Riverfront trails receive hand- wash stations

Spending time outdoors and washing hands frequently are two of the most common recommendations for public health during the COVID- 19 pandemic. Now, Pittsburghers can do both at the same time.

On Thursday, hand- washing stations popped up at six locations along the Downtown and North Shore riverfronts. The stations are the first project of the Pittsburgh Creative Corps, a collaboration between Riverlife and the Office of Public Art with support from Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership.

“We were down looking at them today and it was really encouraging to see the public actually using them,” said Matthew Galluzzo, president and CEO of Riverlife, noting that the COVID- 19 pandemic has resulted in a 62% increase in people utilizing open space. “They’re serving as these beacons along the riverfront — you can see them from a pretty significant distance.”

Nearly 80 local artists responded this summer to a call for submissions to create artwork to decorate the handwashing stations.

One of those artists was Ally Lush, who had been working in public health in the African nations of Gambia and Sierra Leone for the past five years before COVID- 19 travel restrictions brought her back to Pittsburgh.

Her designs — of people on winding paths inspired by time she has spent on running and biking trails in Pittsburgh — adorn the handwashing stations in Market Square and Allegheny Landing.

“Using art to convey messages about public health and specifically the COVID pandemic is really important right now,” said Ms. Lush, of Troy Hill. “It’s good for the public to see more exciting representations of the way we can protect ourselves and the community from COVID.”

The other artists chosen are Maggie Negrete and Marcel Walker. Their art is on handwashing stations at the Mister Rogers statue on the North Shore, the upper esplanade near the Water Steps on the North Shore, Allegheny Riverfront Park at Fort Duquesne Boulevard and Sixth Street in Downtown and at the Mon Wharf Landing.

All three artists use comic- book style illustrations for the handwashing stations.

“We used comic artists so the graphics on them are really compelling,” Mr. Galluzzo said. “This isn’t just a generic infographic.”

The handwashing stations cost about $ 25,000, including artist fees and maintenance, and were funded through the Richard King Mellon Foundation, Riverlife, Office of Public Art, and Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership. They will be up through mid- December and could be back out on the riverfront in the spring, he said.