Pittsburgh to invest $800,000 in public art projects for city's parks

The City of Pittsburgh is investing $800,000 to commission new public artwork for the city’s parks and neighborhoods.

The Department of City Planning Public Art and Civic Design announced Wednesday that there will be a series of calls for artists throughout the year.

This citywide initiative encompasses 18 neighborhoods and marks the largest introduction of new public art in Pittsburgh in decades.

“We are excited to announce these upcoming opportunities to enhance public art throughout the city,” Mayor Bill Peduto said. “Not only will these projects support our artists, but they also provide an opportunity to creatively reflect the values, character and identity of our communities.”

The Allegheny Regional Asset District (RAD) Art in Parks program will contribute $500,000 in grant funding. RAD gets its revenue from an additional 1% sales tax imposed on purchases made in Allegheny County.

The Art in Parks program is a “joint creative placemaking effort between Allegheny County Parks and the City of Pittsburgh’s five regional parks to bring large-scale public art into our parks,” Shannon Musgrave, RAD’s communications director, said.

The county is creating a sculpture garden in Hartwood Acres park, Musgrave said, while the City of Pittsburgh commissions new site-specific installations for each of the five RAD Parks: Emerald View Park, Frick Park, Highland Park, Riverview Park and Schenley Park.

“We are excited for this project because we know that public art adds enormous value to a community,” Musgrave said. “We hope these works will inspire a sense of pride, excitement and vitality for Pittsburghers and contribute to and enhance our terrific quality of life and place.”

The city’s first call for artists is seeking artists to create object-based sculptures or site-specific installations and landscape works in each of the city’s RAD parks.

Submissions due March 23

Submissions are due by Tuesday, March 23. The request for proposals is available online and the city will be hosting virtual workshops to answer questions and help artists through the application process.

Artist selections will be made this spring, with installations beginning in the fall and continuing through next year , Musgrave said.

These new art installations will serve as a “welcome back” to Pittsburghers who have been forced to spend more time staying in their homes during the covid-19 pandemic, Musgrave said.

“This past year has really emphasized just how important access to outdoor space is, and what a difference it makes when that space is beautiful and inviting,” she said, adding she hopes the new public art installations will be an “impactful part of the city’s post-pandemic future.”

Additional calls for artists will take place throughout the year for “percent for art” projects. Percent for art refers to the city’s municipal ordinance that at least 1% of the amount for municipal construction or renovation of public buildings must be reserved for the inclusion of works of art.

Public art projects funded through the percent for art initiative will be installed at various city parks and municipal buildings, as well as the Bus Rapid Transit project.

The Public Art and Civic Design department is coordinating these projects with the Department of Mobility and Infrastructure and the Department of Public Works.

Pittsburgh currents maintains an inventory of about 200 public monuments, memorials and artwork.