you create a References section with the included reference code.

Code for repeated citation

 *   (First instance)
 *   (Each time the reference is repeated)

Code for creating reference section
In order to get the citations to appear, place one of the following codes under the References heading.

Resources

 * For detailed information, please review Citing sources and Citation templates.
 * For a good reference generator tool go here.
 * For a clever way to cite you articles go here
 * Please review Citing sources and Citation templates.

Fairytale key enter-2.png The "External links" section
The External links section is a bulleted list of recommended relevant websites, each with a short description.
 * These hyperlinks should not appear in the article's body text, nor should they already appear in the References section.
 * If your artwork has a record in the SOS! Database be sure to add a link to it here.
 * See the External Links Guide for specifics.

How to create an External links section

 * On the edit page, add an asterisk (Wiki code for a bullet point) followed by the external link.
 * Highlight the link title and click the Blue "External Link" button in the Editing Toolbar to create an external link.
 * Or use single brackets to create an external link. For example:
 * Describe the link by adding text directly after the link. (Just make sure you add a space after the link).
 * Typing:

*The RFC-mandated example.com website *[http://americanart.si.edu/research/programs/sos/ Save Outdoor Sculpture! and SIRIS database]
 * Will become:


 * The RFC-mandated example.com website
 * Save Outdoor Sculpture! and SIRIS database

Fairytale key enter-2.png Navigation templates
If public artworks can be grouped as a collection a navigation template can keep them unified.
 * Navigation templates can become confusing, so if you add one make sure to keep it strictly relevant to the collection.
 * If you would like help creating a new Navigation Template, User:HstryQT can help. Just leave a note on her Talk Page.

How to create a navigation template
 
 * Search for navigation templates on the bottom of already existing articles that relate to your work.
 * If you find an appropriate navigation template, click "Edit" on that page, and scroll towards the bottom to find & copy the template code. From there you can edit the navigation template as needed.
 * Paste the template code into the bottom of your own article.
 * Navigation templates are required to be below other headers such as "References," "See Also" and "External Links."
 * Viewers of the page can click "Hide" to minimize the Template or "Show" to expand it.
 * Navigation Templates are in curly brackets and look like this:

Fairytale key enter-2.png Categories
It is important to include detailed categories that will link the article to other similar works and places.
 * Categories should be clear and concise, giving information about physical location and perhaps about a broader collection or materials from which the artwork is made.
 * Avoid including overly-broad categories. Wikipedians prefer you include the most precise categories available.
 * There is a lot of information on Categories, lists, and navigation templates. Learn more details here.

How to add categories
 
 * Browse this listing of subcategories within Category:Sculpture in order to find more specific categories that apply to your article.
 * Consider browsing the subcategories within Category:Culture by location for specific categories relating to the location of the artwork.
 * Add Categories to the very bottom of your "Edit" screen, using this format:

Fairytale key enter-2.png Tag your article
To associate your article with WikiProject Public art, tag your article with the Public art banner.
 * Copy and paste   on to the article's Talk Page (the Discussion tab).
 * Tagging your article will automatically place it into Category:WikiProject Public art articles, which will make it easy to find.
 * If your article qualifies as a stub, include stub in the class field:   so that it can be easily found and expanded.

Blue Glass Arrow.svg Other general Wikipedia resources

 * Advice for the cultural sector
 * WikiProject Visual arts/Art Manual of Style
 * Wikipedia: Conflict of interest for culture sector professionals
 * Examples of public art in Wikipedia