After undergoing a complete renovation, in 2019 Paulson Playground re-opened as Paulson Spray Park. The new facility is the site of an artistic hardscape mural, funded by the Percent For Art. Artist Will Schlough’s design integrates the park’s water-based play equipment with a colorful coral reef, resulting in a lively and dynamic environment for imaginative play.

In conjunction with Uptown’s EcoInnovation District Plan, a conceptual installation was implemented at Tustin Park by local collective HackPGH.  Free charging stations were installed as well as a free wireless network for the park and surrounding area, complemented by community-inspired artistic elements.

Installed within the intersection of Ellsworth Avenue and Maryland Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Shadyside neighborhood, this intersection mural celebrates Pittsburgh’s LGBTQIA+ community and honors the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising. Leonardo Moleiro’s mural, using of his signature ‘Totem’ motif, helps to promote inclusion and intersectionality. The project is a partnership between PACD and City Council District 8.

Local artists Edith Abeyta and Sandy Kessler-Kaminski worked with the Hazelwood community on the planning and execution of this mural next to Elizabeth Park. The artists used residents’ ideas of important events and concepts from the history of the neighborhood in their creation of a fanciful gameboard motif.

We Are Pittsburgh  was created by J.Chang and A. Ramon and is comprised of 20 artistic banners covering nine stories of the north and east elevations of the building. The composition transforms the facades of 625 Stanwix Street into a visual tribute to influential people who had their beginnings in the Pittsburgh area. The artwork was created using pixilation, triangulation, bursts of color, and abstraction, generating an optical illusion that changes the artwork depending on the distance and viewpoint. The composition emerges in greater clarity when seen through a camera or phone screen, encouraging interactivity through technology.

In collaboration with the Department of Public Works and Citiparks, PACD launched a new program of small-scale, temporary artistic interventions in City parks. The program was implemented in the fall of 2018 with projects in Highland, Frick, Emerald View, Riverview, Mellon, and Schenley Parks.

PACD coordinated a display of the work of local artist Maranie Rae in the lobby of the City-County Building. The exhibition, titled Invisible Faces, juxtaposed photographs from two of Rae’s projects: Displaced: A Human Face, a study of displaced individuals in the Middle East, and La Cruel Realidad, which focuses on the threat of separation faced by families who have fled to this country.

PACD and Citiparks teamed with AARP, Southwestern Pennsylvania Partnership For Aging, and Lively Pittsburgh to present Color Beechview, a community art project at the Beechview Healthy Active Living Center. Local artist Lori Hepner led three workshops at which the community utilized her light-based technology to form the basis for the art intervention, which was unveiled in November of 2018. The artwork also wrapped a train car on one of the T Red Lines.

The City collaborated with the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust to bring a large-scale sculpture by artist Dee Briggs to public display in Gateway Center. The sculpture, Six Plates For Annabelle and Maggie, was put in place for the Three Rivers Arts Festival in June of 2018, and remained on public view for one year.

Following a process of community feedback and a decision by the Art Commission, the statue of Stephen Foster that had been located outside of the Carnegie Museum in Oakland was removed from public display. Efforts to determine an appropriate site for relocation are being undertaken by the City.

As a feature of the Public Art Map, this series of audio files explores the nature of public art in evolving neighborhoods, the legacy of monuments, and the unique history of Pittsburgh as a city made of many distinct and interrelating communities. Eight informational episodes are each complemented by oral history episodes featuring interviews with local citizens. Written versions of each audio file are available to download, and maps show the locations of all referenced artworks.

In 2018, PACD launched an interactive public art map in collaboration with the GIS Division. The map includes links to photographs and inventory information for each piece in the City’s collection of public art and memorials. A new, updated version was released in 2020 and can be seen here. The map will continue to be updated as the City’s public art inventory grows and changes over time.

PACD partnered with City Council District 4 to install the City’s first artist-designed intersection in March of 2017 at Brownsville and Parkfield Roads in Carrick. Artist Guy Ruff was selected to implement his design, which combined themes of place-making and safety with symbolic representations of the neighborhood’s identity. The enhanced intersection performs a traffic-calming function as well as providing an elevated pedestrian experience.

In 2017, PACD released a new version of the City’s existing inventory of war memorials and monuments. The 2017 edition added works of modern and contemporary art, along with updated images and historical information for each piece. The latest version of this document, released in 2020, features updated information and a redesigned format. It is available here to view on your computer or device or download as a PDF.