FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contacts:
Derek Scalzott | Senior Director of Communications | Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
scalzott@trustarts.org | 412-471-8715
Liza Stoner & Stacey Streshinsky | Cultural Counsel
liza@culturalcounsel.com & stacey@culturalcounsel.com
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Announces
Inaugural Public Art Unveiled for Arts Landing
as Construction Advances in the Cultural District
Arts Landing’s first round of temporary public art features ten artists with
strong ties to Pittsburgh whose work has earned regional, national, and international acclaim
PITTSBURGH, PA, August 6, 2025: Four months since breaking ground, construction of Arts Landing, the transformational civic space envisioned and operated by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, has progressed on time and on budget. A new time-lapse video shows crews clearing the site for excavation, installing a stormwater management system under the Great Lawn, constructing retaining walls along the future Garden Walk, and starting to grade the site for an elevated view of the Three Sisters Bridges and Allegheny River.
As construction has progressed, so has behind-the-scenes artistic planning. Today, the Cultural Trust revealed a bold and distinctively-Pittsburgh lineup of public art works that will debut in Arts Landing when it opens in April of 2026, adding another must-experience dimension to the highly anticipated civic space.
The inaugural presentation of public art at Arts Landing will feature works of global relevance that honor and celebrate Pittsburgh’s cultural identity. The installations will serve as public meeting spaces—inviting dialogue, reflection, and community connections. The program was developed under the leadership of Anastasia James, Director of Galleries & Public Art for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, with guidance from the Cultural Trust’s Public Art and Design Committee.
“It’s a pleasure to work with these outstanding artists, creating work that celebrates and reflects the City of Pittsburgh,” said James. “Our goal with Arts Landing is to present thoughtful programming prioritizing artist-driven collaborations and public participation, while further highlighting Pittsburgh as a leader in contemporary public art.”
“Public art has the power to spark connections and create a sense of pride in our communities,” said Kendra Whitlock Ingram, President & CEO of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. “Created by artists with strong ties to our region, these works will connect visitors with our city and shape Arts Landing as a distinctly Pittsburgh destination."
Inaugural public artworks will remain on view for at least one year, with some remaining for multiple years. The program’s first phase centers artists with strong ties to Pittsburgh, providing them with resources, space, and infrastructure needed to create ambitious, large-scale works. New works will rotate into Arts Landing over time. As the initiative grows, it will expand to include international artists in conversation with local histories and communities, supporting cross-cultural exchange while maintaining a strong tie to Pittsburgh.
ABOUT THE ART
Touching the Earth by Thaddeus Mosley | Arts Landing will highlight works by one of Pittsburgh’s greatest living artists, Thaddeus Mosley, in celebration of his centenary in July 2026. In partnership with Public Art Fund (PAF), the Cultural Trust will present Touching the Earth, an exhibition of monumental bronzes commissioned by PAF, curated by Jenee Strand, and originally presented at City Hall Park in New York, NY from May 6-November 9, 2025. This tribute not only honors Mosley’s extraordinary contributions to sculpture and public art but also establishes a powerful foundation for the site’s long-term public art program. Collectively, these projects will ensure that Arts Landing is not only a landmark for public art in Pittsburgh but also a platform for advancing the careers of artists with deep regional connections while amplifying their work on the global stage.
Lifted by vanessa german | Lifted by acclaimed citizen artist vanessa german is a series of sculptural benches designed by german in tribute to Pittsburgh’s elders. The artist will cast aluminum benches from hand tracings of city residents over the age of 100, highlighting the unseen labor and legacy of generations. Community engagement sessions across the city will inform the work, creating moments of intergenerational storytelling and collective reverence.
Sculptures of Regional Wildlife by Darian Johnson | Created in partnership with VaultArt Studio, a progressive arts organization that supports artists with disabilities, this intricately constructed yet playful series of sculptural works by Pittsburgh-based artist Darian Johnson is inspired by local fauna. In his work, Johnson celebrates inclusion and imagination—offering a powerful vision for public art that reflects a true diversity of perspectives and lived experiences.
For the Birds by Lenka Clayton and Phillip Andrew Lewis | The conceptual artists’ project will serve as a whimsical ecological intervention, featuring towering, powder-coated steel sculptures designed as perches, swings, and platforms for birds, reimagining circus architecture as sites of freedom and agency. The project is a meditation on visibility, absence, and environmental change, directing viewers’ attention upward and inviting them to reflect on the presence—and disappearance—of avian life.
This Is the Body of the Sun by Mikael Owunna and Marques Redd | This work will expand on the artists’ portrayals of Black queer Kemetic deities. Ra, a solar figure of discipline and inner power, merges ancient African spiritual practices with contemporary aesthetics, transforming Arts Landing into a site of sacred encounter and cultural liberation.
Hold by Shikeith | This iron and glass sculpture will extend the mission of the artist’s Mellon-funded initiative, Project Blue Space, which explores black histories tied to water and seeks to document former sites of the Underground Railroad in the Pittsburgh Region.
Sharmistha Ray, a contemporary painter and co-founder of the spiritualist art collective Hilma’s Ghost will design a series of Pickleball courts inspired by the complex inheritance of multiple cultures through their queer identity.
Rotating Weather Sculpture by John Peña | This dynamic interactive installation is commissioned in collaboration with the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh’s Tough Art residency program, which challenges artists to design durable, engaging pieces that can sustain the rigors of a hands-on environment. This innovative sculpture invites participants to engage in a communal time capsule reflecting the last moment it was touched via four handwheels which manually rotate a large analog display featuring a clock, temperature readings, and weather icons.
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ABOUT ARTS LANDING | Funding for the construction of Arts Landing is generously provided by the Allegheny Regional Asset District, BNY, Buhl Foundation, Burke Family Foundation, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Colcom Foundation, Dollar Bank, Eden Hall Foundation, Audrey Hillman Fisher Foundation, The Grable Foundation, The Heinz Endowments, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, Henry L. Hillman Foundation, Jewish Healthcare Foundation, Richard King Mellon Foundation, PNC Foundation, and PPG Foundation.
The $31M civic space is a key part of the Downtown Revitalization Vision announced in 2024 by the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, Allegheny County, the City of Pittsburgh, and Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh as part of Governor Shapiro’s 10-year $600-million-dollar plan to rejuvenate Downtown Pittsburgh.
For more information and to sign up for email updates about Arts Landing, visit TrustArts.org/ArtsLanding. For previous press releases and renderings of Arts Landing, visit TrustArts.org/Press.
ABOUT THE PITTSBURGH CULTURAL TRUST | The Cultural Trust is one of the nation’s premier arts presenters and a major catalytic influence in Pittsburgh, having overseen one of the city’s most historic transformations: turning a red-light district into a magnet destination for arts-lovers, residents, visitors, and business owners. Founded in 1984, the Cultural Trust presents an array of quality performing and visual arts, provides comprehensive educational experiences, and stewards Pittsburgh’s Cultural District as a national model of economic revitalization through the arts. Lauded as “the single greatest creative force in Pittsburgh,” the Cultural Trust has worked to make Pittsburgh a place where the arts can flourish. The 14-block Cultural District, a project of the Cultural Trust, has become a vibrant center for culture, art, food, and community in downtown Pittsburgh, providing a home for a broad range of performance groups and resident companies. More than one million people visit the Cultural District each year, generating more than $300M in economic impact for the region. | TrustArts.org | Facebook · Instagram · TikTok