In the Field: The Artist and Fabricator Relationship

In the Field is a new series from the Office for Public Art which takes participants on an in-depth behind-the-scenes look at an artist’s process, collaboration, and final results of creating a public artwork.

For this inaugural season, artist John Peña will share his work on the pedestrian enhancement project for the reconstructed Fern Hollow Bridge over the course of three in-person sessions. Each session will be on-site at a different location and will highlight a different step in Peña’s process of creating the artwork.

Session Description

The second session of In the Field is The Artist and Fabricator Relationship. Participants will meet at Technique Architectural Products in Wilkinsburg, PA. Technique has served as the artist’s collaborator for fabrication of the stencils used to create the final artwork, and has worked closely with artists across the Pittsburgh region to bring their projects to implementation. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the services that Technique offers and how they work with artists and designers.

About John Peña

John Peña is a multidisciplinary artist, illustrator and educator from the desert of Washington State. He makes art as a way of exploring the natural world and his daily interactions. A few of John’s projects include: racing with clouds, sending a letter to the Pacific Ocean every day for the last twelve years, making daily drawings about his life and constructing large-scale plaster word balloons that are precariously balanced on two by fours. John has attended a number of residencies including The Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, The Bemis Center for Contemporary Art & The Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, MA. He currently lives and works in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Location and Address

Technique Architectural Products is located in Wilkinsburg on Penn Avenue, between Mill Street and Center Street. The physical address is  815 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15221. Please plan to arrive 5 – 10 minutes early to check in with the OPA staff member on-site.

Directions and Parking

For Public Transit: Public transit is available via bus lines 67, 69, 79, P12, P67, and P78 (Wallace Ave. + Center St.) and 61A, 67, 69, 79, P12, P67, P69, and P78 (Ross St. and Wood St.). For more information on public transportation and to plan your trip, please visit the Pittsburgh Regional Transit website.

Public Parking: On-street parking is available in the surrounding area.