Artists Taking the Lead: across the UK; Art in the Park: 2012 Olympics campus. A £5.4m country-wide public art initiative, to commemorate the 2012 Olympics, featuring 12 works in different regions of the UK from artists working in a variety of media. The bigger cultural initiative around the Olympics also includes Art in the Park on the Olympic campus. The first of these commissions has already been awarded: Martin Richman and Jason Bruges Studio will design a series of bridges and underpasses for the campus. There have been others shortlisted for further installations that have yet to be announced. www.artiststakingthelead.org.uk
Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Over the River, Colorado, USA; Mastaba, UAE. Mastaba will be a flat-topped pyramid constructed out of nearly 400,000 oil barrels; Over the River will be a clear fabric canopy over several miles of the Arkansas River in Colorado. The Mastaba could remain standing for 5,000 years, while the river project is proposed to last two weeks. Both have been years in the planning are projected to go ahead in the next couple of years. www.christojeanneclaude.net
Documenta, Kassel, Germany. Major art event focused on site-specific work, much of it outdoors, held every five years. The next edition will be curated by Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev. 9 June-16 September, 2012. www.documenta.de
Anish Kapoor: Tees Valley Giants. The artist, working with structural designer Cecil Balmond, is designing five large steel sculptures as part of the valley's regeneration project. The first, Temenos, is a £2.7m sculpture 110 metres in length and 50 metres high. Installation is planned for this winter at Middlesbrough Dock, Middlehaven. www.teesvalleyregeneration.co.uk/art
Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art, Moscow, Russia. In the third edition of this event, the organisers have gone with the theme of Against Exclusion. And so, they write, they will aim for "free creation" in this global survey that will include 80 artists from more than 25 countries. The main venue will be the Garage Centre of Contemporary Culture, with further projects and installations throughout the city, indoors and out. 24 September-25 October 2009. www.3rd.moscowbiennale.ru
graffitimundo, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Not at all based around blue-chip artists like these other events, but a worthwhile way of experiencing a city and its culture, and perhaps catching a rising star. The idea is a guided tour of Buenos Aires' extensive street art movement. The tour includes visits to artists' studios and galleries—and, of course, lots of stops to look at street art in public spaces. www.graffitimundo.com
PLOT, New York City. A major new public art quadrennial produced by Creative Time, the New York non-profit behind a number of other art projects in the city and elsewhere in the US. The theme for the inaugural event, on Governors Island—a former military facility between Manhattan and Brooklyn—is This World and Nearer Ones. Artists include Adam Chodzko, Teresa Margolles, Anthony McCall, Patti Smith and Jesse Smith, Mark Wallinger, Lawrence Weiner, Judi Werthein and Krzysztof Wodiczko. This year's event finishes 20 September. www.creativetime.org
Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy. The mother of international contemporary art biennials, several of the works are specifically created as outdoor installations. This year's event is directed by Daniel Birnbaum and features 90 artists from all over the world, with dozens of "unofficial" artists (not part of the actual Biennale but there because of the event) exhibiting around the city as well. Until 22 November, 2009. www.labiennale.org
Mark Wallinger: White Horse, Ebbs-fleet, North Kent. Pending planning permission, the 50-metre sculpture's completion is scheduled to coincide with the opening of the Ebbsfleet International station in 2012. The £2m public art commission will be visible from nearby roads, and can also be visited on foot. www.ebbsfleetlandmark.com
Lorenzo Quinn: Berkeley Square, London. Give and Take III, a major new sculpture by internationally renowned artist Lorenzo Quinn, will be temporarily installed in Berkeley Square in the autumn. Coinciding with an exhibition of the artist's work at Halcyon Gallery, the placement of this towering 3 metre bronze sculpture continues the gallery's ongoing public art programme. www.halcyongallery.com
Bill Viola: St Paul's Cathedral, London. Not an outdoor project, but still a monumental work in a public space: St Paul's latest art commission - others have included works from Rebecca Horn and Yoko Ono - to create work around the idea of "art and faith." American Bill Viola's work, to be completed by 2011, will feature two multiscreen video installations based on Mary and the Martyrs and will be installed near the memorial for US soldiers. www.stpauls.co.uk
