Thirty-six BikePGH members were hosted by two curators of this year’s Carnegie International

Art Tour Team Photo courtesy of David Bennett

Two of the three curators of this year’s Carnegie International are avid bike commuters. It didn’t take Tina Kukielski and Daniel Baumann much time to figure out a way  to meld two of their passions. They reached out to BikePGH and offered to reward our members with an art tour of Pittsburgh.  It was great timing too. We’ve been thinking about new and exciting ways to thank are more than 2500 members. This is exactly the kind of thing we had in mind. Anytime we can bring together our members and business members in the name of bike advocacy it just feels good.

An event like this was limited registration. We sent word to all  BikePGH members and before the day was over every slot was filled. It was a day worthy of the response too. For some participants, like Mercedes it was her first BikePGH event ever. It was the art that caught her attention. The tour started in front of the Phyllida Barlow sculpture at the entrance to the Carnegie. From their we went to  Kraus Campo at Carnegie Mellon before making our way to the South Side as we passed The Workers along the South Side Riverfront Trail. We then made our way through Downtown via the Smithfield Street Bridge to see Chairs for Six created by Scott Burton, a work that appeared in the 1985 Carnegie International. Next we stopped to admire those crazy eyes in the Cultural District that are straight out of Louise Bourgeois’s wild imagination. She too was in an International exhibition in 1991. We crossed the 9th Street Bridge to the Northside where we found ourselves in Pittsburgh’s very own version of Oz at Randyland, and Oz himself, aka Randy Gilson, appeared out of nowhere to greet us and share his inspiring story. Our last stop on the tour was to see the striking murals of Maxo Vanka at the St. Nicholas Croatian Catholic Church in Millvale. For many it was the first time they’d been to such popular attractions like Randyland and the Vanka murals. Most learned of Kraus Campo for the first time.

When we made the return trip back to the museum those who completed the full loop were treated to a delicious lunch at the Museum’s cafe. And for those who still had the energy they could tour the Carnegie International or return at a later date with their guest pass. Of course the focus of BikePGH’s work is better bike conditions in Pittsburgh and the region, but we still like our members to know whenever we can that their support is much appreciated!

Not a member of BikePGH? Join today! We need you to add your voice! Bike Pittsburgh works to protect cyclist’s rights and promote the vision of making Pittsburgh a safer and more enjoyable place to live and to ride. For more info, check out: www.bikepgh.org/membership