Shepard Fairey Collage

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In 2009 Shepard Fairey had an exhibit at the Andy Warhol Museum on the North Side. Known originally for being a street artist, he posted artwork all around the city prior to the opening of the show. This was one of them. These wheat-paste pieces were never meant to last forever and many of them are in very poor condition now.

Mary Thomas of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes about the art show and the artist here, explaining some of these images and influences.

This collage consists of two background patterns and the following images (left to right, top to bottom):

• "Peace Guard" done in collaboration with Kai Regan
• "Mujer Fatal"
• "Kiss Me Deadly"
• "Commanda"
• "Obey Eye"
• "Global Warning"
• "Peace Fingers Black"

Update August 2014. This mural is gone.

Transformazium artwork along Hawkins Ave

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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

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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.

Three Boys Living in the Shadow of the Separation Wall by Swoon

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One of several wheat paste images that Swoon has in the area. On the website for Braddock REDUX, Mayor Fetterman is quoted as saying One of my immediate goals is to help change the outsider’s perspective of what’s possible in Braddock through the arts. Part of his plan is implemented through Braddock REDUX and the UnSmoke Systems Art Space. This wheat paste image was part of the UnSmoke Systems initiative, and you can see it in it’s original condition on their website.

The image is of three boys living in the shadow of the Separation Wall in Bethlehem/Palestine.

Summary:

Artist(s): Swoon
Address: 1135 Braddock Ave
City:Braddock
Zip Code:15104

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