Publications

Shiftworks produces publications for a range of audiences, including artists, developers, organizations, and members of the public who are interested in learning more about public art.

Browse below to explore all of our publications, from self-guided walking tours to resource guides and reports about several of our own public art programs.

Self-guided Walking Tours

Art in Public Places

Pittsburgh Art in Public Places 

This guidebook features tours of three Downtown neighborhoods, the North Shore, and the North Side. Each tour takes 80–120 minutes and is designed to be self-guided.

The book is available to download for free.

Neighborhood Self-Guided Walking Tours

Interested in a self-guided walking tour of a specific neighborhood? Download a PDF of one of Shiftworks’ guides for the following neighborhoods:

Shiftworks also offers self-guided walking tours in Arabic, Nepali, and Somali:

See images of the works included on this tour.

Reports

Public Art and Environmental Health: Navigating the Intersections

This report shares the research, benchmarking, and pilot programming that Shiftworks undertook from 2023-2024 to evaluate the next steps for our Environment, Health, and Public Art Initiative. Written by Tess Wilson with Divya Rao Heffley, Public Art and Environmental Health: Navigating the Intersections shares our key learnings and aspirations for our future work at the convergence of public art and environmental health.

Public Art + Community: Building resilience through collaboration

This publication, commissioned from Pittsburgh-based writer Jason Vrabel, tells the story behind the artworks and partnerships of the Public Art and Communities Program. This program was a collaboration between Shiftworks, Neighborhood Allies, and the Borough of Millvale. From 2020 – 2023, the program supported four partnerships between artists and community-based organizations to create temporary works of public art that responded to community-defined needs and addressed public health issues magnified by the COVID-19 pandemic. Download the publication to learn more about the people and processes behind these four transformative works in the Pittsburgh region.

Pittsburgh Artists Working in Community: A Case Study of Aesthetic Perspectives in Action

This case study of Shiftworks’ engagement of the Aesthetic Perspectives framework was commissioned in 2019 by Animating Democracy, a Program of Americans For The Arts, and written by Susannah Laramee Kidd of Metris Arts. The report examines how we have used this critical framework in the development, programming, and evaluation of our Artist Residencies and Civic Engagement projects.

Aesthetic Perspectives: Attributes of Excellence in Arts for Change

Aesthetic Perspectives: Attributes of Excellence in Arts for Change

Developed by Animating Democracy, this framework offers a shared language for equitably evaluating arts for social change. To learn more about Aesthetic Perspectives, or to download the framework, visit the Animating Democracy website.

Temporary Public Art and Placemaking Report

In 2015, Shiftworks and Neighborhood Allies launched a new partnership that resulted in the creation of the Temporary Public Art and Placemaking initiative. Through this multi-year pilot program, six community-based organizations collaborated with six artists to create dynamic temporary public art projects in their neighborhoods.

Resource Guides

Artist Residencies in the Public Realm: A resource guide for creating residencies and fostering successful collaborations

Shiftworks has facilitated numerous artist residencies in the public realm with a variety of communities, organizations, and artists. In this guide, we describe how to structure a residency in a way that results in successful collaborations. The guide is intended for organizations that would like to develop an artist in the public realm residency, as well as for artists who are interested in initiating their own collaborative projects in the public realm.

Add Value, Add Art: A public art resource guide for developers

In 2010, the Urban Redevelopment Authority of the City of Pittsburgh commissioned Shiftworks to develop a resource for developers and property owners interested in including works of public art in their projects or proposals. The guide outlines various project types and best practices for artist selection, budgeting, contracts, and more, and is a valuable resource for both public and private entities.

Mural Making 101

The focus of this resource guide is on large-scale painted murals. It presents information about how to choose a location, select an artist, community participation and design review, as well as fabrication and maintenance considerations.