This article does reflect my love of also viewing/seeing art and hopefully, get others ethused about travelling to see it:
http://insidevancouver.ca/2010/04/30/cycling-around-vancouver-to-see-outdoor-bike-art/

For past few decades, when I do visit other areas/cities, I like seeing outdoor public art and a local areas' galleries, museums which could combine both art and artifacts. I seriously wonder what I will be like in Europe since it's been awhile I've been there. But I know I went nuts in Washington, DC, London (England), Paris, etc.

Due to lack of time, I tend to focus on the big name art galleries/museums when I visit as a tourist. However we have done bike trips which incorporated 2-3 artists' studio tours which is always kind of neat.

In the cities where I've lived, there are several artists' studio tours in different neighbourhoods/regions. Our area is full of artists because the natural environment tends to draw artists to settle down here and create.

One of my favorite dates is doing an art crawl. Minneapolis and St Paul both have many prolific and talented artists. There isn't a weekend in the summer when you couldn't go to an art show.

We are also fairly famous for our eateries and our hair salons. After all, Hosrt (Aveda) had his start here.

Great topic orchid. I was hoping to see more photos, though.

This was the original article with more pics of more different art pieces that aren't immediate in lst article link above.

http://thirdwavecyclingblog.wordpress.com/2010/04/29/bike-inspired-outdoor-art-vancouver/
Right at the end of the article is a link to the Vancouve Public Art Registry
Does your area Edelweiss, feature any recent outdoor art or is it older art that's been there for over a century? I had the impression you live in a smaller city/town.

The next one in our city

http://www.nemaa.org/webpage.php?webpage_name=ART-A-WHIRL

If you click on Art Exhibit, you will see a scroll of some artists works.

How cool...thanks Anno!

Unlike some other places where I've lived in the past, where we live now, there's alot of permanent outdoor art sculptures in our immediate area. Most of it contemporary..some of it evokes the historic heritage of our neighbourhood which used to be industrial waterfront area. Other themes relate to the ocean, animal sea life, aboriginal/native Indian themes, etc.

Our local municipal planners, architects and developers like to bring their colleagues from other countries and give them urban design tours how to make a neighbourhood livable in terms of housing arrangements, layout of neighbourhood, green space, community services and outdoor artwork. Off the top of my head, there are at least 20 different art sculptures, all by different artists and different materials/themes within a 15 min. radius walk.

Susan Point is one of my favourite British Columbian aboriginal artists ("aboriginal" is how Canada refers to native Indian, Inuit and Metis, latter is part-French and native Indian. It is a commonly used term by themselves (if they don't want to be too specific) and also written directly in our laws/government policies.) Her outdoor art installations:

http://www.susanpoint.com/index.php?mpage=gallery&spage=public

The work "Flight" (last row of images for Susan) is at the Vancouver International Airport. There's a few other fabulous large permanent art installations, that would wow you. And it by other different aboriginal British Columbian artists. I'm glad that Vancouver chose to be innovative at its root heritage, in how it visually greets its visitors at the airport.

Another work of art at Vancouver airport, Spirit of the Haidi Gawaii (or known colloquially as the Jade Canoe) by Bill Reid. He was part-aboriginal. Died a few years ago. There is a museum gallery exclusively on his artwork here in our city.
http://www.billreidfoundation.org/banknote/spirit.htm As noted, one of our Canadian paper currencies uses image of the sculpture.

I think Katebca from Vancouver Island would speak more of what is in her area.