City parks get artsy with roving carts

Hacking through the draping heat waves and asphalt corridors of the city, residents might find… Hacking through the draping heat waves and asphalt corridors of the city, residents might find gems of Pittsburgh in the form of the Roving Art Cart.

Run by the Citiparks program, the Roving Art Cart visits different parks Tuesday through Friday of each week.

Some might be curious how often the cart will hit such landmarks as Schenley Park. However, while the cart will be in the Schenley Oval on Aug. 1, the cart isn’t exactly geared toward the jogging and sunbathing crowd – it’s intended primarily for children who might otherwise not have enough opportunities to engage in art.

For example, choosing a path down dusty steps encrusted with vines might suggest that Magee Playground in Greenfield has been abandoned. However, going a few steps farther reveals a swimming pool and playground huddled at the far end of the park swarming with children.

Amid the playing masses is the art cart, which has evolved from its original wheeled form to tents sheltering portable tables and bold-stroke paintings flapping in the wind, attached to a chain link fence.

Similarly, a skinny stretch of grass and trees at Friendship Park in Bloomfield is not so small that it can’t hold the art carts and a crowd of children industriously rolling clay to make coil pots.

“It’s a tremendous resource for kids in the city,” said Lawrence Wray of East Liberty. Wray brought his daughters, Maighread and Maeve, to the art carts as part of their home schooling program. He tries to follow it to other parks, such as the previous installment in Highland Park. “It’s great to give kids an opportunity for self-expression,” said Wray.

However, more facial self-expression is evident with each smiling child. Bryce Parker of Lincoln-Lemington showed off a portrait of himself and his grandmother, both of Lincoln-Lemington. The pair happened to be passing by when they spotted the colorful tents and busy park workers. “It’s nice to have as many things to do that are free,” said Ms. Parker.

Willesha Miller, a high school student, was at the dancing robot station. She was creating a construction paper robot to attach to a simple metal frame that moved in response to her voice. Rather than the sight of colorful tent tops, Miller’s driving force behind coming was her mother.

“Since me and my sister always stay in my house, she thought it would be a good thing to get out,” said Miller. As she constructed her own robot, she said, “Other than the heat, it’s nice.”

The robot table she worked at is part of Robot 250, a wider program geared toward participants of all ages that’s bringing robotic technology to locations all over Pittsburgh in celebration of the city’s 250th birthday.

Sam Brayer, a junior studying biological sciences at Pitt, works with the cart for his summer job.

“I actually get paid to play with kids,” he said while supervising the robot creation. Although the summer workers are paid, the job comes with the satisfaction of bringing opportunities to children in less fortunate neighborhoods.

After completing their latest masterpiece, “Their eyes just light up, they can’t wait to go home and share it with their parents,” said Brayer.

Danielle Hill, a second-year pre-pharmacy student at CCAC, has been with the art cart for more than two years and is proud of the art cart tradition to go to all the city neighborhoods and their parks, “not just the preferred ones.” Hill sees the program from both sides of the age coin.

“I think I can relate to children and parents,” she said, referring to the program as one for community enrichment.

Aside from individual children and parent pairs passing though, there are also day cares and other youth organizations that take advantage of the cart by bringing groups of children. Yet volume of children does not seem to be too challenging for the volunteers.

“It’s a different pace every day,” said Jill Flynn with an acknowledging nod.

Flynn, who has been with the Citiparks office helping to coordinate events for the last year, is wary of other challenges.

“For painting, wind is a major concern,” she said, eyeing the crinkled paintings easing back and forth in the breeze.

For children and adults alike, those paintings are the gems of the city.