For immediate release:

Larger-than-life public sculpture re-defines Pittsburgh's cityscape. Sculptor James Simon installs three 15-foot musicians at 947 Liberty Avenue.

An opening celebration is planned for June 27, 2003 with an 11:00 a.m. unveiling of the sculptures and an evening party from 5:00 - 9:00 p.m.

James Simon' 947 Liberty Avenue Musicians

After you've taken a look at James Simon's 15-foot musicians, you'll want them to come to life and play. This is sculpture placed on the street made for the people. It's located right on the 900 block of Liberty Avenue near the intersection of Smithfield and Liberty. The musicians' lively, vibrant expressions and the surprising detail and contrasting textures of their clothes, instruments, and even sideburns make them genuinely unique, creating the future of Pittsburgh's downtown while paying homage to its jazz tradition. They're poised and ready to play for anyone they meet.

From the rings on their fingers to the tiny buttons up a shirt vest, you'll soon know this isn't public sculpture made of cold, metal abstractions. The guitar player is in mid-bob with his knees bent and fingers curled; the horn player has his trumpet to his lips, hand already announcing his solo; and the accordion player has his bellows wide open, ready to squeeze. This, the foreground in contrast to the sleek, modern design of the Liberty Avenue Loft Project developed by Eve Picker, who commissioned the sculptures.

Picker is the force behind No Wall Productions, Inc. a Pittsburgh development company with an ongoing interest in the re-development and revitalization of the inner city and its neighborhoods. Picker specializes in resuscitating Pittsburgh's cityscape by providing funky loft and commercial space. Her passion for the unusual and her ongoing interest in the arts helped make the Liberty Avenue musicians a reality.

The three musicians, completed in early June 2003, are a vibrant and innovative addition to Pittsburgh's cityscape. The Liberty Avenue Musicians will soon become a Pittsburgh landmark, redefining what was once the city's red light district. The beauty is in the ease and liveliness of the musicians as they are about to break into song. There's hope that Pittsburghers will dance in the streets.

The three sculptures were originally composed in clay on metal armatures, then plaster molds were made, and the sculptures were cast in sections in a special fiber-reinforced all-weather concrete. Simon and his crew transported the sections to the site and installed them. They will serve as the entryway to the 947 lofts, all visitors walking between accordion and guitar on their way into the building.

Just as Degas mined the world of the dancer, catching timeless moments of repose and kinetic energy, Simon has explored the world of the street musician, traveling the world as first a violin maker and then a sculptor, transferring the impromptu energy and experimental quality of the local music he heard into his clay compositions. In this way, the sculpture themselves become an improvised note late at night on a city street, played from the living room window of a fifth floor walk-up as the aunts and uncles begin to play.

The sculptures tap into a primal creativity'a spontaneity that comes from Simon's years of paying careful attention to the world, humming, strumming, tapping, and dancing all around him. A Breeze, smells, and sounds are all evoked by these majestic men. You'll want to shrink them down to size, bring them to life, and invite them to your next party.