Graffiti scourge
Defacing artwork along river is cruel vandalism
No one wants to see graffiti in Pittsburgh, especially on artwork, especially along the scenic river trails. Sadly, two pieces of art were vandalized last week in the temporary outdoor gallery that Riverlife has created under part of the Fort Duquesne Bridge, Downtown. With help from its community partners and its own money, Riverlife cleaned up the mess and repaired the damage with all due speed. Now the rest of us can appreciate it all the more, especially as the Three Rivers Arts Festival helps to shine a light on the art produced nationally and at home.
Employees of Riverlife and the arts festival discovered the vandalism Wednesday. Crude words and images had been spray painted on “Adjutant,” a Henry David Thoreau-inspired mural designed by Kim Beck, and “X’s” had been put over the faces of refugee children in two panels of the “Displaced” photo exhibit by Maranie Staab, an East End resident currently visiting refugee camps in Iraq.
Riverlife said graffiti also was painted on “various surfaces along the Allegheny Riverfront trail between the Point and the Cultural District. The content suggested a random (and juvenile) tagging,” rather than vandalism targeting the artists or intending a political message.
Revitalization of the riverfronts has been one of Pittsburgh’s greatest success stories in recent decades, and Riverlife has augmented the trail system with its “to be determined” series under the bridge ramp between Point State Park and the Cultural District. Riverlife said it was highly visible but unused space crying for attention. Creating an outdoor gallery there was a great idea.
“Adjutant” debuted two years ago, while “Displaced” went on view June 2, the first day of the arts festival. Also on exhibit since June 2 is “Take a Seat!”, a moving exhibit of chairs with GPS devices. As visitors move the chairs, the locations are updated on riverlifepgh.org.
Let’s hope the art vandals in this case are caught and, if they’re wayward youths, given sentences that help them reflect on the value of art in society. Actually, it wouldn’t hurt any ofus to think a little more about that.