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 last session of the series is Implementation and Final Product. During this session, attendees will visit the final artwork and hear from the artist and the project team members about the implementation process and working with the bridge contractors.

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

The Fern Hollow Bridge connects the Regent Square and Squirrel Hill neighborhoods of Pittsburgh, running above Frick Park, becoming Forbes Avenue. This group will meet on the S. Braddock Avenue side (east side) at the Forbes & Braddock Playground.  Please plan to arrive 5 – 10 minutes ahead of the start of the session.

Directions and Parking

For Public Transit: Public transit is available via bus lines 61B (outbound, Forbes Ave. + Braddock)) and 61A & 61B (inbound, Forbes Ave. + Braddock FS). 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.

Accessibility

Please contact the Office for Public Art directly at info@opapgh.org with requests for accommodations.