Field of Warhol Flowers by Bob Ziller

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

photo by Roy Engelbrecht

The Pittsburgh Beautification Project was the idea of artist Bob Ziller. For several years he’s been the driving force behind those flower covered boards on abandoned buildings around town.

While there are many, many buildings now sporting the bright flowers inspired by Andy Warhol, we haven’t tried to map them all on this site. Instead we’re including this one project to represent them, and to acknowledge Mr. Ziller’s contribution to so many neighborhoods.

Field of Warhol Flowers was done along a parking lot fence with the help of hundreds of kids. One of many examples where Bob Ziller has used his talent as an artist to spruce up a neglected site.

Metal Petals by multiple artists

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

A community group, the Bloomfield–Garfield Corporation, teamed up with ecoDesigners Guild on their Green+Screen project. The goal is to make improvements to empty lots and eyesores in the community. Some projects are designed to screen the clutter or run–down area from view. Other projects work to make physical improvements through landscaping efforts. This is one of the two current art projects built to enhance the space, but made so that they can be relocated if the lot is later developed. This is the other one.

The green in the Green+Screen is for the use of recycled materials and plants. Volunteers work with the community in the design and installation process and try to address their concerns and needs. It's a great idea. We look forward to seeing more of these projects.

Mosaic pavers were created by local children and the benches are supported by scraps collected from cleaning up the lot.

Update
November 2014

Penn Ave has been under construction with the outbound lanes closed for a while now. It was just by chance that we ended up across the street, behind the construction fence and noticed the change in this installation. We don’t know when it was added and we were unable to locate any information about the addition or the artist(s) involved.

Star-Shaped Flowers mural by unknown artist

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

There was no artist information left behind on this wrap around mural. The brightly colored starfish–shaped flowers certainly are an improvement to the faded and chipped cinder block you see above the mural. We suspect that only the bottom half was painted because that wouldn't require tall ladders or a lift (which can be expensive), but that’s only a guess.

Paradise by Julie Webb

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

This artist created her version of paradise on this detached garage. The mural wraps around the building and the painted flowers are complemented by the real ones growing next to them.

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.

Flowers - artist unknown

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

This is located on the side of a local florist. Perhaps more of an ad than a mural, but we thought it contributed to Braddock’s efforts to add lots of public art to an area trying to re–create itself, so we’ve included it.

Summary:

Artist(s): Unknown
Address: 518 Braddock Ave
City:Braddock
Zip Code:15104

PghMurals@gmail.com
Twitter: @PghMurals