Pittsburgh’s New $31m Riverfront Public Arts Space to Feature Work by Local and National Artists

Pittsburgh will launch one of its ‘most significant cultural investments in the last 25 years’ next spring in the form of a riverfront area featuring commissions by artists like Thaddeus Mosley, vanessa german, and Hilma’s Ghost co-founder Sharmistha Ray.

Pittsburgh Cultural Trust revealed today the artists commissioned for its Arts Landing public art initiative—a $31 million (USD) public space for events and recreation set to open downtown in April 2026.

Led by Pittsburgh Cultural Trust director of galleries and public art Anastasia James, the first wave of commissions have prioritised artists with regional ties, though the organisation plans to commission international artists in the future.  

James said the aim is to ‘present thoughtful programming prioritising artist-driven collaborations and public participation’, while ‘highlighting Pittsburgh as a leader in contemporary public art’.

Highlights include german’s Lifted—sculptural benches cast from hand tracings of Pittsburgh residents over 100, and Touching the Earth—a tribute to the centenary of Pittsburgh sculptor Mosley, of monumental bronzes first shown in New York.

A sculpture by Philadelphia artist Shikeith will probe Black histories tied to water and the Underground Railroad, while artists Mikael Owunna and Marques Redd will bring a large bronze of deity Ra, merging African spiritual traditions with queer aesthetics.

Pittsburgh artist Darian Johnson will contribute sculptures inspired by local fauna, artists Lenka Clayton and Phillip Andrew Lewis will probe the relationship between humans and birds, and local artist John Peña will show an interactive sculpture, Rotating Weather Sculpture.

Ray, a Brooklyn-based painter who explores ‘cosmology and consciousness’ through abstraction, will design a series of pickleball courts inspired by their cultural and queer identities.  

Kendra Whitlock Ingram, president and CEO of Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, said public art has the power to spark connections and create a sense of community pride.

‘Created by artists with strong ties to our region, these works will connect visitors more deeply with our city and shape Arts Landing as a distinctly Pittsburgh destination.’

Arts Landing is part of the city’s 2024 plan to modernise its downtown area and backed by governor Josh Shapiro’s $600 million allocation over ten years to this purpose. —[O]

Main image: Render of Arts Landing, Great Lawn view by Field Operations. Courtesy Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.