Art in Parks Storytellers
To accompany the eight new artworks created for the Art in Parks program, the City of Pittsburgh commissioned five locally-based storytellers to document and expand the narrative created by the new public art installations.
Eight local, national, and international artists and artist teams are implementing public artworks for the City of Pittsburgh's latest expansion of its Art in Parks program! These high-impact projects are being designed and installed on a staggered schedule through 2023 in the City’s five regional parks: Frick, Schenley, Emerald View, Riverview, and Highland.
Additionally, five locally-based storytellers were commissioned to document and expand the narrative created by the new public art installations.
This program was made possible by the RADical ImPAct Grant, which was launched in celebration of the Allegheny Regional Asset District’s 25th anniversary with the intention of funding bold, forward-looking, creative projects that will have a radical impact on the region.
Below you can find some information on each park, the artists, and the storytellers.
Learn more about each artist and their projects
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Drip, See, Run
Ginger Brooks Takahashi explores the historical presence and memory of the natural water systems of Schenley Park.
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Birds of Schenley Park
Suphitsara Buttra's project is inspired by the wildlife of Schenley Park.
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Pictures of the Future
Artist collective Sans façon (Tristan Surtees & Charles Blanc) and Steve Gurysh have created a multi-faceted public artwork consisting of a series of interwoven elements that reframes Riverview Park's existing elements, landscape, and history.
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Flora
Marlana Adele Vassar's breathtaking bronze sculpture now in Highland Park's grand entry garden.
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Together
Visit The Urban Conga's artwork in Highland Park between the swimming pool and the lake!
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A Monument To Pittsburgh Youth
Ali Ruffner's long-term engagement with students at Brashear High School led to their final design for this multi-component artwork in Emerald View Park.
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Grit, Flow, Grow
Inspired by the poem "Bread and Roses", OOA's three-part sculpture is a composition of scrap metal and elegant line work that creates a metaphor for the resiliency of women and a symbol of the transformation and growth of post-industrial environments.
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In Fields of Friends
Matthew Geller's design for a folly in the landscape takes its visual cues from the elegant castle-like entrances of the Frick Park's original estate and the whimsical qualities of a merry-go-round.
About the parks:
Pittsburgh’s five Regional Asset District Parks together make up around 2,000 acres, accounting for much of the City’s forest and green space. They also provide numerous recreational and cultural amenities, and hold much of the City’s collection of public art and memorials. Maps, historical information, and more for each park can be found at the Citiparks website.
Schenley Park was created in 1889 with land donated by philanthropist Mary Schenley. A log cabin which sits in the park and was once owned by Schenley is considered to be the oldest home in Pittsburgh. The park is also home to Phipps Conservatory and the Bob O’Connor Golf Course, and sits adjacent to the City’s largest universities.
- Schenley Park Artists: Ginger Brooks Takahashi and Suphitsara Buttra-Coleman
- Storyteller: Sakena Washington
Emerald View Park is the newest of Pittsburgh’s Regional City Parks, being officially created in 2007. It was made of the consolidation of existing parks, greenways, and parcels of land. It features many trails winding up and down its hillsides, and beautiful scenic overlooks of the City and its rivers.
- Emerald View Park Artists: Ali Ruffner and OOA Designs
- Storyteller: Sandra Bacchi
Riverview Park was created in 1894 in Allegheny City, thirteen years before it was annexed to the City of Pittsburgh. At the time it was a mostly grassy area known as Watson’s Farm. Now, it is mostly made up of dense, hilly woodlands. There are numerous trails for hiking and jogging, and the only equestrian path found in Pittsburgh’s City parks. The most famous site within the park is the Allegheny Observatory, a historic landmark and institute of astronomical research.
- Riverview Park Artist: Sans façon & Steve Gurysh
- Storyteller: Mark Kramer
Highland Park sits on what was once farmland owned by the Negley family. One of its most famous features, the reservoir, was built in 1879, and people soon began gathering in the area around it for recreation. It opened as a City Park in 1893, with many of its key features being built in the following decade, including the entrance gate, Lake Carnegie, and the first picnic shelters. The Highland Park Zoological Gardens (now the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium) also opened at this time, and remains one of the area’s best-known attractions.
- Highland Park Artists: Marlana Adele Vassar and The Urban Conga
- Storyteller: Alyssa Velazquez
Frick Park is Pittsburgh’s largest City Park, containing land that Henry Clay Frick, the park’s namesake, bequeathed to the City of Pittsburgh at the time of his death in 1919. The park was officially opened in 1927. In addition to the many trails and recreational features, the park also houses the Frick Environmental Center, and the famous Blue Slide Park.
- Frick Park Artist: Matthew Geller
- Storyteller: Sophia Fang
This project received a RADical ImPAct Grant from the Allegheny Regional Asset District (RAD).
