Mayor Ed Gainey, RAD Celebrate Successful $1.5 Million Art in Parks Program Expansion

When Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey was invited to an event to celebrate Art in Parks, he said: "There's no better place."

"To be able to do art in the park is a beautiful thing," said Mayor Gainey. "It gives our children the time to come here, meditate, sit, think, work out the problems they may have and see a promise of a better tomorrow. That's the promise of art."

Mayor Gainey joined RAD Board vice-chair Dusty Elias Kirk, city leaders and artists under blue skies at Frick Park on Wednesday to mark the culmination of an Art in Parks expansion project in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County.

In 2019, RAD provided a $1.5 million RADical ImPAct grant for Art in Parks. A grant of $1 million created the Hartwood Acres Sculpture Garden, which officially opened last summer. The $500,000 grant propelled the creation of new art in Pittsburgh's five regional parks: Frick, Schenley, Riverview, Highland and Emerald View.

"I believe the park is rehabilitation. I believe it's recovery. And I believe nothing speaks to it more than art," said Mayor Gainey. "People ask, 'What is one of the medicines we can use coming out of the pandemic?' I believe it's art -- in all its forms. It expresses not only our history, but how we feel, how we see, how we heal and how we grow."

While some artists are from Pittsburgh and others are from out of town, each one dove into the neighborhood near their prospective artwork to learn more about that particular community. The eight pieces are complemented by five commissioned works by storytellers who documented the artists' processes.

"We know that regional parks are about much more than trees and walking paths," said RAD Board vice-chair Dusty Elias Kirk. "They promote public health. They foster community. Great artwork can do the same."

Wednesday's celebration was held underneath an interactive sculpture by New York City artist Matthew Geller. In Fields of Friends is more than meets the eye -- each of the benches on the sculpture rotates 120°, and the canopy can sway along with it.

Kirk noted that late Pittsburgh rapper Mac Miller grew up near the location of Frick Park's new artwork -- tucked just behind Blue Slide Park, which was also the title of Miller's debut album. It was with that in mind that Kirk hoped the city's new artwork could inspire Pittsburgh's youth.

"You don't need a degree in art history to appreciate things like this," said Kirk. "And you don't need to pay an admission fee either. Just like RAD is for everyone, this artwork is for everyone."

While there are still a couple of pieces of artwork to finish over the next few months of 2023, the celebratory mood in Frick Park was strong today, particularly with Mayor Gainey thanking the RAD Board for their dedication to maintaining and beautifying Pittsburgh's regional parks."

"Thank you for what you do for our region. You do a lot that people don't even recognize," said Mayor Gainey. "Today you made this city and county a better place."