Overview

The integration of public art was an important component of the design of the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. A Public Art Program was created to maximize community involvement and to facilitate the selection of artists. The purpose of the program was to select artists whose work compliments the unique design of the Convention Center, diversifies the public art forum, and reflects the historic role of art and architecture in Pittsburgh.

The total budget for the Public Art Program was $2 million. Local foundations contributed $1 million and the SEA contributed a $1 million match. The following local foundations contributed to this program:

• Vira L. Heinz Endowment
• The Hillman Foundation
• The Pittsburgh Foundation
• Richard King Mellon Foundation
• Anonymous

Additional information on the David L. Lawrence Convention Center's Art Collection can be found in the Floor-by-Floor Art Guide.

Features

In 1998, the SEA convened a Public Art Committee with eleven members, including one SEA Board member, and Convention Center architect, Rafael Vinoly. That same year, the SEA hired Mark Pally and Carol Goldstein as consultants to coordinate the Public Art Program from conceptual development through implementation. The consultants worked diligently with the Public Art Committee to create a Public Art Plan for artist selection, a reference for concept designs and criteria to evaluate those designs.

In order to select commissioned artwork, the Public Art Committee nominated nine individuals, both local and national, to serve on a Public Art Jury. They used the goals and objectives outlined in the Public Art Plan to select winning commissions. Each work was judged on its ability to:

• Symbolize the region's renewal and signal the City's strong, vital and creative present
• Celebrate the future of Pittsburgh and its remarkable tradition of technological achievement and innovation
• Establish a standard of aesthetics and execution commensurate with the excellence of the architectural design
• Respond to issues of local context and civic engagement

The Public Art Plan called for a two-tiered program involving both commissioning and acquisition. The plan was intended to serve as a model for future public art programs in the City of Pittsburgh and surrounding region.

Commissioned Artists
Request for Qualifications (RFQs) for major commissions were circulated to an invited list of artists recommended by the Public Art Jury. RFQs for smaller commissions were advertised and distributed to artists living and/or working in the Western Pennsylvania region. The SEA distributed thousands of postcards to artists for participation in the competition for the regional commissions. One hundred eighty-five artists submitted entries which were considered by the Art Jury.

After narrowing the field to 21 finalists, the Public Art Jury assembled to hear proposals. The jury selected five Pittsburgh artists and two national artists for the following list of commissioned works, and the SEA Board formally approved their recommendations.

National Artists Selected

ARTIST	TITLE	DESCRIPTION
Jenny Holzer	For Pittsburgh	LED Technology
Tony Tasset	Pittsburgh Magnolias	Installation

Pittsburgh Artists Selected

ARTIST	TITLE	DESCRIPTION
Thaddeus Mosley	Three Rivers Bench	Black Walnut
Angelo Ciotti	Pittsburgh, An Industrial Garden	Aluminum, steel, periwinkles in planter mix
Ray Gerard	You Are Here	Lenticular photographs on plastic panels, steel, fluorescent lights
Anne Lopez	RUG	Concrete, pigment, stainless steel
Steve O'Hearn	River Rail and Viewing Machine	Stainless steel and steel

Acquisition Artists
The second aspect of the plan, the Acquisition Program, allocated $125,000 to purchase existing artwork for display in the Convention Center. This piece of the program was reserved for artists working in Pittsburgh and Southwestern Pennsylvania. Artwork was selected in an open-call competition, with selections made by a jury of respected arts professionals from the region. The selection process was facilitated by the Andy Warhol Museum.

ARTIST	TITLE	DESCRIPTION
Felix de la Concha	The Last Supper	Oil and canvas on board
Jack Wolf	16th Street Bridge Clemente Bridge 16th Street Bridge, Heinz Stacks	Black and white infrared photography
Derrick Meads	Because	Interactive steel sculpture
Ayanah Moor	A to Z, Like Me	Set of 26 prints and 2 portraits, screen print
Charles Biddle	We Buy Clean Cars Caprice Motel Pavilion Motor Lodge	Gelatin silver print
Burton Morris	Heinz Triptych Bottles	Acrylic on canvas
Karen Antonelli	Heaven's Gate #1 Heaven's Gate #4 Heaven's Gate #5	Charcoal, compressed charcoal, chalk, and pastel on paper
Frances Venardos Gialamas	Homage to the Men and the Mills	Mixed media assemblage
James Shipman	Steel Field on Blue Spontaneous Synopsis Shadow Caster Desert Landscape	High fire clay
Michael Hertrich	Enter/Exit	Photo collage
Jon Schultz	The Ghosts of Birmingham	Wood and steel
Bill Rizzo	Armstrong Cork Building in Strip District	Color print
Raymond DeFazio	Noon	Oil on canvas
Ron Donoughe	February Mill Series	Six panels, oil on canvas
Jacob Feige	Untitled #2.6	Acrylic and gesso on wood panel
Mark Perrott	Eliza House Furnace Skyline	Black and white archivally processed fiber silver-print
Felix de la Concha	At the Foot of the Falls	Oil and canvas on board
Various Artists	Picturing the City: Downtown Pittsburgh	86 framed photography prints

Subsequent Acquisitions
Subsequent to the completion of the Original Public Art Plan, the SEA reestablished an art committee. The art committee assisted the SEA with the acquisition of two artworks: At the Foot of the Falls by Felix de la Concha, and Picturing the City: Downtown Pittsburgh by Various Artists. These artworks were financed by the Colcom Foundation and the Heinz Endowments, respectively.