Public Art Introduced To Paulson Spray Park And Playground
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The City of Pittsburgh, in collaboration with the Department of Public Works and the Public Art and Civic Design Division of the Department of City Planning, announced today the integration of public art to be unveiled at the Paulson Spray Park and Playground in the neighborhood of Lincoln-Lenington-Belmar.
"We are excited about the rehab of the pool into a new spray park facility for all of the Lincoln Lemington families," said Councilman Rev. Ricky Burgess. "Thank you to Mayor Peduto and the Department of Public Works for bringing this amenity into the community for the residents."
The renovation of Paulson Park began in 2016 as a collaboration among DPW, Pashek+MTR and the community, with the resulting master plan including improvements to the existing pool house, the installation of new play equipment and redesigned landscaping.
The initial design was intended to include tinted concrete on the splash pad surface, DPW utilized the city's 1% per art requirement for this renovation project and working with PA+CD to instead fund the commissioning of new art for the hardscape surface, with additional funding set aside for the restoration of an existing piece of the city's art collection, located on site since the 1980s.
Starting on June 27, 2018, a request was released to solicit artists, artist collectives and designers to propose concepts for this new public art intervention and after an evaluation from a city committee scoring projects under a system that took into consideration the overall concept, creativity, innovation, aesthetics, material presence and the applicant's qualifications, experience and connection to the neighborhood, Will Schlough, a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University was awarded the project.
Schlough's proposal of a vibrant underwater environment will transform the pavement into an interactive playspace, incorporating themes of nature and encouraging children in active play. The mural will work together with the new equipment and landscaping to create a colorful and lively atmosphere in the renovated park.
Schlough's primary goal of his artistic practice "is to create surprising, enjoyable and thought-provocative works in public spaces as a means to creatively enhance the daily lives of the public."
In addition to the commission of new, original artwork, PA+CD worked with a professional team led by Glen Gardner and Electrokote to restore Pipe Movement in Blue by Josefa Filkosky. That artwork has been entirely refurbished and installed at the entrance.
