Is showing art in non-traditional spaces bad PR for art?

In today's Washington Post, Jessica Dawson reports on the DIY art-in-condos phenomena that has been happening more and more lately as new condo buildings pop up all over town but remain empty due to the sluggish economy.  Some developers have found a different and successul way to market the condo units: let artists fill the unoccupied spaces with art and invite all their friends and create some buzz around the development.  Dawson wonders:

Brilliant marketing for developers. But bad PR for art? One-offs forge dicey synaptic connections in the public mind: They reinforce the "art as decor" paradigm, divorcing artists from their highest calling -- creating work that challenges social and political norms. On art event nights, artists become another kind of interior decorator.

Then again, this is real life. Artists need to eat and developers need to sell. Not all art is created equal -- and neither are its venues.

Many critics and the public ridiculed the refusés, which included such now-famous paintings as Édouard Manet's Luncheon on the Grass (Le déjeuner sur l’herbe) and James McNeill Whistler's Girl in White. But the critical attention also legitimized the emerging avant-garde in painting. Encouraged by Manet, the Impressionists successfully exhibited their works outside the Salon beginning in 1874. Subsequent Salons des Refusés were mounted in Paris in 1874, 1875, and 1886, by which time the prestige and influence of the Paris Salon had waned. (From Wikipedia.)

For the Providence project, Mackay called on Philippa Hughes, an art impresario who links collectors with artists working in graffiti and street art. Hughes brought in District artist Decoy.

Artists partner with local youth groups to reflect the positive culture and history of surrounding neighborhoods. Designs, devoid of political or commercial themes, are a collaborative effort among residents, businesses and artists. Student apprentices help research the area and prepare the site. They then are coached in various painting techniques and improving upon those used by illegal graffiti artists.