BikePGH’s Membership Challenge Week 3
Week 3 Challenge: Public Art
You don’t have to look for long before finding public art in Pittsburgh. Murals, statues, and even bike racks that double as sculptures! Take a journey to discover local public art by foot or by bike, and if you feel inspired, take some time to sketch your own bike rack design!
Step 1:
Choose your public art! Art is all around us, and it can take many different forms. Pick a piece of public art from each of these categories, and see if you can create a route to include them all!
Murals – There are hundreds of murals in Pittsburgh, and if you live in the city there’s likely a few in your neighborhood! You can explore a map of them here compiled by a local cyclist.
Stained Glass – Before it was known for steel, Pittsburgh was the center of glass manufacturing in the United States, covering 80% of the market. Once you start looking, you’ll begin to see stained glass everywhere. Find a block with big old brick houses, and count how many stained glass windows you can see!
Graffiti – From neighborhood beautification projects designed collectively by the community to incognito splashes of art under bridges, there’s a ton of local street art and graffiti to explore around Pittsburgh.
Sculptures – Weird and wonderful sculptures exist in all corners of the ‘Burgh. Sometimes you’ll spot them in places like the oft-inaccessible Frank Curto Park, which is home to what locals call “The French Fry Sculpture”! Did you know that the sculpture is actually titled Pittsburgh, by artist John Raymond Henry?
Statues – While statues may make you think of stodgy old bronze men, one of Pittsburgh’s most beloved statues is a life-sized dinosaur named Dippy!
Community art – As the pandemic puts physical distance between us, people around the world have been turning to sidewalk chalk to communicate with their neighbors and decorating their homes to entertain little ones. If you find some awesome art in your neighborhood, be sure to snap a picture and share it with us. Plus, check out this week’s virtual activity for some DIY ideas!
Architecture – If you know where to look, certain Pittsburgh buildings and structures have been designed with an artistic purpose in mind. The Renaissance Hotel (formerly the Fulton Building) in Downtown is famous for its striking seven-story archway… but look closer and you might see it as a framed “portal into downtown”, further echoed by the open arches of the Sixth Street Bridge.
Installation Art – Artists are commissioned each year by various local organizations to produce art (often interactive!) that is seamlessly integrated into the community. Downtown’s most recently installed piece is called Prismatica, where visitors can walk among and spin larger-than-life prisms to “see city life in every color of the spectrum”.
Step 2:
Use the Pittsburgh Bike Map or the mapping tool of your choice to plan your walk or ride to the landmark.
Pick up a free paper map at the bike fix-it stand in front of the BikePGH office (188 43rd St, Pittsburgh, PA 15201)
Step 3:
Head out the door to your adventure! Follow your route to explore public art around your neighborhood, or head out on a longer excursion if you feel up to it. Take a moment to contemplate each piece of art along your route. Can you find the artist’s name? What about it speaks to you? Take a selfie with it and tag @BikePGH!
Step 4:
Ready to exercise your creativity? Bring along materials for sketching on the road. It can be as simple as a stack of post-its and a sharpie. Sketch a fun crosswalk design or a sculptural bike rack. Get creative with some bike/ped infrastructure design!
Follow along on our adventure!
Hi there! My name is Sarah, and I’m the Membership & Outreach Manager at BikePGH. I live in Bloomfield, a super walkable neighborhood that makes it easy to hop from one neighborhood to another. With so much public art to choose from, the most difficult part was deciding what to see!
Ultimately, I picked up my Pittsburgh Bike Map and created a route that explored my neighborhoods – Lawrenceville, Friendship, East Liberty, and Shadyside. Check out the map of my adventure!
Sketch Your Own Bike Rack
Activity Level: Low
Duration: 30 minutes
There are 25 sculptural bike racks throughout Downtown Pittsburgh created by artists in partnership with the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. Check out some of the examples, and then try sketching your own!
What makes a good bike rack?
- A bike can lean against it with at least 2 points of contact
- A bike can lock to it with a u-lock
- It can fit on a narrow sidewalk
Share your bike rack sketch and tag @BikePGH!
Make Your Home a Work of Art
Activity Level: Low
Duration: ~30 minutes
Around the world throughout the pandemic, people have been communicating with their neighbors through artwork and words of encouragement displayed on windows sidewalks, and more.
If you’re looking for an easy activity that can be done at home (especially if you have kids to entertain), there are so many creative ways to create public art for your neighbors! Set aside an afternoon to turn your windows into an art gallery that can be viewed from outside, put up streamers on your trees and front lawn like this family in Squirrel Hill, or simply use chalk to beautify the street and sidewalk in front of your home.
You can even paint directly on your windows for a temporary stained glass effect using acrylic or tempera paint. Be sure to read the label first, and to check if your brand of paint is appropriate for glass.
Additional Resources:
- Healthy Ride’s public art bike tour of Downtown – created with the Pittsburgh Bike Map!
- The Office of Public Art’s guide to public art – includes self-guided walking tours
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