Hazelwood Hosts Mobile Sculpture Workshop
In 2003, a group of Pittsburgh-area artists, called the Industrial Arts Co-op (IAC), descended on the LTV Coke Plant in Hazelwood to construct a monumental piece of sculpture that represented Pittsburgh’s working class values and industrial heritage. After over a decade of fabrication, The Workers was complete. Commissioned by the city of Pittsburgh and created using reclaimed industrial steel, the 18 foot structure was permanently installed in Riverfront Park and dedicated to the working people of Pittsburgh on Labor Day 2012. IAC co-founder and project manager, Tim Kaulen, never forgot what it was like to build this immense work in the LTV Plant along the Hazelwood Flats, and the spirit of community that exists there.
“When the LTV recognized that the closing of the mill was near, they started an employee education center to retrain workers for new trades and skills such as carpentry, plumbing, stained glass, and leather working. I always took this as an initiative to continue in our own work; to bring people in and share the process of creating and learning together.”
In order to give back and address the needs of the community, the IAC has embarked on a pilot program called the Mobile Sculpture Workshop (MSW), housed at the Hazelwood Initiative Garage. As the cooperative’s first community outreach program, the MSW is currently instructing close to a dozen area youth on the safe and proper techniques of welding, metal working, and sculpture building. A summer long program, the goal of the MSW is to complete a large scale sculpture for permanent installation in the Hazelwood area. It is a combined effort of the artists and youth to inspire the community of Hazelwood and its neighbors with an opportunity of design, fabrication and completion of public art.
“Our friends at the Hazelwood Initiative immediately recognized our need for a home base throughout the summer, and offered their office and garage space on Second Avenue to serve as the workshop meeting place. This is such an incredible gesture of support for the short term, as we plan to establish a permanent artist and learning center in Hazelwood. We would also like to thank the Hazelwood community for their interest in the program, and the Ayers Foundation, Jackson Welding, All Welding Equipment and Repair and Mustang Trailer for their generous support.”
With safety & design training coming to a close, the MSW will be appearing at local events in Hazelwood and beyond to demonstrate the design & sculpture making process to the public. You can learn more about MSW by visiting their website at www.mobilesculpture.org, and keep up-to-date with news and events by following their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/mobilesculptureworkshop.
For more information, please contact Matt Smuts, PCRG’s Hazelwood Community Coordinator, at msmuts@pcrg.org or (412) 391-6732 ext 203.