Pittsburgh Creative Corps Artist Kim Beck Selected to Design for Major PennDOT Interchange Project

We’re thrilled to share that Pittsburgh-based artist Kim Beck has been selected by PennDOT District 11 as the artist for the SR22/I-376 Interchange improvement project—marking a bold step forward in integrating public art into Pennsylvania’s transportation infrastructure.

The project is the result of ongoing collaboration between Shiftworks Community + Public Arts and PennDOT to explore how public art can enhance public works and reflect the character of the communities they serve. Our previous public art collaborations with the District include: Behind These Walls by Laurie Lundquist (2014); Ripples by Brian Peterson (2022); 400 Million Years of Water by John Peña (2023); and Trail Meander by Carin Mincemoyer (2023). For the SR22/I-376 project, Beck, a member of the Pittsburgh Creative Corps, was chosen by a panel of stakeholders and arts professionals for her ability to translate regional identity into powerful, site-specific design.

Beck’s concept, Appalachian Ecology: Nature’s Quilt, draws on the rich visual language of quilting, referencing movement, migration, and memory through geometric forms and natural motifs. Inspired by the Appalachian landscape, her design features silhouettes of native plants and animals such as deer, birds, and Pennsylvania’s state tree, the Eastern Hemlock. The “Flying Geese” quilt pattern becomes a central element, evoking not only birdlife but also the movement of people and vehicles through the landscape.

To ground her work in place, Beck conducted research into the natural and cultural history of the Parkway West corridor. Working with the project team, she considered how a surface design—viewed primarily at high speed—could communicate depth, meaning, and beauty. The resulting design invites travelers to reflect on how Pittsburgh’s wild and urban landscapes coexist and shape one another.

Beyond her own artwork contribution, Beck was invited to propose a conceptual theme to guide future commissions along the Parkway West corridor. Her theme, Hidden Histories, challenges artists to explore the overlooked, the layered, and the unseen. It’s a call to surface the stories embedded in our built and natural environments, and to create work that resonates across time, space, and community.

PennDOT’s commitment to including artists at the ground level of infrastructure projects is more than just innovative—it’s transformative. By engaging artists to shape the visual experience of public spaces, PennDOT is affirming that highways are not just conduits for cars, but connectors of people, places, and histories. We’re proud to partner with them on this visionary effort and excited to see what lies ahead.

PennDOT District 11 is inviting public feedback on the idea of incorporating regional artists’ work within department construction projects. To share your thoughts, visit the project webpage: Route 22/I-376 Interchange Project.

To read PennDOT’s official press release on this exciting partnership, visit: PennDOT Newsroom.

Kim Beck is a multidisciplinary artist whose work explores overlooked elements of the landscape—potholes, weeds, rocks, signs, and skies—through photography, print media, drawing, weaving, and installation. Her projects often extend into public spaces, where large-scale billboards, skywriting, sculptures, and performances interrupt the everyday with humor and curiosity. Beck’s public artworks, such as Space Available on the High Line in NYC, Pitch: Rock Sky Flag #1 at Dimensions Variable in Miami, Here at Laumeier Sculpture Park in Saint Louis, Touchstones at Pittsburgh International Airport, and Diccionario and Pothole Performances in Bilbao, invite reflection about civic space and landscape. By bringing art into streets, airports, and even the sky, she creates playful disruptions that reframe how communities encounter their environments.

Photo by Colin Conces.