Market Square has transformed dramatically over the decades, with even more changes to come in 2025. Now, in an effort to brighten and invigorate the atmosphere of the square, the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership has launched a project called “Market Square Moment.” The project will create a permanent public space to host the works of local artists.“Market Square is really central and kind of the heartbeat of Downtown, right? We have a lot of programming that happens, whether it’s Picklesburgh, Oktoberfest or the Holiday Market,” says Bruce Chan, senior director of urban design with the PDP.But Market Square doesn’t host events all year.Looking for the best place to visually activate the space when it isn’t filled with seasonal festivities, Chan noticed an empty wall directly above Moe’s Southwest Grill. Doing some research, he found that the wall had often been used in the past as a place for billboards — a way to attract passersby to the vendors in the square.The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership’s “Market Square Moment” was installed in fall 2024. Photo courtesy of the PDP. “That wall has always been a very visible focal point of Market Square, whether you’re on Forbes Avenue or deep within the square,” says Chan. “I thought it would be a great opportunity to bring back life to that empty facade but make it a showcase for local artistic talents.”After securing access to the wall, the PDP began installation of a frame system on the building’s exterior. The permanent frame allows for the display of large-scale temporary artwork. They collaborated with Shiftworks, a local nonprofit connecting artists with community organizers, to send out a call to action and create a process to select the winning artwork. Through this effort, “Good Service” by Rigel Richardson was ultimately selected to be the first to inhabit this new frame.“We really liked the piece because it spoke to the theme of currents, the thought that Market Square is this confluence of all these currents Downtown, whether it’s natural or cultural,” says Chan.“Good Service” by Rigel Richardson (Market Square version). Acrylic painting on wood. Image courtesy of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership. Born and raised in the American Southwest, the artist “currently nests in the last big curve of the Mon Valley.” Richardson says their parents instilled a deep sense of wonder surrounding the natural world and the cosmos. Working as a software engineer by day, Richardson says they feel compelled to create art as an extension of that inner magnetism. “I’m still so drawn to bright creatures and patterns, and animals are still often the subject or inspiration for my work. So are the bright colors, patterns and themes of my Mexican heritage,” says Richardson. “There’s always something in me requesting I take a longer look and translate that experience into some other medium.”A member of Pittsburgh Creative Corps, an initiative started by Shiftworks to connect artists with organizations looking for original work, Richardson heard the call put out by the PDP, seeking submissions for what would become “Market Square Moment.’ Their submission, “Good Service,” prominently features cedar waxwings eating service berries, both species native to Western Pennsylvania. Through vivid and expressive brushstrokes, Richardson displays the interplay of natural currents: the flow of air, pooling of water and the dependence of plants, animals and humans on the interplay of these natural rhythms.“The ultimate ‘Good Service’ is working together, in community, towards our collective wellbeing, in collaboration with nature as much as possible. Nurture, protect and celebrate the fleeting, beautiful moments in life,” Richardson writes in their artist’s statement about the work.A fall day in Market Square. Photo by Jennifer Baron.Based on a 12-inch-by-12-inch painting, the original work was expanded to fit the mural’s aspect ratio. Then, Shiftworks contracted a print company to create the mural currently on display. Richardson’s work will remain on display in Market Square for two to three years, before another Pittsburgh artist will be selected to create a new work in its place.Now it is on view for all of the city to see. Richardson hopes people stop to consider all the crossroads that have brought them where they are in life and seek to embrace the joyful currents of nature, seeing all the unexpected places they can take us.“I hope that anyone who spends time with the work thinks about their role in the various currents and communities related to their life and recognizes that they have the choice to contribute positively, even in very small ways, every day.” MORE MURALS WE LOVE Pittsburgh murals: a self-guided tour of the city’s best public art Pittsburgh is a city painted with stories. Here are some of our favorites. by Katherine Mansfield November 13, 2024November 13, 2024 The post Where to stop for a ‘Market Square Moment’ appeared first on NEXTpittsburgh.