Meet the Artists Behind PIT’s Newest Installations

The series of free talks will continue on select dates through September.

4 hours ago

Ollie Gratzinger,

Glass collages at entryway of bathrooms at Pittsburgh International Airport

PHOTO BY BETH HOLLERICH | ARTWORK BY NJAIMEH NJIE ON DISPLAY IN PIT

Some artwork begins as a sketch. Other pieces begin with a personal journey.

Officials at the Pittsburgh International Airport say every piece of art on display inside has a story — and you can soon hear those stories directly from the artists.

Through PIT’s Art in the Airport program, the airport will present a series of free Meet the Artist talks in the upcoming months, all of which will take folks behind the scenes and into the artistic minds that conceived and created each piece.

The talks are the latest step toward the airport’s goal of making PIT more than just a liminal space through which people pass on their way to somewhere else.

“Art in public spaces connects people and creates a sense of place and belonging,” says Keny Marshall, PIT’s arts and culture manager. “We continue to work to connect airport staff and the community with the artists behind the work at PIT. If you want to gain a deeper understanding of how these installations reflect the stories, people and creative spirit of our region, we hope you will join us.”

Officials say PIT has always incorporated art as a major part of the passenger journey. The numerous works of art on display throughout the newly renovated terminal were created by a diverse group of local, national and international artists. The pieces are exhibited at more than 30 locations throughout the transformed terminal spaces, according to Blue Sky News, “offering passengers an immersive and distinctly Pittsburgh welcome.”

The pieces range from large-scale installations to intimately curated exhibitions, reflecting “both the city’s industrial heritage and its forward-looking creative energy,” officials say.

Each Meet the Artists talk will feature artists and the team that made it happen. Attendees will learn about the inspiration behind each installation, the challenges of creating art for a major public space and the role art plays in shaping the traveler’s experience. Each presentation concludes with a Q&A session, giving participants the opportunity to engage directly with the artists. The sessions are presented and moderated by Marshall and the airport’s public art consultant Renee Piechocki.

All talks will take place from 4 to 5:30 p.m., and folks hoping to attend must register in advance here. Each session will also be recorded so that they can be viewed later.

The schedule is as follows:

July 21

Chris Craychee, Pittsburgh, (“Surrounding Waterways”)

Fredy Huaman Mallqui, Erie (“Connections”)

Susan Narduli, Los Angeles, (“Immersion: A Pittsburgh Sound Portrait”)

Aug. 4

Christine Lorenz, Pittsburgh, (“On a Molecular Level”)

Patrick Marold, Boulder, Colo. (“Open Columns”)

Njaimeh Njie, Baltimore, (“Looking Up From Here”)

John Peña, Pittsburgh, (“Luggage Thoughts”)

Aug. 18

Lori Hepner, Pittsburgh, (“Something About The Sky”)