Emerging Visions exhibition transforms Downtown storefronts into art photo galleries

On an average grey weekday in Downtown Pittsburgh, rushed commuters might not give a second glance at empty buildings as they pass. But a new art installation aims to change that, bringing vibrancy and color by displaying the work of three Pittsburgh artists on the windows of vacant storefronts on Liberty Avenue.

Curated by the Garfield-based Silver Eye Center for Photography, the Emerging Visions exhibition debuted on Oct. 24 and is described as a “public-facing multi-site gallery in the heart of Downtown” in a press release. The exhibition comes about as the latest project by the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership’s Project Pop-Up initiative, launched this summer, which brings “pop-up retail concepts” to enhance small business Downtown.

Endeavoring to “bring the gallery to the street,” the Emerging Visions exhibition hopes to engage a built-in audience of the tens of thousands of visitors, residents, and workers who traverse Downtown daily. The project utilizes street-level storefronts to "bring the community closer to the world of contemporary photography by showcasing the work of three emerging Pittsburgh artists who come from historically underrepresented backgrounds in the larger art world."

Emerging Visions features artwork by Evangeline Mensah-Agyekum, a self-taught, multidisciplinary artist whose evocative portraits “explore Blackness, womanhood, and the unique intersections of identity,” per the museum label; the works appear on the first floor of the May Building at 529 Liberty Ave.

“Legacy," a work by musician and artist Anqwenique Kinsel that adorns 604 Liberty Ave., pays tribute to Leontyne Price, the first intentionally recognized African-American operatic soprano. Displayed at 817 Liberty Ave. is Sobia Ahmad’s “Stay Awhile," part of the interdisciplinary artist’s ongoing series about Pando, an ancient aspen tree grove in Utah connected by a massive root system, believed to be the world’s heaviest known organism.
Leo Hsu, executive director at Silver Eye, said the works "provide a wonderful opportunity" for Downtown residents, visitors, and commuters to "reflect on how we may celebrate ourselves and others, honor legacies in the arts, and consider deep scales of time as found in nature."

"We hope that passersby will find rewarding interactions with these thoughtful and deeply felt artworks by these three exciting artists," he added.

True to the exhibition’s stated intent, when passing by on the street, the art both draws the eye and blends into the Downtown landscape. With Ahmad’s work centered on Pando and its vast interconnectedness, the viewer is challenged to reach for transcendence amidst the Downtown noise, with foot traffic from the Cultural District and Steel City Tobacco next door.

The exhibition adds to several efforts to rejuvenate interest in Downtown Pittsburgh. The neighborhood has become a flashpoint as of late, with business leaders, politicians, and others contributing to discourse about the post-pandemic loss of foot traffic, and the number of unhoused people, especially after the closing of a major shelter on Smithfield Street in June.

Emerging Visions wades into a jumble of signifiers about Pittsburgh’s past and present. The Kinsel work — an intimate domestic scene featuring a Leontyne Price record, lit candle, and sage bundle — appears directly beneath a for sale sign at the historic 604 Liberty building, previously a deli, a newsstand, a cigar-rolling facility, and an unrealized taproom before becoming vacant. Ahmad's naturalistic work — displayed at what was once an America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses discount store — sits among posted signs warning against trespassing and a Downtown “If You See Something, Say Something” campaign.

Richard Hooper of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership confirmed to Pittsburgh City Paper that the exhibition “do[es] not have a definitive end date.”

“We anticipate [the artworks] will be in place for as long as the building ownership [or] management wishes to maintain the installation,” Hooper says, leaving it open to whether or not Downtown Pittsburgh will choose to keep this public art.