ArtGardens of Pittsburgh facts for kids

The ArtGardens of Pittsburgh is a special outdoor art gallery located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. What makes it unique is that the art pieces are made from living, growing plants! It's like a museum where the artworks are gardens themselves. The goal of The ArtGardens is to show everyone that gardening can be a cool and modern type of art.

The ArtGardens of Pittsburgh

What is Garden Art?

At The ArtGardens, artists create "installation art" using plants. This means they design and build art pieces right in the outdoor space. Think of it as a living sculpture, but instead of metal or stone, it's made from flowers, bushes, and trees. The ArtGardens is special because it brings many of these plant-based artworks together in one place.

Where is The ArtGardens Located?

The idea for The ArtGardens came from Stephanie Flom. She started it at Frank Curto Park in Pittsburgh. This park is a public green space that you can easily see from Bigelow Boulevard. The park stretches for about one mile along a busy road near downtown Pittsburgh.

Right now, most of the garden artworks are best seen from the road. But the plan is to get people excited about this type of art. The hope is to create a bigger space in the future where everyone can walk right through the gardens and see the art up close.

How Do Artists Create These Gardens?

Artists are invited to create gardens through a special selection process. These artists come from different backgrounds. Some are environmental artists, who focus on nature. Others are artists who simply love to garden. Some work specifically with living plants, while others are community gardeners or even backyard gardeners.

The main rule is that growing plants must be the most important part of their artwork. Artists can add sculptures or other forms, but the plants must be the star! Most of these garden artworks are about the size of a regular backyard garden. Some gardens might only last for one season, while others are designed to be cared for over many years.

Who Started The ArtGardens?

The very first garden artworks at Frank Curto Park were created in the summer of 2002. Artists Lily Yeh and Daniel Ladd were the first to show their plant-based art. In 2003, Stephanie Flom and Delanie Jenkins added even more ArtGarden installations.

Who Supports The ArtGardens?

The ArtGardens is part of a bigger project called The Persephone Project. This project is a program of the STUDIO for Creative Inquiry at Carnegie Mellon University. It also works with the Tides Center of Western Pennsylvania.