Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey displays local Black artists’ work to celebrate Black History Month
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Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey’s office is adorned with artwork produced by local Black artists as a celebration of Black History Month.
It is the first exhibit in a rotating art exhibition that will feature art meant to celebrate the city’s diversity. Each month, the mayor’s office will be decorated with a different theme celebrating diversity. Next month will feature female artists.
Artwork in the Mayor’s Office, the Executive Conference Room and the Chief of Staff’s Office ranged from portraits of former President Barack Obama and legendary boxer Muhammad Ali to a drawing of a hand holding a light bulb and abstract pieces.
The artists who crafted the work spoke Thursday with Gainey and his wife Michelle, who spearheaded the art initiative, about the importance of art in their lives, the struggles that Black artists in Pittsburgh face and how local government could better support them.
“Art has grown me in so many ways,” said artist Ernest Bey. “Art has brought me here.”
His freehand drawing of a light bulb hangs on a wall across from Gainey’s desk, along with artwork honoring Martin Luther King Jr. and Obama, in a place where Michelle Gainey said she hoped it would inspire the mayor “to think about what our city needs.”
“When I look at the light bulb, it reminds me there’s light,” Ed Gainey said. “I just have to use it.”
For artist Baba Amir Rashiid, part of the appeal of art is its ability to share messages with those around him.
“I think creating art is a way to educate, to make a mark for your community and for yourself,” he said.
Ashante Josey said she nixed her original plans of going to law school to pursue art because it “healed my mind” and fulfilled her. The oil painter focuses on creating artwork that showcases Black women.
Jamie Acie Sr. said he’s been drawing his entire life — from the time he was a child, through his time in the Navy, and still today — but repeatedly finds that people pass up his artwork in favor of white artists.
Marlon Gist said he sold everything he owned to pursue a career in art. His father taught him to paint when he was a child, and he said he often spends up to 100 hours working on a single piece.
He expressed frustration that, despite his dedication and passion for art, he doesn’t feel he has the support he needs to thrive as a Black artist in Pittsburgh.
“Black people are way underrepresented here,” Gist said. “We need more support. This is my life.”
Artist Douglas Webster said he’s used the challenges that many Black artists face as inspiration to keep working towards his artistic and business goals.
He said he thinks Black artists need to form a community to support one another. He also urged Gainey to explore ways the city could teach Black artists about how to find grant funding and pay for services at print shops. Artists need support to understand the business side of their work, he said.
“I appreciate the opportunity that Mayor Gainey and (the) first lady have given us,” he said. “This is history right here.”
Michelle Gainey said such ideas from Black artists will help guide the administration in efforts to support the city’s Black arts community. The mayor added that it was “powerful” to listen to the artists’ concerns. He said displaying their art in his office has inspired him and opened the eyes of people who visit his office.
Gainey said he hopes to use art from diverse artists to help bridge divides in the city.
“The art is healing people,” Gainey said.