PITTSBURGH, PA (August 25, 2020) – The future placement of Frank Vittor’s Christopher Columbus statue in Schenley Park will be considered beginning on Wednesday, August 26, with a discussion at the City of Pittsburgh’s Art Commission virtual meeting.
Mayor William Peduto has asked the Art Commission to commence a public process to review the 1958 Christopher Columbus statue – which is owned by the City and is on City property – and to make a recommendation on how he should proceed.
“Public art is an essential element of community identity, public history, and evolving culture. It reflects and reveals who we are and what our communities mean to us,” Mayor Peduto said. “As they did with the Stephen Foster Memorial, I know that the Art Commission will take this opportunity to thoughtfully lead the City through this evaluation with the backdrop that the public process is very important.”
The Mayor has called for a public process for reviewing the Christopher Columbus statue, including a Special Hearing with opportunities for interested members of the public to give testimony to the Art Commission and a period of online engagement during which the public can express their opinion and recommend action to the Mayor to leave the statue unchanged, remove it, replace it, or alter it in some way.
The Mayor has requested a final report, summary of public comments, and recommendation from the Art Commission regarding the statue once a thorough public process has been completed to inform his final decision.
The Art Commission will discuss the Christopher Columbus statue and future public involvement at the Hearing on Wednesday, August 26, at 2 p.m. Information can be found on the Virtual Art Commission page.
For More Information:
Sarah Minnaert
Public Art & Civic Design Manager
Sarah.Minnaert@pittsburghpa.gov
Andrew Dash
Director of City Planning
Andrew.Dash@pittsburghpa.gov
