Pittsburgh dinosaur statue repainted to spread message of “diversity and inclusion”

Pittsburgh features a number of curious dinosaur statues spread throughout various neighborhoods, all painted to celebrate different aspects of the city. Now one of them, a Triceratops, has been repainted through a collaboration of a local school and two artists.

The dinosaur known as “Dollysaurus" or Dolly, located at the corner of Braddock and Penn avenues in Point Breeze, has a colorful new design. The statue was originally painted to look like a pink piggy bank, complete with a slot at the top.

The fresh design, which features multi-colored dinosaurs along with words like “joy,” “play,” and “belonging,” was completed by Pittsburgh-based artists Max Gonzales and Shane Pilster.

According to a press release, the new look was the result of a partnership between the Shady Lane School, in front of which Dollysaurus is located, and DS Kinsel, co-founder of the Garfield-based arts hub BOOM Concepts.

“BOOM Concepts is honored to be working with Shady Lane to update Dolly the Dinosaur with a message centered on youth equity through the aesthetics of cute baby dinosaurs,” says Kinsel, who is also a Shady Lane board member and parent.

The triceratops, as well as the other dinosaurs, including multiple Tyrannosaurus Rex statues, were installed as a part of the DinoMite Days, a fundraising project launched by the Carnegie Museums in 2003. Dollysaurus was commissioned by Dollar Bank and the first design was created by Dymun & Company.

Shady Lane interim director Lori Gunn says the original design, which had begun to fade and needed a refresh, was replaced to reflect the mission of the pre-K, nonprofit school.

“We are so excited to see Dolly get a new look,” says Gunn. “Shifting the emphasis to diversity and inclusion was important to us because Shady Lane believes that high-quality early childhood education is for everyone.”

The project is also part of BOOM Concepts’ Activist: Print Paste & Paint, a public art program supported through the Pittsburgh Foundation’s Grantmaking For Racial Justice Fund.