30 December 2015

Transformazium artwork along Hawkins Ave

About Pgh Murals
Spreadsheet of Pittsburgh Public Art and blog archives
Map of Pittsburgh Public Art

In better days, this was a church. The old building is slowly being saved by a group of artists who have turned it into a combination art studio and living space. Many of the windows are still boarded up, but the resident artists have used some of their talents to make the building look less abandoned.

The Transformazium came about when Braddock’s mayor encouraged the artist Swoon to settle here. He believes in art as a way to help reinvent the town, and does a lot to promote it.

We found artwork on three sides of this corner building. These are the wheatpaste figures by Swoon that fill a doorway along Hawkins Ave:

The artwork on the building is changing as renovations move forward. This page will be updated with artwork on this side of the building as we discover it.

Transformazium Murals along Jones Ave by Swoon



About Pgh Murals
Spreadsheet of Pittsburgh Public Art and blog archives
Map of Pittsburgh Public Art


The artists at the Transformazium have been slowly working their way through this old church making many long overdue repairs and renovations.  There is art on three sides of the building, so there are currently three entries here to represent them.  This page includes the art on the side of the building that faces Jones Ave.

As renovations progress, the artwork on the building is changing. When we first discovered the Transformazium, we found this image on another door on this side of the building:


This was a wheat paste image, which is now gone.  "Wheat paste" is used to describe the method of pasting a piece of artwork up (as opposed to painting it on the wall).  The term is used whether the art is adhered using a flour and water mixture, wallpaper paste, or other type of adhesive.  It has a much shorter life than murals that have been painted, yet it can last a surprisingly long time.

In November of 2014 we found a new mural and a renovated door at the north end of this wall:


How wonderful to see the progress on this landmark. Swoon and the Transformazium members are doing more than just restoring the building. They are working towards establishing a ceramic tile studio here where they will train and employ local residents creating the tiles needed to replace the roof. This is Swoon's Braddock Tiles project, and she hopes that after the roof is replaced that the tile studio will continue to employ locals with other projects.

Transformazium West Wall artwork

About Pgh Murals
Spreadsheet of Pittsburgh Public Art and blog archives
Map of Pittsburgh Public Art


Thallasa by Swoon

The Transformazium is an old church that has been converted into a living space and art studio. Swoon (AKA Caledonia Dance Curry) has been working on the renovations here along with several other artists. This wheat paste artwork once embellished this side of the old church. She’s called Thalassa.

The sea taking the shape of a woman. That’s a general description of Thalassa, a goddess of Greek mythology. The artist Swoon created this image originally for the New Orleans Museum of Art in 2011. It was designed specifically for that location and a two dimensional version was hung in a huge, two story hall.

From a video of Swoon explaining the piece, she said that she had wanted to take the idea of a Sea Deity to sort of define our relationship with nature and think about how we relate to the sea. The Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, Miranda Lash, said in that same video that it was supposed to be a celebratory piece about the sea; ecological systems surrounding it; New Orleans’ relationship with the sea and then went on to say how much the city relied on the sea for food, commerce, oil, etc.

Although not as elaborately displayed and embellished as the installation in the museum, Braddock’s copy of Thalassa was still quite impressive. She may or may not have been a commentary on Braddock’s (and Pittsburgh’s) relationship with our rivers. She was, however, definitely majestic and commanded your attention.

By the time we rode by in May of 2014 Thallasa had deteriorated and was vandalized to the point that we considered it gone.  Building renovations are still going on and we're holding out hope that once they've finished with this side of the structure that perhaps a new copy will be installed.


On 3 Apr 2013, the Carnegie Museum of Art announced that the Transformazium was one of the 35 individuals or groups included in the The 2013 Carnegie International art show. The list of participants was included in the Post–Gazette article, where Mary Thomas provided this information on the Transformazium:

A collective of five people (Ruthie Stringer, Dana Bishop–Root, Erin Harrell, Leslie Stem and Caledonia Curry) with backgrounds in the arts and arts management. Most moved from Brooklyn to Braddock and North Braddock. Individually we are artists, designers, farmers, interactivists, communication theorists, neighbors. Together we are an arts-based community organization. Current projects include deconstructing an abandoned church with the dual purpose of recycling materials and perhaps supplementing income.

Congratulations to the artists of the Transformazium!

Washington's Survey mural by Scott Saloney

About Pgh Murals
Spreadsheet of Pittsburgh Public Art and blog archives
Map of Pittsburgh Public Art

Washington slept here. Probably. He definitely surveyed the area and this mural is a depiction of the survey he conducted in 1753.

Garden-themed Mural by Ashley Hodder

About Pgh Murals
Spreadsheet of Pittsburgh Public Art and blog archives
Map of Pittsburgh Public Art

Up on Mt Washington, a few blocks back from the scenic overlooks, there was a fence covered in graffiti at a troublesome intersection. Ashley Hodder was commissioned to paint a mural on this fence with the guidelines of something bright, colorful, and with a garden theme. The objective was to draw people back toward this section of the neighborhood, and at the same time eliminate the blank canvas that kept attracting the unwanted graffiti.

Ashley created a vibrant scene of poppies, bees and birds. We asked why she chose poppies and she explained how she wanted the mural to have a sensation of movement and needed a flower with a contrasting center to achieve it. She pointed out how the dark centers acted a bit like musical notes to lead your eye across the fence. In addition to that, there are bees and a bird that help to move your focus left to right. A darker band of flower buds interspersed with the blooms will then lead you back across the fence from right to left.

It's a beautiful scene and it seems to accomplish it's goal. It drew us up the street to see it and when we got there we saw a clean, landscaped intersection. No graffiti - only a great mural.

Bloom by Gerry Tonti

About Pgh Murals
Spreadsheet of Pittsburgh Public Art and blog archives
Map of Pittsburgh Public Art

When Bloom was dedicated, SoPghReporter.com wrote that the cherry tree represents Mount Washington with downtown Pittsburgh in the shadows. They state that this mural was part of Mt Washington’s efforts to become a greener, more eco–friendly community. They quote Greg Panza of the Mt Washington Community Development Corporation as saying the mural’s natural theme truly softened the hard surfaces of the built environment of our business district and serves as a tremendous enhancement to the entrance of Shiloh Street from Grandview Avenue.

Contrary to what you might think about the cherry tree–Washington connection being the reason they chose that particular design, Gerry Tonti explained in a Trib article by Rochelle Hentges that cherry trees were native to the area before the steel mills destroyed them. The community wanted to go green, had plans to plant real cherry trees, and wanted to get away from any kind of industrial theme.

Knoxville Multicultural Mural by multiple artists

About Pgh Murals
Spreadsheet of Pittsburgh Public Art and blog archives
Map of Pittsburgh Public Art

Over 130 volunteer hours went into this new mural on the side of the YMCA Hilltop Computer Center. One of the project managers told us they had more than 20 volunteers from 7–60 years old assisting lead artists Shalaman Johnson, Israel Bey and Anthony Gentri.  Sections of the mural represent some of the heritage and ethnicity of this neighborhood, showing the changing backgrounds of the local residents.  Whether long time residents who's ancestors immigrated here or new immigrants to the area,  all are now members of this neighborhood.






This is the mural that was replaced here. We never were able to locate any information on this one.

Mt Oliver Hilltop Community Mural by multiple artists

About Pgh Murals
Spreadsheet of Pittsburgh Public Art and blog archives
Map of Pittsburgh Public Art

This four panel mural depicts some of the history and activities in the community of Mount Oliver.

Welcome to Mt Lebanon by Ashley Hodder

About Pgh Murals
Spreadsheet of Pittsburgh Public Art and blog archives
Map of Pittsburgh Public Art


There had been an old billboard here, but the business that it advertised had closed and the owner now wanted to sell advertising space to multiple businesses. Instead of just a rectangle filled with ads, the artist suggested a more subtle approach. She designed an old-fashioned post card with the businesses included in a street scene of the neighborhood.
They invited the community to decide on the images to use inside the letters spelling out "Mt Lebanon".
In an online vote, the residents chose what they felt represented their neighborhood best:

  • high school sports
  • the K-9 division of the police force
  • the farmers' market
  • an image of their retired fire chief
  • gardening (pride in their landscaping)
  • sports and recreation
  • walking (They have no school buses here and promote walking.)
In the background you'll see the local high school as well as the Mt Lebanon logo.
The businesses that are included pay for the advertising, and that funds the mural. As advertisers change each year the mural gets updated to reflect the new businesses. A very creative and attractive way to advertise.

UPDATE May 2014
We definitely noticed the changes in the businesses featured in the mural. The modifications were done seamlessly. There are no glaring differences in the intensity of the colors. Unless you knew what had been there previously you probably wouldn’t realize that anything had been changed.






Mural at the Mt Lebanon T-Station by multiple artists

About Pgh Murals
Spreadsheet of Pittsburgh Public Art and blog archives
Map of Pittsburgh Public Art


When Pittsburgh celebrated it’s 250th anniversary, Mt Lebanon installed two murals as part of their commemoration of the event. This mural above the T–station on Shady Ave is one of them. Helen Worsing designed it to showcase Mt Lebanon as a walking community. This feature of the Mt Lebanon neighborhood is a huge source of pride for them. They don’t use school buses, and they encourage all forms of exercise and activity. Having a pro–walking mural alongside the public transportation stop really impresses you that this community is ahead of it’s time in promoting alternatives to driving.

The mural wraps around the sweeping corner of Shady Ave and continues on 4 walls. The style changes from silhouette to detailed and back again as you walk around the mural.

Ivy Inn Mural by Ashley Hodder

About Pgh Murals
Spreadsheet of Pittsburgh Public Art and blog archives
Map of Pittsburgh Public Art

This building on the corner of Castle Shannon Blvd and Cypress Way was in need of some sprucing up. The community got together and decided on a mural for Pittsburgh's 250th anniversary. Artist Ashley Hodder opted to showcase one of the city's famous landmarks and used Phipps Concervatory as the inspiration. With the business next door being the Ivy Inn, she incorporated ivy through the tranquil scene of plants and water beneath a domed glass greenhouse with blue skies above.

Red Star Ironworks Mural by Anthony LaSeur

About Pgh Murals
Spreadsheet of Pittsburgh Public Art and blog archives
Map of Pittsburgh Public Art

We found this description of the mural on the artist’s website: Facade renovation for a Pittsburgh–based shop specializing in custom ironwork fabrication and design. Set against the Pittsburgh skyline, the ironworkers reference the legacy and traditional techniques of the trade, while the line work framing them reflects the way in which Red Star Ironworks preserves and advances that legacy.

It’s a great trompe l'oeil image. You can almost feel the heat from the forge when you stand in front of it. If you look on Anthony LaSeur’s website you can see photos of the step by step creation of this mural.

Red Star Ironworks is a multinational design company that specializes in hand forged ironwork. Artists in their own right, there are several examples of their work around town. They produced the first of the Three Rivers Bike Racks (designed by Wall to Wall Studios); the book–shaped bike racks in Millvale; and the cool support brackets and book shaped door handles for the Millvale Library. As much as we like those pieces (and we do) they pale in comparison to the items in their portfolio on their website. Those pieces aren’t public art, but they’re well worth taking a look at if you like iron sculpture.


Three Rivers Bike Rack with an unusual bike lock attached.


Millvale Library Bike Rack


Support Brackets in Millvale Library.

 

 
Door Handles at Millvale Library.