The issue isn't "property," and it isn't "art." Signage on skyscrapers is "art" only in the loosest sense, but what we're really talking about isn't "Art" with a capital "A" anyway. Analogizing these things to graffiti, which Craig's piece tries to do, is misleading. The issue is the aesthetics of public space, how they should be managed, and who should manage them. Personally, I think that the Art Commission and the Planning Commission should take a broad view. Pittsburgh's public space could use some livening up. I was watching the U.S. Open golf tournament yesterday afternoon, and once again I was exhausted by recurring broadcast images of steel mills. Pittsburgh should make it easy for TV producers, with limited budgets and limited imaginations, to find additional images of the region. That's hardly the only reason to promote public art, but it's a start.
Signs on skyscrapers are a matter of taste, but Pittsburgh has a lot of them already, and personally, I like them. City skylines should be lively. My old architecture history teacher Vincent Scully anthropomorphized the Manhattan skyline, arguing that the towers were striving for attention with their distinctive tops. The UPMC sign on the USX Tower would at last give that blunt rusty block a hint of color. A bigger sign would be better, I think, than the smaller one that the Planning Commission seems to want.
The Rogers statue and particularly the proposed use of the bridge pier is brilliant. John Craig would hide the statue in a museum or on Fifth Avenue in Oakland or in Shenley Park. I can't think of a better stage for Pittsburgh's most beloved 20th century citizen than a spot just across from the Point, reusing a memorable piece of Pittsburgh history.
Public art is happening in Pittsburgh, and that's a good thing. It could use more publicity. Dave Edwards, one of the local artists behind the Pittsburgh Roars inflatables last year, sent me a photo of a 3,000 sq. ft. public mural that he's just completed on the North Side titled "Welcome to Deutschtown." The mural is located at the corner of Cedar Ave. and East Ohio Street and is painted on the side of the Park House. The mural project is managed by the Northside Leadership Conference with the support of the URA, The Elm Street Community, PNC and the East Allegheny Community Council. Dave writes: "The mural has an architectural and stained glass theme containing nine city crests representing the Austrian, German and Swiss towns of some of the original settlers of the area. A Maestro playing piano by candle light adds a warm and whimsical touch." Pittsburgh Dish has a posting of the latest pictures with scaffolding removed. There will be a dedication on June 20 at 6:30 p.m., complete with live German and Swiss music in the park in front of the site.
UPDATE ADDED 6/27: UPMC signs are going on the U.S. Steel Tower after all. Yay!
