This new public art project, Fusion Trail, is part of Phase 1 of improvements taking place in Arsenal Park in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh. The artists are creating a work inspired by stories and histories of the park: the people that use it, the land it sits on, and the history of the neighborhood. This project is made possible by the City of Pittsburgh’s Percent for Art Program. The budget for this project is $17,000.

A series of four sculptural works throughout the renovated playground, Fusion Trail was envisioned as a melding of animals and elements in a sculptural trail that seeks to revalorize the heritage, identities, and stories of Arsenal Park and the surrounding community.

Fusion Trail is being planned for installation in early spring 2024. Below, find out more about the artists and their concept.

Sasha Reisin (Argentina / California)

Sasha Reisin started practicing street art in 2012 with the group Primo, portraying foreign indigenous cultures. Later, his work developed into focusing on the relationship between public art and its social environment, often in marginalized neighborhoods. In 2017 he co-founded the art collective MUTA (Urban Movement for Artistic Transformation), starting with a cultural house in Buenos Aires and then traveling across Latin America, organizing participatory urbanism projects with local communities. Currently, his practice deals with the collective memories and native cosmologies of Latin American heritage, creating shared immersive experiences to reinforce local community connections.

Urbanismo Vivo (Argentina)

Urbanismo Vivo is a team that seeks, through its projects, the connection between the people and the place where they live, promoting a more friendly, active, inclusive and humanized city. Their community and territory work is based on three main principles. Innovation: a way of designing processes from a creative point of view. Diversity: integrating multiple views and experiences from the territory. Exchange: collaborative work and in networks, both local and international, as the engine of major transformation processes.

Sasha Reisin & Urbanismo Vivo

The project received approval from the Public Art & Civic Design Commission in September 2023. You can view the artist's final designs below. More information about the Commission can be found at https://pittsburghpa.gov/dcp/pacdc.

Arsenal Park Public Art Final Design Materials

The artists collaborated with the community and the students of Arsenal Middle School through workshops and surveys. The input, stories, and ideas received from the public informed their designs for this public art project. Your additional feedback is welcome via the comment form below.